Rob’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2018)

Rob’s comments from the Point Blank group.

Rob wrote: "I'm about half way through Native Son by Richard Wright. I had no idea that it was a noir thriller until I started reading it. Great story/fantastic writing so far. Has anyone else read this?

http..." So, it ended up being a gripping noir crime thriller for the first 2/3s, then it switched to an often brilliant philosophical courtroom drama for the last 1/3 in which the racist American social system of the 1930s is placed on trial. The argument is that the system in which the murderer was raised has some of the
blame for his crime. Unfortunately, most of the argument in favor of justice took the form of a 20-page speech by the defendant's communist lawyer, by the end of which I was less convinced of his position that at the beginning.

Nonetheless, it's an important book as not much has changed in Chicago since 1940. I recommend this book.

I'm about half way through Native Son by Richard Wright. I had no idea that it was a noir thriller until I started reading it. Great story/fantastic writing so far. Has anyone else read this?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I was pleasantly surprised to hear on the podcast that Justin had watched Branded to Kill. This brings back great memories. I first saw this film on the big screen in the mid-90s when I was working as a projectionist at the Film Center of the School of the Art Institue of Chicago. We were running a week of Japanese noir films and Branded to Kill stood out among some other great films. I totally agree with Justin's review. Highly recommended.

I've finished the book and now see the use of racist epithets in the context of the full story. I haven't listened to the podcast yet, so my impressions may or may not be similar to those of Justin and Kurt, or anyone else in this group.
In this story, Hemingway has written a criticism of capitalism through a collection of vignettes featuring a variety of working class and upper-middle class characters. Every single one of them is unlikeable. There are no heroes in this story. His portrayal of the upper classes is typical of this kind of book, but refreshingly, Hemingway paints his working-class characters without any shred of nobility normally attributed to the poor in this kind of story. They're all racist, drunk, immoral criminals. Everyone at every level is corrupted by the ethics of the system which dominates their lives, summarized by the lines "You win; somebody's got to lose, and only suckers worry."

This isn't a perfect, or even a great book, but it was a refreshingly honest look at a subject which too often patronizes the reader. Yes, the racist language was hard too take, but these characters were the kinds of people who use that language. Putting it on paper is just a form of honesty.

Geoff wrote: "Okay, so I'm going to make a speculative point in defence of Hemingway:

Wondering if Hem's use of N-word is a marker of the divisive nature of poverty in that Harry's perpetual desperation and the..."

When I encounter objectionable content like this in a novel, I feel obliged to justify it out of existence, otherwise I simply can't continue. In this book, I'm just telling myself that Hemingway was racist and Harry didn't really use that language. I know that this is a bit childish of me, but I wouldn't be able to tolerate it otherwise.

I'm less than half-way through now and Harry seems like a villain, so the racist epithets seem to fit the character up to this point.

Joe wrote: "Rob wrote: "I'm currently reading the Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy, the second of three books in Ellroy's Underworld USA trilogy. I'm not sure if this series fits within the scope of this grou..."

Great! I can't wait to read the 3rd book. I also plan to start on the LA Quartet soon. Thanks for the recommendation.

Joe wrote: "LOL...not sure I can give a proper dissertation on booze, privilege, & guilt in noir crime-fiction...my college paper writing days are long gone! :-) We'll leave that business to K & J! BUT, I do h..."

I don't think anyone reads Chandler for his plots. He's read for his dialogue and the skill with which he writes his amazingly cynical descriptions. No plot needed when you're reading stuff like that.

Not sure if this is the right place to post a recommendation for the podcast, but here it is:

No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

If Justin or Kurt (or any member of this group) have not yet read this book, I highly recommend it. It's about an ex-con who has trouble adjusting to life outside of prison (largely to obstacles put up by the criminal justice system). It's largely informed by the author's personal experience. It had an influence on reform of the system following its publication and was an influence on Quentin Tarantino in writing Reservoir Dogs (Bunker also appeared in the film). On top of all that, it's a fantastic read.

Agreed. The weirdness is present in the movie as well.

Revisiting Walter Mosley and Easy Rollins through this episode has convinced me that I need to pay a visit to my local 2nd hand book store and clear out their entire inventory of Easy Rollins books.

Lawrence wrote: "I finally got a chance to listen to this, my first installment of Point Blank (not to be confused with another by the same name, downloaded in haste by mistake.) I'm glad you covered not only Mosel..."

I totally agree. The bio background made the book even more enjoyable. It's convinced me to do at least a little reading about the background of each new author before getting a first read of their work.

