Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Stockholm : Aldus, 1974 ;
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: Philip Marlowe navigates the underworld of the Los Angeles gambling circuit while investigating the disappearance of a beautiful nightclub girl. Written at the height of the author's creative career, this novel, with its crooked cops, ex-cons and deadly, seductive women, is a masterpiece of the genre Chandler is credited with creating. Farewell, My Lovely is Raymond Chandler's second novel featuring his archetypal private eye..
User reviews
LibraryThing member danielx
Raymond Chandler's novels are classics of the hardboiled genre, and have taken on a mythic status. Farewell My Lovely is his second novel, and it exhibits all the features that have attracted readers over the past 70 years. I remembered it fondly, if vaguely, from reading it many years ago, and
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have recently read it again. To my surprise, it hasn't aged as well as I expected (or I haven't!) -- and not just due to the dated gender roles and (to some, offensive) references to various characters' ethnicities. Certainly it has its moments, in the action scenes and snappy dialogue, and the plot is convoluted, engaging, and unpredictable. Yet the pace seemed choppy and the prose confusing (I found myself rereading passages to figure them out), and the '40s slang was often hard to decipher. I almost hope my reaction is idiosyncratic, as Chandler's work deserves to be read and recognized as founding works of the noire genre. Show Less
LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
The 2nd of Chandler's books to feature hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe has him involved in not just one but two murders. The first was a night club owner killed by a giant of a man aptly called Moose Malloy. It seems Moose was looking for the girl he left behind when he was put away for armed
It's been a few years since I read The Big Sleep and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the main character and the pulp-noir feeling of this series. It was a welcome return as I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Chandler has a way with words and draws the reader in to the seedy underbelly of big city life. There may be a proliferation of similes but when they're this good you don't really mind. As it was written in 1940 then there is the offensive racial terminology and views of the time to consider but if you can get past that then you're in for a treat. Equally as good, if not better, than its predecessor this comes thoroughly recommended.
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robbery 8 years ago and the owner didn't give him the answers he was looking for. As Moose had quite literally dragged Marlowe into the club he feels compelled to do a little digging of his own while Moose goes on the lam. The second killing was of a man who hired Marlowe as a bodyguard of sorts while he paid a ransom to get some rare jewellery back that had been boosted from a lady friend. Seeing as he didn't do such a good job at protecting his client Marlowe feels compelled to investigate that too even though the cops warn him off.It's been a few years since I read The Big Sleep and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the main character and the pulp-noir feeling of this series. It was a welcome return as I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Chandler has a way with words and draws the reader in to the seedy underbelly of big city life. There may be a proliferation of similes but when they're this good you don't really mind. As it was written in 1940 then there is the offensive racial terminology and views of the time to consider but if you can get past that then you're in for a treat. Equally as good, if not better, than its predecessor this comes thoroughly recommended.
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LibraryThing member mrtall
This story starts off with bang, as the unforgettable Moose Malloy turns a juke joint upside down and inside out looking for his lost love. Marlowe, as usual, is sucked into a sordid mess that's far bigger and nastier than even the biggest and nastiest gangster around.
So is Farewell, My Lovely the
What does it matter, really? Chandler's work sits at the peak of 20th-century American fiction, jostling for the summit with Faulkner and the other biggest of the big dogs.
I can't recommend Chandler highly enough.
So is Farewell, My Lovely the
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pinnacle of the great Raymond Chandler's work, or is it just another exceptional noir featuring a tough-talking but good hearted private eye, a couple of dazzling femme fatales, a whole gallery of vivid bad guys, and lots of hard-hitting action? What does it matter, really? Chandler's work sits at the peak of 20th-century American fiction, jostling for the summit with Faulkner and the other biggest of the big dogs.
I can't recommend Chandler highly enough.
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LibraryThing member AlexBrightsmith
I don't know why it took me so long to start to read this, maybe because the style has been so often and so easily parodied.
When I finally picked it up on the spur of a moment to kill some time on a journey, what I immediately found was that Chandler is the original and best to a breathtaking
I couldn't tell you a thing about the plot, I was just absolutely blown away by the language. It's fresh and inventive in a way that could easily seem strained and artificial, but it's absolutely natural, and every new simile immediately understood.
When I finally picked it up on the spur of a moment to kill some time on a journey, what I immediately found was that Chandler is the original and best to a breathtaking
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degree.I couldn't tell you a thing about the plot, I was just absolutely blown away by the language. It's fresh and inventive in a way that could easily seem strained and artificial, but it's absolutely natural, and every new simile immediately understood.
