Not sure if it's against the rules to read books I've read before, the idea is to read more new books after all, but it's my mission so I make the rules!
It's not something I intend to do too much but once in a while it's good to go to the old favourites.
Raymond Chandler definitely qualifies as an old favourite. He's one of those authors I can return to over and over.
Chandler's use of language is richly textured and deeply evocative. He paints scenery and moods with his words, perfectly capturing the spirit of a genre he pioneered.
His protagonist, Philip Marlowe has become the template for the hard nosed private eye, but Marlowe stands apart. A complex nuanced character, tough and rugged but educated and principled with a softer heart than expected and an almost masochistic sense of self sacrifice.
The Big Sleep is Chandler's first novel and while not as well crafted as later works like Farewell My Lovely, it's raw edge and grittiness are compelling. Marlowe's rough nobilty proves to be a beacon in a story populated by largely immoral characters. In a sordid tale of blurred lines and shades of grey, Marlowe rises. He bends the rules and skirts the law but he's unrelentingly the good guy. He's tougher than the tough guys, more honest than the law, a tarnished crusader stubbornly protecting the not so innocent.
The language throughout is gloriously poetic. Chandler pioneered a genre and in all the copies and parodies, he is without equal.
Read this.
5/5 stars
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