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graylodge_library's reviews
1465 reviews
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
4.0
6.1. 2019
From 2 stars to 4 stars.
You know, sometimes you read a book and you either dislike it, hate it, or never finish it, but then later it starts to slowly tickle the back of your brain until you give up and decide to re-read it someday. I think in the case of The Black Dahlia it was wrong timing that made it very underwhelming. Having developed an eternal love for film noir after that (and because this time I read it in English), I got what Ellroy was trying to do.
Did I enjoy it? Well, in order for me to say that, you have to understand that in this context "enjoyment" has a broader scope. I'm not sure when was the first time I heard about Elizabeth Short, but the case is one of the most haunting unsolved murders. Short's story is the ultimate Tinseltown mystery that doesn't just involve her, but everything else that comes with it (I'm not even going to start on the Hodel creep, but the miniseries I Am the Night delves into that).
Short, however, isn't as front and center in The Black Dahlia as you might think. She haunts in the background and her murder is the catalyst for all the craziness, but the main focus is on the obsessions and troubles of the two protagonists and the corrupt LAPD in general. Ellroy hacks at it with force, and although he manages to offer some surprises at the end that fit neatly into the crime/mystery genre, the solution to the mystery doesn't necessarily satisfy in the conventional sense. The people involved with the case have one way or another ruined themselves or each other. "Emptiness" is the word that comes to mind from the ending.
So, I enjoyed The Black Dahlia for all the depressing cynicism I have come to expect from film noir, not because it's a straightforward detective story with a happy ending. Instead of a drizzle, it's a downpour and a punch in the face. The walk through gutters might make some people uncomfortable, but I adore how it doesn't make any concessions. It is what it is, and if you don't like that, it doesn't give a fuck.
From 2 stars to 4 stars.
You know, sometimes you read a book and you either dislike it, hate it, or never finish it, but then later it starts to slowly tickle the back of your brain until you give up and decide to re-read it someday. I think in the case of The Black Dahlia it was wrong timing that made it very underwhelming. Having developed an eternal love for film noir after that (and because this time I read it in English), I got what Ellroy was trying to do.
Did I enjoy it? Well, in order for me to say that, you have to understand that in this context "enjoyment" has a broader scope. I'm not sure when was the first time I heard about Elizabeth Short, but the case is one of the most haunting unsolved murders. Short's story is the ultimate Tinseltown mystery that doesn't just involve her, but everything else that comes with it (I'm not even going to start on the Hodel creep, but the miniseries I Am the Night delves into that).
Short, however, isn't as front and center in The Black Dahlia as you might think. She haunts in the background and her murder is the catalyst for all the craziness, but the main focus is on the obsessions and troubles of the two protagonists and the corrupt LAPD in general. Ellroy hacks at it with force, and although he manages to offer some surprises at the end that fit neatly into the crime/mystery genre, the solution to the mystery doesn't necessarily satisfy in the conventional sense. The people involved with the case have one way or another ruined themselves or each other. "Emptiness" is the word that comes to mind from the ending.
So, I enjoyed The Black Dahlia for all the depressing cynicism I have come to expect from film noir, not because it's a straightforward detective story with a happy ending. Instead of a drizzle, it's a downpour and a punch in the face. The walk through gutters might make some people uncomfortable, but I adore how it doesn't make any concessions. It is what it is, and if you don't like that, it doesn't give a fuck.
Towards Zero by Agatha Christie
5.0
Re-read 28.03.2020
No change to rating.
Re-read 23.09.2017
From 4 to 5 stars.
None of the books I'm currently reading have been drawing me in during the past few days, making me watch movies and Buzzfeed Unsolved instead, so I felt like continuing my little project of re-reading a few of my favorite Christies.