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Farewell, My Lovely was published in 1940 by Raymond Chandler, the “inventor” of the hard-boiled private detective. It’s the second novel he wrote, and features the iconic detective Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is not a very nice person sometimes but he’s honest, strong, and brave. The story
Moose vanishes and Marlowe begins to look for Velma, trying to track down the source of this mystery. Inevitably, of course, his questions lead to further questions, jewelry heists, gigolos, loose women, marijuana, thugs, crooked policemen, and murder. Even though I initially found this book frustrating because of the disjointed way things seemed to be developing, I think the reader will eventually enjoy the way a series of events that seem totally unconnected and don’t make sense, will be pieced together.
This book contains some offensive racial language, but it's definitely a must for fans of hard boiled fiction. Darker and grittier than The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely details the steamy side of big city life with its crooked cops and seductive women. The author gives a great deal of attention to detail, provoking emotion when least expected. Although other writers have tried to emulate his caustic terse style, no one has written better pulp fiction than Raymond Chandler, and Farewell, My Lovely is a great example.
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opens with Marlowe running into a huge man named Moose Malloy, who is searching for a former sweetheart named Little Velma. He just happens to be searching for her in the dive where she used to be a singer and that’s where the problems start. Moose ends up killing the owner of the bar in a back room, and Marlowe gets sucked into the story, even though he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.Moose vanishes and Marlowe begins to look for Velma, trying to track down the source of this mystery. Inevitably, of course, his questions lead to further questions, jewelry heists, gigolos, loose women, marijuana, thugs, crooked policemen, and murder. Even though I initially found this book frustrating because of the disjointed way things seemed to be developing, I think the reader will eventually enjoy the way a series of events that seem totally unconnected and don’t make sense, will be pieced together.
This book contains some offensive racial language, but it's definitely a must for fans of hard boiled fiction. Darker and grittier than The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely details the steamy side of big city life with its crooked cops and seductive women. The author gives a great deal of attention to detail, provoking emotion when least expected. Although other writers have tried to emulate his caustic terse style, no one has written better pulp fiction than Raymond Chandler, and Farewell, My Lovely is a great example.
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LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
Farewell, My Lovely is the second novel to feature Chandler's now-famous private detective, Philip Marlowe. In this book, Marlowe happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and is witness to a murder at the hands of a recently released convict. On the heels of this event, he is hired as a
I greatly enjoyed The Big Sleep and was eager to move on to the next book in the series. In some ways, Farewell, My Lovely doesn't disappoint - Marlowe is still the epitome of the noir detective, the mystery is tightly wound and unpredictable with many layers to unwrap, and Chandler's writing is tight, compact, and understatedly humorous. On the down side, this book shows its age in its very casual racism; the first 20 pages alone are littered with countless epithets for African-Americans, including a litany of slang ones I had never heard before and would have been OK without having learned. In some ways, this book is a sad reminder of how far we haven't come, for the murder of a black man warrants very little interest from the police, while the murder of white man becomes something more of a hubbub. I do think (perhaps too optimistically) that Chandler was trying to make that point exactly, but all the slurs and crude comments dropped just aren't pretty. And that's even before we get to the American Indian character who speaks in grunts of broken English in a classic bad Western movie style.
While this sort of blatant racism wouldn't fly in a modern book, I was able to partially overlook it because of the time when the book was published (1940). And when Chandler wasn't - inadvertently or purposely - insulting large swaths of people, the mystery he wrote was intriguing and kept you guessing to the end. So, all in all, I did enjoy this book and I'm curious to see what Marlowe will be up to next in the following book.
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bodyguard and ends up with a murdered client. Marlowe continues digging to find answers to these crimes and stumbles into a world of hijackings, jewel thievery, police corruption, and more.I greatly enjoyed The Big Sleep and was eager to move on to the next book in the series. In some ways, Farewell, My Lovely doesn't disappoint - Marlowe is still the epitome of the noir detective, the mystery is tightly wound and unpredictable with many layers to unwrap, and Chandler's writing is tight, compact, and understatedly humorous. On the down side, this book shows its age in its very casual racism; the first 20 pages alone are littered with countless epithets for African-Americans, including a litany of slang ones I had never heard before and would have been OK without having learned. In some ways, this book is a sad reminder of how far we haven't come, for the murder of a black man warrants very little interest from the police, while the murder of white man becomes something more of a hubbub. I do think (perhaps too optimistically) that Chandler was trying to make that point exactly, but all the slurs and crude comments dropped just aren't pretty. And that's even before we get to the American Indian character who speaks in grunts of broken English in a classic bad Western movie style.
