Phillip marlowe describes the first time he sees terry lennox outside a club called the dancers. Philip marlowes ave atque vale runs to about 500 pages, through the sanguine incidents which attend his casual involvement with terry lennox, a rich womans kept poodle whom he picks up in a bar. The long goodbye by raymond chandler, first edition. Asianwiki raymond chandlers ingenious novel finds philip marlowe constantly on the move with a case involving a war scarred drunk and his nymphomaniac wife. Then he finds out that terry lennox has a very wealthy nymphomaniac wife, whom he divorced and remarried and who ends up dead. In the long goodbye, marlowe lands in jail on a bum rap and gets conked over the head a few times. Raymond chandler quotes author of the big sleep page 2 of 21. Long goodbye, the by chandler, raymond and a great selection of related books. The murder of sylvia lennox takes terry to mexico, and a confessionsuicide and political influence closes the case but not for marlowe who keeps it alive on a trail of hellcats and hoodlums, a. In 1932, at the age of fortyfour, chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the great depression. The type of book that rides shotgun and keeps you company through the darker hours, through lonely nights at a shady laundromat or boozesoaked rainstorms on your porch. The long goodbye, as its title would suggest, feels elegaic. The long goodbye vintage crime by raymond chandler and a great selection of related books.
Dec 17, 2004 raymond chandlers the long goodbye 1973. I eventually became an author myself, and during the course of writing my third novel i referenced the long goodbye by way of the gin and roses lime juice cocktail. The long goodbye by raymond chandler, first edition abebooks. This study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the long goodbye. Chandler, in a letter to a friend, called the novel my best book. Then he finds out that terry lennox has a very wealthy nymphomaniac wife, whom he divorced and remarried and.
Some see it as the pinnacle of chandlers career as a mystery author, while others see it as less powerful than the big sleep and farewell, my lovely, two early novels. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the long goodbye. As noted by marlowe fans, he never had a cat, but apparently raymond chandler loved cats, so altman put one in. The popular japanese super hero show, kamen rider, referenced raymond chandlers the long goodbye in the 2009 series, kamen rider w. The big sleep, the high window, the lady in the lake, the long goodbye, playback, farwell my lovely by chandler, raymond and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The long goodbye discussion questions chicago public library. The long goodbye, if not the best or most technically accomplished of. The long goodbye by raymond chandler penguin books. Some critics consider it inferior to the big sleep or farewell, my lovely, but others rank it as the best of his work. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Apr 11, 2007 you dont call a book the long goodbye unless youre feeling elegiac. He lost his post as a book keeper in 1932 as the great depression bit, and turned to writing full time, having his first mystery story published by. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The long goodbye is a novel with lots of meat on its bones. Hi, welcome to, today, i will start reading a book named the long goodbye by raymond chandler the long goodbye is the sixth of seven novels that raymond chandler published featuring his iconic private detective philip marlowe. First edition, presentation copy, available at 2017 september 14 rare books. Raymond chandler is arguably the best american pulp novelist. The long goodbye by raymond chandler, paperback barnes. There were the early childhood years in a grim chicago household and then the long period in england where his irishborn mother took him after her divorce, from 1895, when raymond was 7, to 1912, when he was 24.
Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Raymond chandlers the long goodbye is that sort of book, that sort of friend. I eventually became an author myself, and during the course of writing my third novel i referenced the long goodbye by way of the gin and roses lime juice cocktail known as a gimlet which is an integral part of chandlers tale. Buy a cheap copy of later novels and other writings. Much has already been written about the influence of raymond chandlers work on the coen brothers 1998 masterpiece the big lebowski, a movie identified by the filmmakers as intentionally chandleresque. The long goodbye is a 1973 american neonoir thriller film directed by robert altman and based on raymond chandlers 1953 novel of the same title. The long goodbye is a classic novel by raymond chandler, the master of hardboiled crime downandout drunk terry lennox has a problem. The questions, discussion topics, and author biography that follow are designed to enhance your reading of this outstanding selection from the hardboiled school of crime writing. I first read the long goodbye over 50 years ago raymond chandler was one of my favorite authors when i was a young man. The plot is engaging and complex, the characters are all extremely colorful, the dialogue is superb and the descriptive passages are in a league of their own.
