Fresh from the critical and commercial success of his first novel, Raymond Chandler moved quickly to cement his reputation as a crime writer with a second Marlowe book,
Farewell, My Lovely.Although it has occasioned several film adaptions and was for several years the author’s personal favourite among his books, it was a commercial disappointment and hasn’t enjoyed the critical reputation of its predecessor. Like
The Big Sleep, this one “cannibalizes” (Chandler’s expression for re-using material from a story in a subsequent novel) some short stories, but the plots are less successfully integrated with the new material, and the narrative is at times forced, whereas that of the previous novel was driven by character and historical context. Although the villains of the new novel…
2647 words
Citation: Dougherty, David C.. "Farewell My Lovely". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5187, accessed 23 November 2024.]