While this sort of blatant racism wouldn't fly in a modern book, I was able to partially overlook it because of the time when the book was published (1940). And when Chandler wasn't - inadvertently or purposely - insulting large swaths of people, the mystery he wrote was intriguing and kept you guessing to the end. So, all in all, I did enjoy this book and I'm curious to see what Marlowe will be up to next in the following book.
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LibraryThing member Widsith
Given how many thousands of times Chandler's style has been parodied, I was worried that I might not get much out of the original. But his prose just has such a lovely, muscular rhythm that I find myself breaking into a grin every few pages. Beware imitations – the real article can't be
I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun.
Come on, you can't not love this. The plot is about as incomprehensible as The Big Sleep was, but this time involves the lawless seafront development of ‘Bay City’ (a thinly-disguised Santa Monica). There is the usual delectable quota of seedy nightclubs, corrupt cops, cheap whiskey and dangerous women (including the famous ‘blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window’). As another reviewer has already suggested, a good chunk of the interest here comes from the insight into 1930s west coast society, its drinking habits and clothing and social mores, and its pervasive sense that law and order is a relatively new and shaky development there. A good slang dictionary is a useful companion, so that when a yegg pulls out a hog's leg before taking the fall for the high pillow, you can more or less keep up with events.
I love this. I'm two books in, and I'm already certain I want to read the lot.
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bettered:I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun.
Come on, you can't not love this. The plot is about as incomprehensible as The Big Sleep was, but this time involves the lawless seafront development of ‘Bay City’ (a thinly-disguised Santa Monica). There is the usual delectable quota of seedy nightclubs, corrupt cops, cheap whiskey and dangerous women (including the famous ‘blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window’). As another reviewer has already suggested, a good chunk of the interest here comes from the insight into 1930s west coast society, its drinking habits and clothing and social mores, and its pervasive sense that law and order is a relatively new and shaky development there. A good slang dictionary is a useful companion, so that when a yegg pulls out a hog's leg before taking the fall for the high pillow, you can more or less keep up with events.
I love this. I'm two books in, and I'm already certain I want to read the lot.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler once again features his hard boiled detective, Philip Marlowe and in this outing he gets knocked out a couple of times, beaten up, almost choked to death, and pumped full of morphine but he still doggedly follows his hunches and solves the case. It starts when
Marlowe is an original character that has become one of the most copied characters in literature. His world weary attitude, staccato delivery of one-liners, and effortless aura of self-contained toughness all combine to become the gold standard of private detectives. The author excels in writing razor sharp dialogue, along with atmospheric settings, and plenty of twists in his plots.
Speaking of plots, although I enjoyed Farewell My Lovely immensely, I really don’t read Chandler for the story. It’s all about the styling, pacing, atmosphere and witty quips with a main character that has a drink in one hand and a ‘gat’ in the other.
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he is dragged into a situation by an ex-con called Moose Malloy who, just out of prison, is searching for his girl, Velma.Marlowe is an original character that has become one of the most copied characters in literature. His world weary attitude, staccato delivery of one-liners, and effortless aura of self-contained toughness all combine to become the gold standard of private detectives. The author excels in writing razor sharp dialogue, along with atmospheric settings, and plenty of twists in his plots.
Speaking of plots, although I enjoyed Farewell My Lovely immensely, I really don’t read Chandler for the story. It’s all about the styling, pacing, atmosphere and witty quips with a main character that has a drink in one hand and a ‘gat’ in the other.
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LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
After reading two of his novels now, I'm beginning to like Raymond Chandler much more for his writing than for his plots. For anyone who thinks crime fiction has no place in the literary world, the Marlowe novels might make you change your mind. Chandler's an amazing writer when it comes to social
While I am not much of an analyst when it comes to reading -- a) there are a huge number of analyses of Chandler and his writing all over the place and b)I'm just not good at it so don't pretend to be -- one thing I particularly noticed in my reading was Chandler's use of the color red. To me, where ever Chandler focused on mentioning red, some kind of danger -- emotional or physical -- was nearby. Velma, Malloy's old sweetheart, was a redhead. Anne Riordan, daughter of an ex-police chief and an ally of Marlowe's in this book, is also a redhead. He likes her enough to keep some of the worst details from her and finds himself thinking about how her apartment would be a "nice room to wear slippers in." He watches a red neon light flashing in the hotel room where he stays just before getting on the water taxi to go out to the gambling boat. He meets ex-cop and boat driver Red Noorgan, with "hair the shade of red that glints with gold," who has "Violet eyes. Almost purple. Eyes like a girl, a lovely girl," with skin Marlowe describes as "soft as silk" and a voice that was "soft, dreamy, so delicate for a big man that it was startling. It made me think of another soft-voiced big man I had strangely liked." There are likely more instances, but I found the use of red quite interesting here.
