Well done, guys. I grew up in California a few hours from LA, but I had relatives that lived in and about the basin and could have appeared in Chandler's works. I didn't read Chandler until a middle-aged adult, and the only crime fiction I'd read to that point was Conan Doyle. For whatever reason I joined Folio books some time in the 80's, and on a whim I purchased their edition of Chandler's Marlowe novels. I read them all in order and within about a week. Not knowing much of anything about Chandler criticism, I arrived at this one, The Long Goodbye, as my favorite. It is the longest, but it IS different. Chandler had a different motive and worked on a broader canvas here. There are actually THREE beautiful women in this one, and two end up dead. Chandler obviously had an odd relationship with women, which you have explored here. He was compelled to be attracted to them but did NOT really like them. Anyone holding to knightly attitudes toward women is presented either as fool or jaded cynic, and often a drunk. Lennox is a weak drunk. His own dear Cissy left her first husband to cleave to Raymond. She was a soiled dove. Perhaps that's why he also loved that Persian cat of his. He knew her true nature but loved her anyway.
I’ve never been to LA (and probably never will) so the only LA I know is Chandler’s LA. And like the woman whose flaws showed the closer you got to her, I’ll keep my distance.
Well done, guys. I grew up in California a few hours from LA, but I had relatives that lived in and about the basin and could have appeared in Chandler's works.
I didn't read Chandler until a middle-aged adult, and the only crime fiction I'd read to that point was Conan Doyle.
For whatever reason I joined Folio books some time in the 80's, and on a whim I purchased their edition of Chandler's Marlowe novels. I read them all in order and within about a week.
Not knowing much of anything about Chandler criticism, I arrived at this one, The Long Goodbye, as my favorite. It is the longest, but it IS different. Chandler had a different motive and worked on a broader canvas here. There are actually THREE beautiful women in this one, and two end up dead. Chandler obviously had an odd relationship with women, which you have explored here. He was compelled to be attracted to them but did NOT really like them. Anyone holding to knightly attitudes toward women is presented either as fool or jaded cynic, and often a drunk. Lennox is a weak drunk.
His own dear Cissy left her first husband to cleave to Raymond. She was a soiled dove.
Perhaps that's why he also loved that Persian cat of his. He knew her true nature but loved her anyway.
I’ve never been to LA (and probably never will) so the only LA I know is Chandler’s LA. And like the woman whose flaws showed the closer you got to her, I’ll keep my distance.