The Big Sleep

An absorbing read with an extraordinary level of descriptive detail in a style of his own.

Every Chandler book deserves its status. The language transports you instantly to the dark world and constant cynicism of Marlowe, yet he is really a soft hearted saint. If I could give 10 stars instead of just 5, I would. Read it now!!

My very first introduction to Marlowe and a welcome one at that. I am compelled to say that by virtue of the era in which it was written that there is a startling and enjoyable absence of the political correctness that is so eminent today. I’m not complaining though as I found it to be a momentary relief from the restraints of contemporary barriers.Basically it is very sexist is what I’m trying to say and whilst I don’t condone the attitudes of yesteryear I accept what was the reality then. It’s just as well that as we read the last page of the book and on closing the back cover that we also entomb some of the attitudes within it.I hasten to add that this doesn’t detract from the ultimate quality of the prose. Chandler isn’t an eminent writer for nothing. He has an uncanny knack of getting you hooked and reeling you in to the last paragraph and I’m not complaining.I enjoyed Chandler’s sharp wit and had to laugh out loud at his routine quips and observations about society in general. I must say though that I had to research some of the American slang which even in the States has probably vanished from general usage.Chandler is an accomplished writer which is why his popularity has endured so long. Reading his book does transport the reader back into the 40’s where it is unavoidable to hear the tones of Humphrey Bogart narrating the theme as he makes his next move. I even caught myself imagining the scenes in monochrome as Marlowe ruminated over the course of events.Now that I have read the first book in the series, I will take a short break and return when the mood takes me. I’m beginning to miss Phillip Marlowe already, maybe I’ll take a look at his next antics, I believe that he will be saying Farewell my lovely to some dumb Broad oops!

Having seen the film a number of times, I own the DVD, I bought the book and it was a good read.

"Neither of the two people in the room paid any attention to the way I came in, although only one of them was dead."--from the back coverThe Big Sleep is the first of Raymond Chandler's novels featuring the definitive hardboiled PI Philip Marlowe. Having been asked by General Sternwood to deal with a blackmailer, Marlowe enters the world of gangsters, femmes fatale, pornography, blackmail and murder, in this classic noir novel. Chandler's writing is descriptive and evocative but also humorous. Indeed, Chandler's prose is what makes the Marlowe novels something special."Raymond Chandler is a master."--The New York Times"[Chandler] wrote as if pain hurt and life mattered."--The New Yorker"Chandler seems to have created the culminating American hero: wised up, hopeful, thoughtful, adventurous, sentimental, cynical and rebellious."--Robert B. Parker, The New York Times Book Review"Philip Marlowe remains the quintessential urban private eye."--Los Angeles Times"Raymond Chandler was one of the finest prose writers of the twentieth century. . . . Age does not wither Chandler's prose. . . . He wrote like an angel."--Literary Review"[T]he prose rises to heights of unselfconscious eloquence, and we realize with a jolt of excitement that we are in the presence of not a mere action tale teller, but a stylist, a writer with a vision."--Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Review of BooksFor those who like Chandler's 'Marlowe' books the following is a list of his works:The Big Sleep (1939) Farewell, My Lovely  (1940) The High Window: A Philip Marlowe Mystery  (1942) The Lady in the Lake (A Philip Marlowe Novel)  (1943) The Little Sister: A Philip Marlowe Mystery  (1949) The Long Good-bye  (1953) Playback  (1958) Trouble is My Business  (a collection of short stories featuring Philip Marlowe. Originally published before The Big Sleep between 1934-1939)Also available is the classic movie starring Humphrey Bogart  The Big Sleep [1946] [DVD ] and an audio book version  The Big Sleep (Classic Chandler) .