The mystery plots that eventually tie together are a little clunky, but I loved this novel and I wish I had read these books long before now. The writing alone is worth working through the convoluted plotlines, but most of all I love the character of Marlowe. As I found in The Big Sleep, he's a knight of sorts in a city where knights don't really have a place -- and I really like that about him. FYI -- this book was written in the 1940s so you're going to encounter some pretty ugly racial slurs and racist attitudes as you read. That sort of stuff is a bit shocking, but considering the times, not so unusual for back then.
definitely recommended -- now on to the third Marlowe novel.
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commentary, the similes, metaphors and the sharp, electric prose he's famous for, and of course, his superb depiction of the city of angels of the 1940s that is so lifelike you almost feel that you're along with him for the ride. The novels are also a way for Chandler to examine American society of the time.While I am not much of an analyst when it comes to reading -- a) there are a huge number of analyses of Chandler and his writing all over the place and b)I'm just not good at it so don't pretend to be -- one thing I particularly noticed in my reading was Chandler's use of the color red. To me, where ever Chandler focused on mentioning red, some kind of danger -- emotional or physical -- was nearby. Velma, Malloy's old sweetheart, was a redhead. Anne Riordan, daughter of an ex-police chief and an ally of Marlowe's in this book, is also a redhead. He likes her enough to keep some of the worst details from her and finds himself thinking about how her apartment would be a "nice room to wear slippers in." He watches a red neon light flashing in the hotel room where he stays just before getting on the water taxi to go out to the gambling boat. He meets ex-cop and boat driver Red Noorgan, with "hair the shade of red that glints with gold," who has "Violet eyes. Almost purple. Eyes like a girl, a lovely girl," with skin Marlowe describes as "soft as silk" and a voice that was "soft, dreamy, so delicate for a big man that it was startling. It made me think of another soft-voiced big man I had strangely liked." There are likely more instances, but I found the use of red quite interesting here.
The mystery plots that eventually tie together are a little clunky, but I loved this novel and I wish I had read these books long before now. The writing alone is worth working through the convoluted plotlines, but most of all I love the character of Marlowe. As I found in The Big Sleep, he's a knight of sorts in a city where knights don't really have a place -- and I really like that about him. FYI -- this book was written in the 1940s so you're going to encounter some pretty ugly racial slurs and racist attitudes as you read. That sort of stuff is a bit shocking, but considering the times, not so unusual for back then.
definitely recommended -- now on to the third Marlowe novel.
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LibraryThing member Black-Lilly
What a confusing and overly flowery story.
The core is not too bad of an idea, but I had the feeling that Chandler
tried to make this into a novella when it would have been better of as
a short story. His overuse of flavour text was getting quite annoying
towards the end and gave me a really hard time
book. A lot of the descriptions did not add to the atmosphere of the
story, on the contrary it distracted from what was going. The case
itself was solved within two pages at the end without much real
sleuthing going on even though Marlow was running around like crazy,
getting into trouble only to hear in the end that he knew more or less
all along who the culprit was. A very uninspired story all in all.
The core is not too bad of an idea, but I had the feeling that Chandler
tried to make this into a novella when it would have been better of as
a short story. His overuse of flavour text was getting quite annoying
towards the end and gave me a really hard time
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to even finish thisbook. A lot of the descriptions did not add to the atmosphere of the
story, on the contrary it distracted from what was going. The case
itself was solved within two pages at the end without much real
sleuthing going on even though Marlow was running around like crazy,
getting into trouble only to hear in the end that he knew more or less
all along who the culprit was. A very uninspired story all in all.
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LibraryThing member FiLoMa
I really enjoyed this second book in the series. I listened to the audio format. The story was interesting and makes me think of 'noir' classic detective movies. Ray Porter, as the narrator, does a fantastic job. I found that he really brought Marlowe to life. I also thought that he did an ok job
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with the female voices. This is the type of story, with this narrator, that I could listen to a number of times. It is now certainly on my wish list to buy, since I've only listened to the library copy to date. Show Less
LibraryThing member brakketh
A great detective story that is the embodiment of the hardboiled detective genre.
LibraryThing member MichelleCH
There's this skirt, see and she's got these jewels that would make a rich man cry. There's been a murder in a dive and the heat is on the trail of cheap hood who's bumped off the manager while looking for his dame Velma Valento. While on the trail of the bird, Marlowe is called by a sucker who is
Good fun but not my speed.
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being blackmailed to provide some protection from some goons. The sucker is bumped off and Marlowe is left holding the bag. This leads him to the blond with legs all the way to Canada; the same dame who owns the jewels. There is a killer out there, and it is Marlowe's job to find him (or her).Good fun but not my speed.