This page contains details about the fiction book the long goodbye. You dont call a book the long goodbye unless youre feeling elegiac. While some critics consider it inferior to the big sleep or farewell, my lovely, others rank it as the best of his work. Mar 31, 2011 the long goodbye is a classic novel by raymond chandler, the master of hardboiled crime downandout drunk terry lennox has a problem. Philip marlowe is a long way from the infallible sleuth, the english, sherlock holmesstyle ancestor of the hardboiled fictional detective. He lost his post as a bookkeeper in 1932 as the great depression bit, and turned to writing full.
Mar 26, 2018 the above youtube segment at the top of this post shows the opening credits to altmans the long goodbye. His prose is so acutely visual, his characters so raw and intense that it is small wonder that all but. The sixth in the philip marlowe series, the long goodbye is significant not only as the last book raymond chandler wrote but as a personal consummation of craft that brought his detective novels into the realm of distinguished fiction. Toward the end, we sense marlowes deepening despair. The chicago public library would like to thank the great books foundation, a nonprofit educational organization based in chicago, for contributing these questions. In the scene, marlowe is trying to feed his cat, which becomes a complicated, bumbling affair. The long goodbye by raymond chandler, book of a lifetime.
In noir master raymond chandlers the long goodbye, philip marlowe befriends a down on his luck war veteran with the scars to prove it. There are some books that just feel good to have on your dashboard, never too far from your fingertips to read in the tiny gaps between obligations and responsibility. The first time i laid eyes on terry lennox he was drunk in a rollsroyce silver wraith outside the terrace of the dancers p. In retrospect it now seems that the phillip marlowe crime mysteries all followed a. In retrospect it now seems that the phillip marlowe crime mysteries all followed a formula. A look at the long goodbye 1973 colleen collins books. The dialogue was smart and quippy, the plot featured many excellent twists, and for all its genre trappings, it was quite literary. Chandler also provides us with an abundance of social commentary while exploring a number of important themes.
Buy the long goodbye by raymond chandler online at alibris. Robert altmans labyrinthine take on the raymond chandler classic is noir unburdened by a straight narrative its a triumph of atmosphere and attitude, a swiftly unfolding whodunit punctuated by subversive absurdities and shattering acts of. Raymond chandler the long goodbye these boxes are individually hand made from the highest quality materials using time honored traditional techniques, and it is important to note that there are no acidic glues, resins, or epoxy mixes in their construction. Chandler produced several worksboth short stories and novelswhich feature philip marlowe as the. Some see it as the pinnacle of chandlers career as a mystery author, while others see it as less powerful than the big sleep and farewell, my lovely, two early novels whatever its power, it may be the most personal of chandlers novels, or at least we get a more. Chandler considered it his best novel and it won the edgar award for best novel in 1955.
In noir master raymond chandler s the long goodbye, philip marlowe befriends a down on his luck war veteran with the scars to prove it. The long goodbye is a cool as ice mystery that retains robert altmans idiosyncratic sensibilities. The long goodbye is a novel by raymond chandler, published in 1953, his sixth novel featuring the private investigator philip marlowe. The story features philip marlowe, a private investigator who befriends terry. Hiney skillfully sorts out the successive phases of this sometimes troubled and muddled life. The long goodbye novel project gutenberg selfpublishing. The book practically set off an explosion in my brain i have been fascinated by chandler ever since. Raymond thornton chandler july 23, 1888 march 26, 1959 was an americanbritish novelist and screenwriter. This book is the 219th greatest fiction book of all time as determined by. I first read this book as a paperback back in my teens, and it stuck with me ever since. The long goodbye 1953, his most ambitious and selfrevealing novel, uncovers a more anguished resonance in the marlowe character, in a plot that hinges on the betrayal of friendship and the compromises of middle age.
Reading the book again after so long is fascinating and fun. It seeks to point out the corruption within rich american society. The long goodbye, if not the best or most technically accomplished of the marlowe novels, is without question. This isnt a mystery novel, it is a great piece of literature. The long goodbye is pipesmoking whiskeydrinking raymond chandler s sixth novel featuring pipesmoking whiskeydrinking hardboiled detective philip marlowe. The long goodbye is a 1953 novel by raymond chandler, centered on his famous detective philip marlowe. What does the conclusion of the long goodbye offer in the way of wisdom about marriage. Playback 1958, written originally as a screenplay, is chandlers seventh and last novel. The screenplay was written by leigh brackett, who cowrote the screenplay for chandlers the big sleep in 1946. The long goodbye is a detective fiction novel published in 1953, written by raymond chandler. The long goodbye by raymond chandler book club discussion.
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