Towards Zero is a bit different with Superintendent Battle as the main crime solver (mind you, influenced by Poirot's methods), and although he comes across as a bit bland with no distinct personality, the case itself is excellent (despite the creepy and pointless ending). The mood feels a bit darker for some reason, and the weather descriptions and the big house as the murder scene reminded me of And Then There Were None (1939). The relationships between the characters and the idea that certain events ultimately come together to point zero, the murder, add a little extra spice into the mix. The psychology in general behind people's behavior is at its best here.
At first, when I thought I remembered the murderer and things started to take an obvious route, I wondered what had appealed to me the first time around, but soon the genius of it all became clear. Bluffing not once, not twice, but three times? Yes, please. So satisfying. I breezed through this in two days, and now I feel a bit jittery. I. Want. More.
No change to rating.
Re-read 23.09.2017
From 4 to 5 stars.
None of the books I'm currently reading have been drawing me in during the past few days, making me watch movies and Buzzfeed Unsolved instead, so I felt like continuing my little project of re-reading a few of my favorite Christies.
Towards Zero is a bit different with Superintendent Battle as the main crime solver (mind you, influenced by Poirot's methods), and although he comes across as a bit bland with no distinct personality, the case itself is excellent (despite the creepy and pointless ending). The mood feels a bit darker for some reason, and the weather descriptions and the big house as the murder scene reminded me of And Then There Were None (1939). The relationships between the characters and the idea that certain events ultimately come together to point zero, the murder, add a little extra spice into the mix. The psychology in general behind people's behavior is at its best here.
At first, when I thought I remembered the murderer and things started to take an obvious route, I wondered what had appealed to me the first time around, but soon the genius of it all became clear. Bluffing not once, not twice, but three times? Yes, please. So satisfying. I breezed through this in two days, and now I feel a bit jittery. I. Want. More.
Koiramäen joulukirkko by Mauri Kunnas
4.0
(Doghill Christmas Church; not yet translated into English)
Published in 1997 to raise funds for the repair work of Saint Olaf's Church in Tyrvää after it was almost destroyed by arson, this is one of Kunnas's shortest books but one of my favorites. A nighttime sled journey in the snow, nestled under blankets, and the detailed recreation of the church interior bathing in warm candlelight.
Published in 1997 to raise funds for the repair work of Saint Olaf's Church in Tyrvää after it was almost destroyed by arson, this is one of Kunnas's shortest books but one of my favorites. A nighttime sled journey in the snow, nestled under blankets, and the detailed recreation of the church interior bathing in warm candlelight.
The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West
Empty and crumbling sets, weird architecture, starlets thirsting to be famous, religious fanatics, tired and sick artists, cockfighting, illusioned people, restless crowds, celebrity obsession, fake horses at the bottom of pools. Everything that made/makes Los Angeles so wonderfully bizarre or a dumpster fire, depending on your point of view. West's disjointed execution wasn't the best, but I keep coming to it, so there must be something there.
The movie is equally fascinating, perfectly capturing the grotesqueness and gloominess, and the final frenzied scene is incredible.
4.0
"Where else could they go but California, the land of sunshine and oranges?
Once there, they discover that sunshine isn’t enough.
They realize that they’ve been tricked and burn with resentment. Every day of their lives they read newspapers and went to the movies. Both fed them on lynchings, murder, sex crimes, explosions, wrecks, love nests, fires, miracles, revolutions, wars. The daily diet made sophisticates of them. The sun is a joke. Oranges can’t titillate their jaded palates. Nothing can ever be violent enough to make taut their slack minds and bodies. They have been cheated and betrayed. They have slaved and saved for nothing."
Empty and crumbling sets, weird architecture, starlets thirsting to be famous, religious fanatics, tired and sick artists, cockfighting, illusioned people, restless crowds, celebrity obsession, fake horses at the bottom of pools. Everything that made/makes Los Angeles so wonderfully bizarre or a dumpster fire, depending on your point of view. West's disjointed execution wasn't the best, but I keep coming to it, so there must be something there.
