Okay, so it wasn't bad.

There were indeed plenty of fistfights and shooting scenes, along with a cast of dames. Our detective hero was appropriately jaded and tight-lipped. The bad guys were crazy, and the women were freaks both on the streets and in the sheets. There was even a subplot involving a pornography racket. Everyone conversed in 30's-tastic slang, often leaving the reader clueless about what they were constantly yelling about. It was a violent, fast-paced, garter-snapping (the Depression equivalent of bodice-ripping, I imagine) detective thriller, and one could do a lot worse. Chandler, like his contemporary Dashiel Hammett, had a gift for gorgeous description and atmosphere, which he used well.

However, I just couldn't stomach giving this more than 2 stars. Here's my issue: while I understand that the 1930's was a very homophobic and sexist era, and books written during that time were bound to include some uncomfortable stuff, it doesn't mean I would enjoy reading a book where the hero is homophobic and misogynist. Philip Marlowe, the hard-boiled detective of The Big Sleep, made Sam Spade seem like a refined gentleman in comparison. And I guess he was - Spade had pimp-slapped his share of ladies, but never tried to convince the reader that "she didn't mind the slap...Probably all her boy friends got around to slapping her sooner or later. I could understand how they might." Spade never described a room's decor as having "a stealthy nastiness, like a fag party." Also, the female characters in this book were all loathsome. There was no Brigid O'Shaunessy, who was violent, evil, and awesome; and there was no Effie Perine. Only a couple of psycho rich girls who Marlowe sneered at while rolling his eyes at their repeated attempts to sleep with him, calling them stupid whores.

I'll admit that there could be certain guilty pleasures in reading from the perspective of such an unashamedly bigoted character. But it wore off quickly and eventually just left a bad taste in my mouth. Thank you for your time, Mr. Marlowe, but I'm casting my lot with Mr. Spade. He knows how to treat a lady.

Read for: Social Forces in the Detective Novel

I've read all of Raymond Chandler's books on multiple occasions. Just like P.G. Wodehouse, his literary charms never waver. In a sense, the plots are not the main focus; it's all about the wonderful writing. And, of course, there's the world-weary Marlowe character, a 1930s knight-errant, attempting to rise above LA's endemic corruption and cynicism.

In "The Big Sleep" (1939), he encounters plenty of both while working for the wealthy Sternwood family. The old house-bound patriarch is barely clinging onto life, and his two wild daughters add to the chaos. You probably know the plot as well as I do, but as I've discovered once again, that won't lessen the pleasure of taking one more journey around the block in 1930s Los Angeles in the incomparable company of Philip Marlowe.

5/5

I had never delved into the works of Chandler prior to this, and as I immersed myself in the audiobook, I found myself completely captivated by the sharp and engaging dialogue, as well as the brisk pace of the plot. This particular book, hailing from the 1930s, encompasses all the elements that would later become overused tropes in the hard-boiled detective genre. However, during Chandler's time of writing, these were entirely novel concepts.

The story wastes no time in getting to the heart of the matter. There is no needless filler with the detective wallowing in angst, engaging in soul-searching, getting embroiled in a romance, or making social commentaries. It is all about a tightly woven plot, snappy dialogues, and non-stop action. Every female character in the book is a femme fatale, constantly vying for Marlowe's attention and causing him to have to fend them off. There is also a healthy dose of blackmail, pornography, murders, missing persons, numerous villains, and plenty of tense gunfights. In fact, despite being a relatively short book, it might even have a touch too much going on in the plot department. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.