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LibraryThing member MarquesadeFlambe
Chandler's favorite of his own novels. Ignoring some racism early on, it's easy to see why.
LibraryThing member marsap
Farewell, My Lovely is the classic Raymond Chandler story of PI Philip Marlowe. Marlowe, a former investigator for the DA’s office, is a loner whose business is slow at the moment. A big bruiser, Moose Malloy has gotten out of prison after serving 8 years for a bank robbery. He's looking for his
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girl, a redheaded singer named Velma. Marlowe is on the premises of a nightclub when Moose busts in and shoots and kills the manager. Soon after, Marlowe gets hired as a temporary bodyguard by Lindsay Marriott, who is ransoming a fine jade necklace for a friend after it was stolen during a carjacking. But Marlowe gets knocked out on the job and Marriott ends up beaten to a pulp. Soon there are a number plots surrounding Marlowe—and how they intersect (or not) –is Marlowe’s to figure out. We meet the classic dame, the corrupt cop and a few red herrings. If you are interested in a classic, high browed version of the “pulp fiction” novel –this is it. The language is classic—though at times not vey PC. Marlowe is the epitome of the hard drinking, loner PI—I actually listened to this novel being read by Elliot Gould (the actor who played Marlowe in the 1970s) making the story even better. 4 out of 5 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member arttraveller
In this book, the second novel featuring PI Philip Marlowe, we meet Marlowe as he tries to trace the whereabouts of a young woman. His search will take him on a journey through the bars and saloons of Hollywood into high society and the corridors of power.
It's a simple story, well told, and even
It's a simple story, well told, and even
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though it didn't quite match the Big Sleep, it's an enjoyable book from the master of crime ficton. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This is the third book by Chandler I have read. I read it because I had read the the first six titles on the 1990 list "The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time" had been read and this book was no. 7 and I had not read it. It is the hard-boiled detective type book, and Marlowe gets in lots of trouble
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and is beat up as usual but all comes right in the end. I can't say I was entranced by the book. But he has a third novel on the list, The Long Goodbye, and I will probably read it sometime if I live long enough. Show Less
LibraryThing member mcc89
Beautifully written, perhaps the most 'well-written' of Chandler's mysteries though I still believe it pales in comparison to the giant 'The Long Goodbye'.
LibraryThing member timeenuf
This book initially frustrated me, and I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it. But after I finished it, I realized that this novel is an ideal mystery story. By that, I mean that it opens innocently enough, with Marlowe running into a hulk of a man named Moose Malloy, who happens to be searching
Moose vanishes and Marlowe begins to look for Velma, trying to track down the source of this mystery. Inevitably, of course, his questions lead to further questions, jewelry heists, gigolos, loose women, marijuana, a psychic who of course is not all he seems to be, more thugs than you can shake a stick at, crooked policemen, and murder. Even though it was initially frustrating because of the disjointed way things seemed to be developing, I think this story is the best kind of mystery story: the reader encounters a series of events that seem totally unconnected and don’t make very much (or any) sense, and the author manages to keep his audience off balance for a very long time until things start to be pieced together.
Even though Chandler finally pieces the puzzle together in a highly satisfactory way, one doesn’t read him merely for the story itself. His method of storytelling, along with his turns of phrase and imagery are as equally compelling as the plot itself. Bu keep in mind a caveat: this novel was published in 1940, and what was socially acceptable then makes the reader of today cringe at least a little bit (and sometimes a lot). I won’t go into all of the references that Chandler throws in – and yes, I know that this is not a story about a Sunday School picnic on the fourth of July – but the undercurrent of racism in this story is a sad reminder of where this country once was – and by some accounts, is headed again. There’s also quite a bit of rough language, but it’s not that much by our modern-day standards (you can hear just as rough language watching prime-time TV these days), although I am sure it was eye-opening and risky in Chandler’s day.
All in all, this was a rewarding read, and whetted my appetite to read more Chandler.
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for a former sweetheart named Little Velma. He just happens to be searching for her in the dive where she used to be a singer, however, and that’s where the problems start. The current employees and owner of the establishment are none too happy about Moose poking around there. Moose ends up killing the owner of the bar in a back room, and thus Marlowe gets sucked into the story, even though he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.Moose vanishes and Marlowe begins to look for Velma, trying to track down the source of this mystery. Inevitably, of course, his questions lead to further questions, jewelry heists, gigolos, loose women, marijuana, a psychic who of course is not all he seems to be, more thugs than you can shake a stick at, crooked policemen, and murder. Even though it was initially frustrating because of the disjointed way things seemed to be developing, I think this story is the best kind of mystery story: the reader encounters a series of events that seem totally unconnected and don’t make very much (or any) sense, and the author manages to keep his audience off balance for a very long time until things start to be pieced together.
