Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

In November, we are reading Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett.

Brief plot summary: When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty--even if that meant taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain.

Bio of Hammett: Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse). In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."

I have read The Thin Man, which I didn't care for, and The Maltese Falcon, which I really liked. I'm excited to dive into this one!

I've read most of Hammett's novels-this is my favourite!
I liked The Thin Man less than the others.

I finished this one - what a bloodbath! I see why it is called Red Harvest.

It's a very interesting book and I'm still deciding how I feel about it. It was entirely lacking in characters possessing human decency, right down to the unnamed Continental Op.

Is anyone else reading?

I'll be starting it soon, Christine. I'll see how it goes.

Kathy wrote: "I'll be starting it soon, Christine. I'll see how it goes."

I'm interested in your thoughts - we'll be able to have a nice little discussion if you get to it!

I have it from the library, but she picked it up first.... "bloodbath?" oh dear ... am I up to it?

My "dear husband" picked it up first.... autocorrect changed my abbreviation to "she" -- technology!

VeeInNY wrote: "I have it from the library, but she picked it up first.... "bloodbath?" oh dear ... am I up to it?"

On the plus side, I wouldn't say that it is particularly graphic. Just a lot of people who get murdered.

That is a good description, Christine. I am not a big fan of graphic descriptions of violence and thought this book was fine that way.
It's also fast paced and keeps your interestl

I finished this today and, surprisingly, enjoyed reading this hard-boiled crime novel. As people have already said, there are many, many deaths, but none described in much detail.

About halfway through the book, I wondered (view spoiler)[if the Continental Op was a good guy or a bad guy! I wondered if he were an unreliable narrator. It turns out he was pretty straight in his telling (hide spoiler)].

I liked the language used in the book. At times, I found it humorous because it seemed so over the top.

I might read another of Hammett's books in the future. Not right away - that'd be too much.

Kathy wrote: "I liked the language used in the book. At times, I found it humorous because it seemed so over the top."

It was over the top - sometimes I felt like I was reading a book written in a different language. It felt like Hammett used every gangster/noir word/phrase he had ever heard in this book.

(view spoiler)[I agree with you about Continental Op - he was so morally gray. I'm still not sure if he's really a "good guy," but he's also not explicitly an anti-hero. (hide spoiler)]

I'm sure I will read more Hammett, but like you, it will be a while. Noir isn't my favorite sub-genre.