Dashiell hammetts novel, the thin man launched one of the golden ages greatest detective movie franchises. It is the memoir of two men, ellis and michael, who, during their youth, were shy, young lovers. Rivett, which provide background into hammetts life and creative. Apr 28, 2011 the thin man was hammetts final novel. The thin man the great detectives of old time radio. The film stars william powell and myrna loy as nick and nora charles, a leisureclass couple who enjoy copious drinking and flirtatious banter. Exdetective nick charles and his socialite wife nora find their christmas holiday interrupted when nick is pulled into the investigation of a former acquaintances disappearance. After the mess of the thin man i rather read anything else at this point. Hammetts fifth and final novel, the thin man, is a return to firstperson narration, as nick charles narrates the story of a case he unwillingly takes on while vacationing. Now, some 60 years later i have read most of dashiell hammetts works in the last month and i can say that the movie was conform to the book. For discussion questions for the harry potter books, click here. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The thin man by dashiell hammett, first edition abebooks passion for books. Ive always loved the thin man movies so i thought id try out the book.
Hammetts portrayal of sophisticated new york cafe society during prohibition and his witty protagonists nick and nora charles made this the most popular of his works, if not the most successful critically. The thin man by dashiell hammett discussion has officially started. Editorial observer by adam cohen speculates on why thin man movies. To all intents and purposes the thin man, originally published in 1934, was. Tin man by sarah winman is such a unique and marvelous tale. Please read this carefully so you know how to get the most points for the discussions. The return of the thin man by dashiell hammett the. Get an adfree experience with special benefits, and directly support reddit.
The antagonist was a very thin man, very thin indeed. Listed here are discussion questions for the books the galesburg public library adult book clubs have read recently. Nick and nora charles are hammetts most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. The thin man, dashiell hammetts classic tale of murder in manhattan, became the popular movie series with william powell and myrna loy, and both the movies and the novel continue to captivate new generations of fans. The thin man is a comedy of manners mixed with a solid mystery. That thread is where all discussion about the book will go down. There is a grand clue in enotes character sketch of gilbert wynant often referred to as gil as. Sep 11 the thin man by dashiell hammett jpl book discussions. Perhaps thatll come when i revisit the book in a few years time. I recently found out that nick was not the thin man but now i know the rest of the story from the original book.
The thin man is a 1934 american precode comedymystery b movie directed by w. More details, with sample questions and answers, can be found on the discussion board itself, under the heading info on discussion questions. Bookbrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfictionbooks that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Nick and nora charles are never really in any serious danger of being accused, arrested, or separated. The thin man is the last novel hammett completed though he started or pretended to start a halfdozen others and it has the feel of being a parady of his other novellas and the 1930s crime genre in general. The thin man said that he knew that ghosts were real because for years he had worked at a slaughterhouse in broomfield. I was trying to think of why i liked this book so much, especially as there are things that ive come to expect in crime novels that hammetts thin. Meanwhile, the thin man star myrna loy was born near and raised in helena, montana. A wiki for providing information, discussion questions and opportunity for feedback and further discussion about books that are discussed at jervis library book discussions.
Nick, nora and asta return in thin man novellas dashiell hammetts the thin man invented a new kind of crime fiction. Confidential by james ellroy the thin man by dashiell hammett i, the jury by mickey spillane categories. Book discussion questions books mysteriesthrillers. Book club questions book club discussion questions. By 1933, when hammett published the thin man, the hardboiled detective novel was a wellestablished american genre, with its disillusioned, tough investigators markedly distinct from their european. There are also headnotes and footnotes for each novella by julie m. The thin man v774 by dashiell hammett and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The thin man 1934 author dashiell hammett drew on his experiences as a unionbusting pinkerton detective in butte, montana, in creating his detective characters.
Thin man was the first stretching super hero, predating the more famous plastic man by at least a year, and the likes of mr. Discussion for the thin man will kick off on june 1st, but you should pick up the book and start reading asap. May 19, 20 the thin man by dashiell hammett published in 1934 by alfred a. Immediately download the the thin man summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching the thin man. The main characters are a former private detective, nick charles, and his clever young wife, nora.
The thin man by dashiell hammett reading guidebook club. Hammett never wrote a sequel but the book became the basis for a successful sixpart film series, which also began in 1934 with the thin man and starred william powell and myrna loy. Amateur detectives nick and nora charles investigate various crimes. Labor day traffic eee orfano high school rankings bosten dorm contest news. Nov 09, 2012 and while the two previously unpublished works that comprise the balance of return of the thin man would be worth the price of admission alone, there is the lagniappe of an introduction by richard layman. Read the full synopsis of the thin man, 1934, directed by w. The thin man 1934 is a detective novel by dashiell hammett, originally published in the december 1933 issue of redbook. Nor does it refer to the book s author, whose spare frame often illustrates book jackets of the thin man. The thin man movies were part of my growing up and i have seen most of them. Oprah noodlemantras book club reads dashiell hammetts the.
Van dyke and based on the novel of the same name by dashiell hammett. The thin man, novel by dashiell hammett, published in 1934. The latter novel is much more uplifting and the tone is overall hopeful. In dashiell hammetts famous crime novel, we meet one of the detectivestory masters most enchanting creations, nick and nora charles. This set of discussion questions is worth a possible 20 points. The book title, by the way, does not refer to the detective as many people seem to think. Once youre locked and loaded, you can announce your presence in the book club. Online the thin man by dashiell hammett ebook view. Ive only read 1930s the maltese falcon and found it to be far darker, cynical, and despairing of human nature than the thin man. In the film gumshoe1971, who noticed the book, the thin man, opened and in front of the seated main character.
The movie version of the thin man is also highly recommended. To be honest, im not sure if im giving this a 4 because the story is that. Book questions and reading guides discussion guides for book clubs more than 500 printable reading guides for exceptional books. Download dashiell hammetts the thin man for your kindle, tablet, ipad, pc or mobile. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a classic murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. Jan 30, 2012 oprah noodlemantras book club will get us in the mood to sleuth along with nick and nora charles with their first book discussion of 2012, the thin man, dashiell hammetts famous novel of chicanery and murder. Content is available under gnu free documentation license 1. Former detective nick charles and his wealthy wife nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it. The thin man 1934 discussion the thin man 1934 movie. May 03, 2012 the thin man by dashiell hammett discussion has officially started. Dec 22, 2002 that the thin man cost so little and looks so good is possibly because the interiors are simple and elegant, and the black and white photography flatters the loungewear and formalwear worn by a greatlooking cast which in addition to powell and loy, included maureen osullivan and a young cesar romero.
At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. Told in two distinct parts, tin man is a love story but so much more. Can you imagine the excitement when previously unpublished work from the. The photo at left shows johnny depp with myrna loy, the silver screens original nora charles. If youre a fan of the movies series, you should get all of these. Nick charles is a retired private eye who gets pressed into investigating the murder of a woman in which a former client of his named clyde wynant is a suspect, though wynant who was the actual thin man not charles has been missing for quite some time. June 12 book club selection the thin man by dashiell.
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