The Big Clock is a book where the concept was better than the execution.
Originally published in 1946, the book focuses on George Stroud, a senior manThe Big Clock is a book where the concept was better than the execution.
Originally published in 1946, the book focuses on George Stroud, a senior manager at a publishing firm, married with a young child; the book alludes to him being somewhat of a womanizer with a history of adultery. It's his loose morals that lands him in hot water when the girlfriend of his boss is found brutally murdered moments after he last saw her.
Sounds like a very good book - perfectly dark and oozing that noir atmosphere I love being enveloped in, and in a way it is a good book but unfortunately there's a lot of filler content which detracts from the pacing - a real let down considering the page count it relatively low (144 pages).
There's a distinct cat and mouse feel to The Big Clock as the world closes in on George as he tries to maintain his innocence while keeping his affair secret. The later stages of the book capture his frenetic scheming to great effect, a real highlight of the book.
My rating: 3/5 stars. I would recommend this to fans of early American noir. It's a book that reads better if you read slowly and get through big chunks in each sitting.
Published in 1937, THIEVES LIKE US is half noir, half romance entwined with a violent group of jail break bank robbers on a deadly mission for that elPublished in 1937, THIEVES LIKE US is half noir, half romance entwined with a violent group of jail break bank robbers on a deadly mission for that elusive big score.
Post roaring twenties, that era is very much an influence on the novel with references to prohibition, the allure of bank robbing, and small time gangsters casing small town banks paramount throughout.
THIEVES LIKE US follows a band of prison escapees on the run from the law and on the look-out for quick scores. They take down a couple of banks, spill some blood, and love a little on their way to oblivion.
The first half stacked up really well before turning into more of a love/romance story between one of the gangsters in Bowie and one of his fellow robber's cousins, Keechie - a gangster moll figure if ever there was one (albeit of the watered down variety). At times the narrative meandered and the dialogue was inconsequential to the broader story. I did wonder where Anderson was taking these characters, then out of nowhere the drama resumed and the novel ended all too soon in a hail of bullets.
This novel is part of the excellent 1930's American Noir collection by The Library of America and while not the best of the collected novels it's still a must read for noir fans.
A dance marathon is the place-setting for a bleak and depressing noir where contestants fight to stay alive literally and figuratively. Gloria and RobA dance marathon is the place-setting for a bleak and depressing noir where contestants fight to stay alive literally and figuratively. Gloria and Robert entered with hopes of sharing the $1000 prize on offer for the winner. However, as the couple dance, sway, and nearly pass out, the light in Gloria’s eyes steadily diminishes until Robert is forced to take action.
Gloria’s character is the embodiment of noir - without hope, without optimism; one foot in the grave, the other on the dance floor. She doesn’t want to live, echoing a chorus of depression which yearns for an accomplice to suicide - her dance partner, Robert, the pawn to her end.
The book itself isn’t as entertaining as the characters. The story moves along while Gloria recedes further and further while Robert tries to win the prize to better his life. I liked the contrasting perspectives between the two core characters, the lost and the one on the way to ruin.
Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the place-setting. The characters, great opening and better finish are the highs of this noir. ...more
Sharp, lean and deadly - James M. Cains, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is everything noir. While there exists a distinct romanticism central to the pSharp, lean and deadly - James M. Cains, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is everything noir. While there exists a distinct romanticism central to the plot, the other side of the equation – betrayal, a drifter’s skewed logic for a quick score, and murder drive this tale of one man’s gamble and a woman’s lust for a better life.
Frank Champers blows in like the wind and causes a twister of trouble for restaurant owner Nick and his curvaceous and lonesome wife, Cora. Offered a job at the small time dinner he quickly sets his sights on Cora and before long has his thirst reciprocated when Cora’s wistful guard drops.
The affair leads to murderous thoughts made real with subsequent attempts on Nicks life. Failing more than once, the law turn Cora and Frank on one another with each succumbing to lies all too willingly in order to shake a murder rap. It’s this easy betrayal and condemnation of their so called significant other that grips the reader and maintains Cain’s illusion of rural noir.
A sparse novel that alludes to a far deeper story than what’s portrayed in print. I couldn’t read through THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE fast enough.
Loading...