Even though Chandler finally pieces the puzzle together in a highly satisfactory way, one doesn’t read him merely for the story itself. His method of storytelling, along with his turns of phrase and imagery are as equally compelling as the plot itself. Bu keep in mind a caveat: this novel was published in 1940, and what was socially acceptable then makes the reader of today cringe at least a little bit (and sometimes a lot). I won’t go into all of the references that Chandler throws in – and yes, I know that this is not a story about a Sunday School picnic on the fourth of July – but the undercurrent of racism in this story is a sad reminder of where this country once was – and by some accounts, is headed again. There’s also quite a bit of rough language, but it’s not that much by our modern-day standards (you can hear just as rough language watching prime-time TV these days), although I am sure it was eye-opening and risky in Chandler’s day.
All in all, this was a rewarding read, and whetted my appetite to read more Chandler.
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LibraryThing member comfypants
Philip Marlowe, wise-crackin' like nobody's business - even when there's nobody around to hear him. The plot's a lot sloppier than I expect from a mystery; mostly it's just there for the sake of giving Marlowe a hard time.
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Not really standing the test of time, the interest, like the first in the series, is more about the insights to 1940s US then anything in the story itself.
Segregation in society is still rife. Marlowe finds himself helping a white giant of a man look for a waitress he was sweet on before he spent
Marlowe certainly retains his various gritty edges, and drinking issues. His one-liners consistently fail to be funny, and for no reason other than maybe insecurity he is persistently rude to all the women he comes across. Despite this he also has the required basic sense of honesty and decentness that enables any detective to function within society.
Certainly readable, but more for historical interest in the society of the times, and the areas from which current detetctive literature grew, there is nothing particularly special about it otherwise.
Segregation in society is still rife. Marlowe finds himself helping a white giant of a man look for a waitress he was sweet on before he spent
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some time in jail. Meanwhile Marlow goes looking for paying work, and finds a rich client who's involved in a clever blackmail scheme involving bored housewive's jewellery. Somehow a flirty young thing also gets involved. I've no idea how or why some girl would be driving about on her own in the 40s, but there you go. The whole plot ends up depending on the chance timing of someone visiting Marlowe at the same time as another caller - this rather tedious plot device spoils any interest there may have been in the "mystery".Marlowe certainly retains his various gritty edges, and drinking issues. His one-liners consistently fail to be funny, and for no reason other than maybe insecurity he is persistently rude to all the women he comes across. Despite this he also has the required basic sense of honesty and decentness that enables any detective to function within society.
Certainly readable, but more for historical interest in the society of the times, and the areas from which current detetctive literature grew, there is nothing particularly special about it otherwise.
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LibraryThing member alexrichman
A far more cartoony tale when compared with The Big Sleep, most characters aren't very convincing and the action drags in parts. Nevertheless, Marlowe remains eminently readable.
LibraryThing member Crayne
I'd never read original hardboiled detective fiction before, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of this Philip Marlowe exploit. It made me yearn for cigars, saxophone music coming from dark alleys and the distant sounds of sirens as I put my weary feet up on a desk that's seen
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better decades. The plot is intricate and only reveals itself at the last moment with red herrings being strewn about like so many breadcrumbs. I'll be seeing more of Mr. Marlowe's adventures, oh yes. Show Less
LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
I love the way Raymond Chandler writes but the story behind Farewell My Lovely is a tad convoluted. Marlowe is asked to accompany someone who is ransoming a jade necklace from its thieves. He winds up dead.
He's also asked by Moose Malloy to help find Velma, a woman he's been in love with for the 8
The intersection of these two stories is tenuous at best, but Chandler's description of his surroundings and the action is amazing. His characters are great. Marlowe is one heck of a detective and any story about him is worth reading, regardless of the story line. So, take the time to immerse yourself in the world according to Raymond Chandler.
He's also asked by Moose Malloy to help find Velma, a woman he's been in love with for the 8
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years he was in jail. The intersection of these two stories is tenuous at best, but Chandler's description of his surroundings and the action is amazing. His characters are great. Marlowe is one heck of a detective and any story about him is worth reading, regardless of the story line. So, take the time to immerse yourself in the world according to Raymond Chandler.
