I don't think you're supposed to really connect with the female characters in Chandler's books. I remember A&E had his Biography on tv some time back and one man who discussed his works said something to the effect that the women in Chandler's books are basically psychopaths. In his own life Chandler married a woman quite a bit older than he and he might have had a fear of women to an extent. He was born in 1888 remember, the end of the Victorian era. There is also the fact that "The Long Goodbye" was written during the time of his wife's last illness. So he was dealing with depression and drinking while writing.
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Originally Posted by bjones6416
Eh, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I put it down a couple of times and read something else, then picked it back up. I just finished it about an hour ago.
What really struck me was that, as a woman, I didn't connect with any of the female characters AT ALL. They were just paper dolls or something. The story was pretty good, but I was handicapped by not being familiar with some of the "tough guy" lingo and the fact that this genre really isn't my cup of tea. I would have liked for Marlowe and Lennox to be friends at the end, but I really didn't expect an upbeat ending.
I doubt I'll read another Marlowe book, but I'm not sorry I read this one. It might even inspire me to do a little research on that place and time.
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