The movie is equally fascinating, perfectly capturing the grotesqueness and gloominess, and the final frenzied scene is incredible.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Dr. Montague intends to investigate paranormal phenomena and prove they're real, and of the several people he invites to stay at Hill House for the summer, Theodora and Eleanor are the only ones to reply. Luke, the heir of the house, joins them because his presence is required by the owners.
They quickly discover that the house has a life of its own. It's almost a living breathing entity whose sole purpose is to confuse and consume them while making them feel isolated. When night descends, there are voices, sounds, shadows, and figures, but the way the house attaches itself to the psyche and spirit of one of the characters in particular is even more horrifying. The more their mind is splintered, the stronger the house becomes and the two become intertwined.
Although The Haunting of Hill House is in many ways a traditional haunted house story, it's Jackson's prose, her ability to bend the horror genre into subtle psychological terror, and the ambiguousness that make it special. The film adaptation The Haunting (1963) and the loose 2018 Netflix adaptation do it justice. Both are atmospheric, visually gorgeous, and are able to turn your blood into ice.
5.0
"The four of them stood, for the first time, in the wide, dark entrance hall of Hill House. Around them the house steadied and located them, above them the hills slept watchfully, small eddies of air and sound and movement stirred and waited and whispered, and the center of consciousness was somehow the small space where they stood, four separated people, and looked trustingly at one another."
Dr. Montague intends to investigate paranormal phenomena and prove they're real, and of the several people he invites to stay at Hill House for the summer, Theodora and Eleanor are the only ones to reply. Luke, the heir of the house, joins them because his presence is required by the owners.
They quickly discover that the house has a life of its own. It's almost a living breathing entity whose sole purpose is to confuse and consume them while making them feel isolated. When night descends, there are voices, sounds, shadows, and figures, but the way the house attaches itself to the psyche and spirit of one of the characters in particular is even more horrifying. The more their mind is splintered, the stronger the house becomes and the two become intertwined.
Although The Haunting of Hill House is in many ways a traditional haunted house story, it's Jackson's prose, her ability to bend the horror genre into subtle psychological terror, and the ambiguousness that make it special. The film adaptation The Haunting (1963) and the loose 2018 Netflix adaptation do it justice. Both are atmospheric, visually gorgeous, and are able to turn your blood into ice.
Nightingale: London 1966 by Ben Aaronovitch
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Christmas Moment by Ben Aaronovitch
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
The Domestic by Ben Aaronovitch
3.0
I'd like to have more of these small cases that Peter has to deal with between the big ones. This one is a nice little ghost story. A predictable and kind of non-compelling one, but still nice.
PS. The list I'm referencing puts this before Moon Over Soho, but this is actually set between MOS and Whispers Under Ground.
PS. The list I'm referencing puts this before Moon Over Soho, but this is actually set between MOS and Whispers Under Ground.
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
4.0
More cohesive plot-wise than the first one, and the dry humor is still great, the characters still feel like actual real people, and the portrayal of London and its history is still spot on (occasionally verging on info dumping, but I can deal with that since it's not excessive). If the purpose is to have only one main case from now on, I think it will work better in terms of keeping track of the personal lives of the characters and how the magical world is progressing.
Although jazz isn't really for me and I know nothing about it, I actually preferred the case revolving around it (and the nightlife in Soho) more than the river gods in the first book, and I absolutely loved the secondary plot in its Dr. Moreau-esqueness. I can hear the faint murmur of an excellent villain in the distance.
Someone definitely needs to reign Peter in soon, though, before he completely mucks something up because of his inexperience and tendency to get distracted.
Although jazz isn't really for me and I know nothing about it, I actually preferred the case revolving around it (and the nightlife in Soho) more than the river gods in the first book, and I absolutely loved the secondary plot in its Dr. Moreau-esqueness. I can hear the faint murmur of an excellent villain in the distance.
Someone definitely needs to reign Peter in soon, though, before he completely mucks something up because of his inexperience and tendency to get distracted.