Fairly decent story, but large portions poorly written. Too much detail about the food people ate for lunch, when it was not even necessary to mention that they had eaten anything at all. Plenty of other uninteresting details like this. Comic book style villain. Very uneven tone. The denouement was boring - reminded me of the Lord of the Rings after the Hobbits return to Hobbiton at the end of their adventure. Most of the sexual relationships in the book seemed both implausible and uninteresting. I enjoyed the spotlight shone on violence against women and on flipping traditional male/female roles, but even this was done a bit ineptly at times. Probably won't read the next book. It's likely that this makes a better movie than a book.

I would like to thank Justin and Kurt very much for featuring this book. I finished reading it yesterday and really enjoyed it, much more than I expected, actually. I probably never would have read it had it not been a featured review on the Point Blank podcast. I started listening to the podcast in large part to find recommendations for new books to read that I would not otherwise have chosen to read myself, and this is not the first time I've been rewarded with a pleasant surprise.

Thanks again. I'm eagerly awaiting the 2nd installment of this episode.

Geoff wrote: "Hi guys. Thought it would be fun to post our top five books read in 2018.
So to get the ball rolling, here are mine:

1 Roseanna - Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö
2 Queenpin - Megan Abbott
3 The Killer Ins..."

I highly agree with your #3 and #5. I'll add the others to my to-read list. Thanks!

I have a 2018 top 5, but it requires some explanation.

I discovered Ross Macdonald's private detective Lew Archer for the first time in July of this year. I instantly fell in love. Since then, I've read 9 Lew Archer books (over 20% of my total books read this year) and am currently reading number 10. I have so enjoyed reading this series that I think I can honestly fill my top 5 list with only Lew Archer books. Instead, I'll put 5 Archer books in my #1 slot and fill in the other slots with the runners up.

1) Lew Archer series by Ross Macdonald (The Moving Target, The Way Some People Die, The Ivory Grin, The Galton Case, Underground Man)
2) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (raise an eyebrow if you want, but I love this book!)
3) The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk (perfect depiction of President Donald Trump, 65 years before he took office)
4) The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
5) The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene




* BTW, Lew Archer led me to Point Blank.

Justin wrote: "I like comparing the two -- Archer and McGee -- because they are emblematic of the second wave of detective fiction.

How might y'all compare / contrast the behavior of these two characters? ."

2 very different characters. Archer is a man of the mind; McGee is a man of action. Archer is a traditional PI: he's primarily in it to solve a crime and deliver the perp to justice - he's part of the justice system. Archer psychoanalyzes each of his suspects, often empathizing with the perp. McGee works for clients who have not been served fairly by the system - he gets them justice by other means - he's a hero.

Christopher wrote: "I have read a couple of Travis McGees, and didn't really like them, but I think the Mary Sue aspect is a feature, not a bug.

I call the pbo "romantic novel for men" genre 'mantasy,' for want of a..."

Excellent description. I totally agree. In addition to his smarmy hypocrisy, McGee occasionally takes a break from the action to philosophize about the state of the changing world, reaching conclusions that the average 14-year-old would find shallow and vacuous.

I'm currently reading the Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy, the second of three books in Ellroy's Underworld USA trilogy. I'm not sure if this series fits within the scope of this group, although there's a noir-ish element to it. Ellroy's unique writing style (4 to 5 word sentences are the norm) is annoying at first, but it really grows on you if you give it a chance. It's gritty, cynical and in your face. Not a book I would recommend to my mother.

Justin wrote: "Rob wrote: "I will enthusiastically take Justin and Kurt's recommendation on this book and not read it. I've read one Travis McGee novel, and my impression of John D MacDonald's writing is that, if..."

I'll be interested to hear your final verdict. I may have just chosen one of the weaker books in the series (Bright Orange for the Shroud). The weak point for me was Travis McGee himself. MacDonald writes him almost as the Perfect Man; every female character loves him and every male reader wants to be him - he can do everything and he's not over-confident in knowing that he can. That's actually one of the reasons that I dislike Mike Hammer (not to draw too close a comparison; Mickey Spillane is no John D MacDonald). All the best hard-boiled detectives are flawed, they're cynical and/or depressed and they're losers in some sense. McGee is a winner (at least in the book I read) and, to me, that's boring.

I will enthusiastically take Justin and Kurt's recommendation on this book and not read it. I've read one Travis McGee novel, and my impression of John D MacDonald's writing is that, if you're looking for a good hard-boiled detective writer, you've chosen the wrong Macdonald.

Justin wrote: "Rob wrote: "I've been listening to the Point Blank podcast since July and I joined Goodreads in September, so I was very happy to see that this group had been started. I've listened to all of the p..."

Thanks, I'm looking forward to it!