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Like the other Marlowe books, Farewell, My Lovely helped to shape a genre that still pervades American culture. This one has the template for the PI-female-journalist-type teamup, the lazy cop who gets said PI to do all the dirty work, and the insouciant, backtalking, oft-punched, hardboiled PI. It
However, this has got to be one of the most racist, sexist, and homophobic books out there. We start with Phillip Marlowe entering a segregated bar reserved for African-Americans. The first African-American we meet is described as "it"--apparently he doesn't even get to have a male pronoun. We also have a totally racist description of a smelly, pigion-English speaking Native American and a set of incredibly homophobic descriptions of a "handsome" man--although since there are theories that Chandler himself leaned a bit that way, it may be a bit of a reaction.
What I hate most is that the first murder--that of an African American--apparently doesn't count at all. This is stated explicitly throughout the book, and it's not just a comment on society; Marlowe himself appears equally dismissive. It is horrifying to read of such dehumanizing racism being treated as commonplace.
It also has some of the most egregious bits of Marlowe's femme-fatale magnetism in the series:
"What's your name?"
"Phil."
"Kiss me."
etc.
Interestingly, despite the (as always) female villains, femme fatales, and damsels in distress, this may have the closest the series has to an intelligent, almost equal female character. Ann Riordan plays girl friday to Marlowe--an assisting role--but she is obviously both intelligent and coolheaded.
One of the reasons I like this one is that Marlowe is WAY more fallible than he was in Big Sleep. Oddly, he's apparently gotten handsomer--more people describe him as good-looking -- but he makes a bunch of idiotic mistakes, gets beaten up quite a bit, and gets hypnotized and given opium(?) and scopolamine, with amusing results.
Chandler's descriptions of both men and women are physical and sensual: he takes note of smoothness of skin, tapered and beautiful fingers, color of eyes, rounded lips, etc of both men and women, and the physical closeness even during a struggle. Although Chandler is virulently homophobic, there is some school of thought (including some of his contemporaries and friends) who considered him to be a repressed homosexual.
Some quotes that really make you wonder:
He held my gun in his delicate, lovely hand...He smiled, so beautifully....a
thin beautiful devil with my gun in his hand watching me and smiling.
His voice was soft, dreamy, so delicate for a big man that it was startling. It made me think of another soft-voiced big man I had strangely liked.
He had the eyes you never see, that you only read about. Violet eyes. Almost purple. Eyes like a girl, a lovely girl. His skin was soft as silk. Lightly reddened, but it would never tan. It was too delicate...I told him a great deal more than I intended to. It must have been his eyes.
Red leaned close to me and his breath tickled my ear...put his lips against my ear...took hold of my hand. His was strong, hard, warm and slightly sticky.
He was a dark, good-looking lad, with plenty of shoulders and shiny smooth hair and the peak on his rakish cap made a soft shadow over his eyes...His eyes gleamed like water...That put me about a foot from him. He had a nice breath.
He had a cat's smile, but I like cats...his eyes held a delicate menace...he had nice hands, not baby to the point of insipidity, but well-kept.
Marlowe is really not at all like Humphrey Bogart. Marlowe's appearance is hypermasculine--6ft, dark, large-framed, and either quite muscular or kind of chunky--he's 190 lb. He is also quite taciturn; most of the sarcastic comments happen inside his head...until, of course, he's given scopolamine, when he starts talking quite a bit. Does this hypermasculinity, the tough guy attitude that pervades Marlowe's every action, stem from a desire to create a character who is indubitably heterosexual?
Perhaps this is the depth that Chandler brings to the novel: the unique loneliness he creates, that every other noir story has tried and failed to capture, is not just the loneliness of a bruised, broken, tarnished, but still chivalric knight walking the mean streets. It is also the unvoiced isolation of a man who cannot fit into his culture, who must keep himself under tight control and never allow his passions and his desire for intimacy to surface.
Perhaps it also explains the virulent sexism of the novels. All of the books have a female villain, a character that Marlowe sees initially as a damsel in distress and tries to protect, but who ends up revealing herself as an amoral femme fatale who breaks and discards the men around her like used paper cups. There is always a sense of deep betrayal, a sense that Marlowe has been personally let down by the women around him. This very sharp sense of aggrievedness might stem from Chandler's own sense of betrayal by the women of his world: they have failed to be as desirable as his illicit desire for men.
The book also has some examples of Chandler's genius with language:
Dead men are heavier than broken hearts.
The room was as black as Carrie Nation's bonnet.
Darkness prowled slowly on the hills.
I used my knee on his face. It hurt my knee. He didn't tell me whether it hurt his face.
But the most intriguing question, to me at least: does the quintessentially "Hetero-He-Man" genre of detective noir owe its beginnings to the writings of a man struggling with his own homosexuality?
