the thing man | My Renaissance

Photo Credit

Title: The Thin Man

Author: Dashiell Hammett

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: Vintage (that name makes me smile)

I was very excited to read the book since I have seen the collection of the Thin Man series multiple times. I knew there would be differences, but I didn’t realize how different the book would be. Although Nick and Nora are d the funny people you see in the movie, it almost seems they are a little more raw and condescending at times. The story itself is darker. The characters are developed more and the ending is different from the movie as well.

The story is about a detective, Nick, who wants to settle down with his wife, Nora, and just take care of her fortune that she has inherited. Due to his connection to a family in trouble he is caught up working on a case involving a missing man and multiple murders. All the while he is drinking his liquor and and hosting parties.

For those who have seen the movie, reading the book is a different experience and it explains some of the smaller characters in greater depth which add to the story. I truly enjoyed learning more about the smaller characters, and somewhat disturbed at times.

Even though I really enjoyed the book, this was one of those few times for me where I enjoyed the movie over the book. It really helped that I was able to imagine William Powell portray Nick and Myrna Loy portray Nora helped, I prefer the comedic side of the movie to the semi depressing condescending atmosphere the book seemed to give off.

Would I read this book again? Possibly. Will it be for quite some time? Yes, I need some time away from this book. Even though this book was good, it felt heavy and was a let down to what I was expecting.

My current rating for this book is 3 stars.