The Big Sleep

By: Raymond Chandler

Narrated by: Barbara Barnes, Henry Devas, Ian Batchelor, Jude Akuwudike, Kelly Burke, Leah Brotherhood, Madeline Potter, Sam Dale, Sean Baker, Toby Stephens

Fast-talking, trouble-seeking private eye Philip Marlowe is a different kind of detective: a moral man in an amoral world. California in the ’40s and ’50s is as beautiful as a ripe fruit and rotten to the core, and Marlowe must struggle to retain his integrity amidst the corruption he encounters daily. The Big Sleep finds the world-weary, wisecracking investigator consulted by a wealthy family man with two big problems: his children. Carmen Sternwood has got herself mixed up with a blackmailer, while Vivian has managed to mislay her husband, ex-bootlegger Rusty Regan. Old, ailing General Sternwood hires Marlowe to take care of things - but it’s not too long before the bodies start piling up, and Marlowe finds himself knee-deep in trouble... Starring Toby Stephens, this landmark dramatisation retains all the suspense and excitement of Chandler’s complex and compelling novel.

Rather clicheed, not my cup of tea

This is a nice performance of a classic noir book, but unfortunately "noir" has been satirized and abused so often it's become a cliche for me. I'm sure it was terrific when it was originally written, but for me the abundance of imitators and satires have done it no favours over the years. I liked it, but it doesn't hold the punch it likely did originally.

like old time radio

THERE ARE A SERIES OF THESE DRAMATISED ADAPTATIONS OF CHANDLER'S BEST KNOWN WORKS, AND THIS - LIKE THE REST - IS A DELIGHTFUL LISTEN. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THESE ARE DRAMATISATIONS OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL, WITH A FULL CAST PERFORMING VARIOUS ROLES THROUGHOUT THE PRODUCTION. LIKE LISTENING TO AN OLD TIME RADIO PRODUCTION, ONLY BETTER, BECAUSE THIS PRODUCTION NEVER LOSES THE ATMOSPHERE OF CHANDLER'S PROSE. BRAVO!

Better than the movie.

What did you love best about Raymond Chandler: The Big Sleep (Dramatised)?

It followed the original Chandler story. Performances were spot on.

Any additional comments?

Like all Chandler books, hard to put down.

The Big Sleep Refers to Death--Now I Know

I bought this by accident thinking it was the novel. I thought—oh well, and listened to it anyway. It was a pleasant surprise—not bad at all. Characters are well demarcated and the actors charge their roles with vigor. (Let's face it, Chandler's dramatis personae are written as over-the-top.) It's uncensored old-time radio. The politically incorrect words are left in. The price is cheap so it's worth the dough. Ignore the naysayers who howl at the moon over what was left out from the book. Listen and enjoy.

WARNING: NOT THE COMPLETE NOVEL

This is a dramatization of the novel. They take the major parts and turned it into a sort of hour and a half soap opera. It's good acting and it captures the main plot points, but if you're looking for the entire novel The Big Sleep, this is not it. The full novel version is six hours long, narrated by Elliot Gould, and Audible doesn't carry it yet.