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also has that indescribable sense of isolation and loneliness, that of a solitary man walking upright down the dark streets, that I have never really encountered outside of Chandler's works.However, this has got to be one of the most racist, sexist, and homophobic books out there. We start with Phillip Marlowe entering a segregated bar reserved for African-Americans. The first African-American we meet is described as "it"--apparently he doesn't even get to have a male pronoun. We also have a totally racist description of a smelly, pigion-English speaking Native American and a set of incredibly homophobic descriptions of a "handsome" man--although since there are theories that Chandler himself leaned a bit that way, it may be a bit of a reaction.
What I hate most is that the first murder--that of an African American--apparently doesn't count at all. This is stated explicitly throughout the book, and it's not just a comment on society; Marlowe himself appears equally dismissive. It is horrifying to read of such dehumanizing racism being treated as commonplace.
It also has some of the most egregious bits of Marlowe's femme-fatale magnetism in the series:
"What's your name?"
"Phil."
"Kiss me."
etc.
Interestingly, despite the (as always) female villains, femme fatales, and damsels in distress, this may have the closest the series has to an intelligent, almost equal female character. Ann Riordan plays girl friday to Marlowe--an assisting role--but she is obviously both intelligent and coolheaded.
One of the reasons I like this one is that Marlowe is WAY more fallible than he was in Big Sleep. Oddly, he's apparently gotten handsomer--more people describe him as good-looking -- but he makes a bunch of idiotic mistakes, gets beaten up quite a bit, and gets hypnotized and given opium(?) and scopolamine, with amusing results.
Chandler's descriptions of both men and women are physical and sensual: he takes note of smoothness of skin, tapered and beautiful fingers, color of eyes, rounded lips, etc of both men and women, and the physical closeness even during a struggle. Although Chandler is virulently homophobic, there is some school of thought (including some of his contemporaries and friends) who considered him to be a repressed homosexual.
Some quotes that really make you wonder:
He held my gun in his delicate, lovely hand...He smiled, so beautifully....a
thin beautiful devil with my gun in his hand watching me and smiling.
His voice was soft, dreamy, so delicate for a big man that it was startling. It made me think of another soft-voiced big man I had strangely liked.
He had the eyes you never see, that you only read about. Violet eyes. Almost purple. Eyes like a girl, a lovely girl. His skin was soft as silk. Lightly reddened, but it would never tan. It was too delicate...I told him a great deal more than I intended to. It must have been his eyes.
Red leaned close to me and his breath tickled my ear...put his lips against my ear...took hold of my hand. His was strong, hard, warm and slightly sticky.
He was a dark, good-looking lad, with plenty of shoulders and shiny smooth hair and the peak on his rakish cap made a soft shadow over his eyes...His eyes gleamed like water...That put me about a foot from him. He had a nice breath.
He had a cat's smile, but I like cats...his eyes held a delicate menace...he had nice hands, not baby to the point of insipidity, but well-kept.
Marlowe is really not at all like Humphrey Bogart. Marlowe's appearance is hypermasculine--6ft, dark, large-framed, and either quite muscular or kind of chunky--he's 190 lb. He is also quite taciturn; most of the sarcastic comments happen inside his head...until, of course, he's given scopolamine, when he starts talking quite a bit. Does this hypermasculinity, the tough guy attitude that pervades Marlowe's every action, stem from a desire to create a character who is indubitably heterosexual?
Perhaps this is the depth that Chandler brings to the novel: the unique loneliness he creates, that every other noir story has tried and failed to capture, is not just the loneliness of a bruised, broken, tarnished, but still chivalric knight walking the mean streets. It is also the unvoiced isolation of a man who cannot fit into his culture, who must keep himself under tight control and never allow his passions and his desire for intimacy to surface.
Perhaps it also explains the virulent sexism of the novels. All of the books have a female villain, a character that Marlowe sees initially as a damsel in distress and tries to protect, but who ends up revealing herself as an amoral femme fatale who breaks and discards the men around her like used paper cups. There is always a sense of deep betrayal, a sense that Marlowe has been personally let down by the women around him. This very sharp sense of aggrievedness might stem from Chandler's own sense of betrayal by the women of his world: they have failed to be as desirable as his illicit desire for men.
The book also has some examples of Chandler's genius with language:
Dead men are heavier than broken hearts.
The room was as black as Carrie Nation's bonnet.
Darkness prowled slowly on the hills.
I used my knee on his face. It hurt my knee. He didn't tell me whether it hurt his face.
But the most intriguing question, to me at least: does the quintessentially "Hetero-He-Man" genre of detective noir owe its beginnings to the writings of a man struggling with his own homosexuality?
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1940
ISBN
9100391743 / 9789100391744