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The Lady in the Lake

By: Raymond Chandler
Narrated by: Elliott Gould
Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)
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Editor reviews

Chandler is a true master. I'm hooked on his unsentimental, engaging style. I've listened to most of the Philip Marlowe mysteries, and The Lady in the Lake is one of my favorites. It's suspenseful and interesting - and it doesn't mince words. (Pat)

Summary

Hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe follows the trail of a missing woman in Raymond Chandler's classic mystery tale. Experience Chandler's cool wit and taut language as his most famous character travels through the sunbaked streets of Southern California, unraveling a tangled web of murder and deception. Elliott Gould, who played Marlowe in Robert Altman's film version of The Long Goodbye, once again brings L.A.'s toughest private eye to life. Gould captures the distinctive combination of cynicism and gruff compassion that have made Marlowe one of America's favorite fictional heroes.
©1943 Philip Marlowe B.V. (P)1990 Dove Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Raymond Chandler is a star of the first magnitude." (Erle Stanley Gardner)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Tim
  • 27-11-16

Not Chandler's best. Convoluted plot.

Chandler fans (like me) will enjoy this book, however, it is not the author's best work. This novel is not as witty or compelling as his other stories. The plot is complicated and difficult to follow. Even after repeated listenings I still have trouble following which character is suspected of what. That confusion left this reader a bit bored.

If you are new to Chandler and want to try something, then I recommend skipping this book, and instead try Chandler's short stories. They are much better,

Elliott Gould's narration is amazing.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • E. Allison
  • 06-06-18

Very good but abridged?

I enjoy all Chandler's books, this isn't one of my favourites though. Bafflingly, the recording is abridged - why?? These books are short to start with so it's utterly unnecessary and I think the story suffers from it. Gould has the right voice for the Chandler books but his monotone gets annoying after a while, most of the story is a very flat reading, which doesn't do the source justice.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • A Customer
  • 28-03-18

This Audible Version is Abridged.

Would you try another book from Raymond Chandler and/or Elliott Gould?

Yes.

What other book might you compare The Lady in the Lake to and why?

Any Chandler mystery.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Not overly dramatic.

What character would you cut from The Lady in the Lake?

None.

Any additional comments?

I wanted to read the novel along with this audible version but discovered that much, if not most, of Chandler's wonderful descriptive text was omitted. I only got through chapter one and gave up. Fine if you just want the story line, but so much is missed that matters to those of us who love books and descriptive prose.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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  • Tempeh
  • 30-11-15

Gould is flawless

So often audiobooks are over acted. Gould is understated without being dead. Hard not to hear him as altman's Marlowe, though, who is very different than Chandler's, I think. It complicated the experience but made it much richer, and gave a lot to think about

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Stuart
  • 29-02-04

Story is Great Have Not Tried Downloaded version

I enjoyed the Lady in the Lake novella very much. I own the cassette version of this book and it is fine. I have not downloaded Audibles version. Historically I don't like titles in a quality less than format 3.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful