A Hell of a Woman
Because he really DID intend to take her away from all this? We almost think it might have been, and maybe. If not for all that money. And even if it seems that Dolly might have survived to catch an unlikely break on another day in another town, we can rest easy. It's only a matter of time. This is hell, after all, and they don't call it hell for nothing. Thompson doesn't seem to tell his readers everything, just enough for us to want to fill in the blanks between the lines, and the missing blocks in a passage of time.
He tells the least amount he must convey for us to suss out the juicy details we need to delight in the irony, and revel in the satisfaction of an eventual comeuppance or two. Perhaps we readers of Thompson are in training to achieve the necessary objectivity with which to view ourselves through the story arc of our own lives.
I'm merely hoping to avoid gazing into the glass darkly, hoping to avoid awakening in a succession of bleary steel gray dawns in myriad fleabag flop houses in hell, myself, hoping to avoid desperate searches into dull and blackened mirrors, and seeing angry vengeful eyes peering back. That's the best part about reading Thompson.
I don't have to live there. May 07, Michael Logan rated it liked it. When I finished this book, it was a beautiful day in Rome. The birds were twittering, the sun was glinting through the trees and all seemed well with the world. Except I was reading a book by Jim Thompson. My word, that man was dark. I picked this Jim Thompson book off the shelf without expecting very much.
Fortunately, it's just as strong as those aforementioned books, and if you're a Jim Thompson fan, I suggest you give this one a go. The main character Frank "Dolly" Dillon is a pretty standard Thompson protagonist; he's ruthless, bibulous, hostile toward women, looking for an angle, and an un I picked this Jim Thompson book off the shelf without expecting very much. The main character Frank "Dolly" Dillon is a pretty standard Thompson protagonist; he's ruthless, bibulous, hostile toward women, looking for an angle, and an unreliable narrator.
Reading Savage Art, Robert Polito's excellent and exhaustive biography of Thompson, helped me realize how much of Frank Dillon's personality was similar to Jim Thompson's. Friends described Thompson as someone that always felt down on his luck and that the odds were stacked against him in everyway he also liked to drink quite a bit.
Another clue is that Dillon was James Thompson's communist party handle name. Frank Dillon is a door to door salesman that arrives at a home occupied by a woman who's described as an old miserly crone. She lives there with her young niece, Mona. Dillon gets propositioned to trade a silverware set for an assignation with Mona. He pities the horrendous situation Mona is in and the two decide to conspire against the old maid for her wealth. Hell of a Woman is a quick book to get through and it's packed with a lot of great plot twists. You don't know how Dillon's planning to untangle himself from the mess he gets in because he doesn't know himself.
And it's entertaining to be brought into this hapless criminals thought process. The book is also chock-full of the classic Thompson criminal, lowlife vernacular. This is another fantastic book to add to the list of Jim Thompson's excellent crime fiction catalogue. This isn't one of his better known novels I suppose -- at least, I hadn't heard a lot about it -- but it does have his signature plot turns and a lot of punch. This is a fast read, and not just because it's a pretty short book. Thompson keeps the pressure on his main guy and never lets up. The end of every chapter throws a new wrench in the works, making this a gripping read that's hard to put down.
It's difficult to identify any significant flaws in this work, so the only reason I don't give it five stars is simply because it doesn't top my favorites by Thompson which include The Killer Inside Me, Savage Night, and The Getaway. Folks who aren't fans of 40ss noir or hardboiled fiction might find the tough-guy lingo a little awkward. It does seem that the writing here is a bit rougher in spots than in some of his other work, but God knows what kind of insane circumstances or deadlines he was working under when he created this one, which really just adds an element of charm for my mileage.
This is top-shelf crime fiction that you'd be hard-pressed to beat with anything from your average library. Recommended for those with a taste for dark, violent noir and crime novels that take you on a wild ride. Not for the meek. Feb 03, Mohammed rated it it was ok Shelves: This is a new experience for me, i havent read an avreage JT novel before and this was less than i expect from his kind of noir stories of characters with depth, the tight storytelling driven by the many compelling characters.
This novel the only character with depth, written decently compared to what i have come to expect from Thompson is the POV lead role Frank "Dolly" Dillion. He is unreliable narrator, disgusting pig when it comes to women, a real loser even in his own mind but at-least he w This is a new experience for me, i havent read an avreage JT novel before and this was less than i expect from his kind of noir stories of characters with depth, the tight storytelling driven by the many compelling characters. He is unreliable narrator, disgusting pig when it comes to women, a real loser even in his own mind but at-least he was not bland like the other prominent characters of the novel.
And who knew you could get away with publishing such a perverse and sexual set-up back then? In fact, if adjectives like dark, perverse, sexual, and bleak make you prick up your ears, this is your book. They don't get much more noir than this. He hates his job, he hates his boss, and he hates his third wife, too. And when he sees his chance to score a big payday in a scheme involving murder, robbery, and a young abuse victim, things will start to look up, surely. Like hell they will!
- La familia de León Roch (Spanish Edition).
- one hell of a (something or someone).
- One on One: Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game.
I love noir and crime fiction and I always devour it. Feb 24, Joanne Renaud rated it really liked it Recommended to Joanne by: Sleazy, violent, misogynistic and black as pitch: His writing isn't for everyone, and I felt like I had to take a shower at frequent intervals, but his characters and world-building are incredibly compelling. His heroic instincts, such as they are, are revived when he com Sleazy, violent, misogynistic and black as pitch: His heroic instincts, such as they are, are revived when he comes upon a beautiful girl being pimped out by her ancient, mean-spirited aunt.
He helps her out, in his way, but his violence, cowardice and paranoia get the better of him as he concocts a really poorly thought-out murder scheme to kill the aunt and get a hold of her ill-gotten loot. Somewhere along the way he thinks he's going to rescue the girl, but then he patches things up with his wife. But then he changes his mind. And then he goes off the deep end. And I mean he really goes off the deep end. Did you forget your lithium again, Dolly? Whatever happens, it couldn't happen to a better guy.
Alcoholism is a major aspect of Thompson's work; the author himself struggled with alcoholism. The disease lingers on the page, and it reminds me of how many talented guys of that era crashed and burned horribly. It's a sobering book, in more ways than one. All conjured up in this "noir" masterpiece from Jim Thompson. Thompson's great strength is putting the reader in the mind of somebody who is truly deranged, desperate or psychotic These characters are superhuman or mystical figures.
They are citizens caught up in the gri Wowser!!! They are citizens caught up in the grinding rat race. The average joe character in A Hell of a Woman is named Dillon.
one hell of a (something or someone)
This hard-knocked boob chances upon a sirenesque girl named Mona. In order to enhance both of their lives, Dillon and Mona, become tangled up in a plot which involves murder, theft, and lies. From page 84 on I felt like I was on a tilt-a-whirl while experiencing a fever dream. The avant-garde moments of which Thompson incorporates in his work are absolutely enjoyable and give the story added layers of complexity. This is where Thompson shines and his work transcends simple crime fiction by dipping a toe in interpretative literature. It's been a while since I've picked up a Thompson book and I forgot how wonderful they are.
Another Thompson sociopath charts a course to hell. The only luck Frank ever knew was baaaaaad luck. On the hunt for a deadbeat he meets an evil old woman willing to prostitute her niece for set of dishes. Because he's such a great guy, he doesn't take up with the girl, instead plots to kill the miserly crone and start a n Another Thompson sociopath charts a course to hell.
Because he's such a great guy, he doesn't take up with the girl, instead plots to kill the miserly crone and start a new life with this helpless girl. Many mistakes are made. Great use of the unreliable narrator. Frank lies, makes excuses, contradicts himself, pleads for understanding, and sometimes gets it, but every time you start to sympathize, Frank changes up his story. He's just a good guy with bad luck don't you see? Even a world class liar is right some of the time though.
It doesn't end well for Frank, or anyone he comes in contact with for that matter, but when does it ever work out in a Thompson novel? Pure grit slung by a master. Pulp fiction at its finest. I first knew about Jim Thompson's work from seeing some of their film adaptations, things like 'The Getaway' and 'The Grifters' though I haven't read those two novels.
Once I saw 'After Dark, My Sweet', I kept it in the back of my mind to get around to reading its source material - and I eventually did read that one. These two novels, surprisingly, are actually rather different i Pulp fiction at its finest. These two novels, surprisingly, are actually rather different in tone; 'AHOAW' is less psychotic and more of a standard, if intricate, crime novel with a somewhat-psychotic sidebar. It's a great, quick read - with enough passages of genuine brilliance, along with some welcome mordant humor. I'll keep it in mind to get around to more of his work.
The crime world is not really among my favorite worlds of fiction - but when it's handled with distinctive style as it is here , I'm in. Good Christ, this book is disturbing. It's classic Thompson from his incredibly productive period -- hard, nasty, unsympathetic, unsentimental, basically evil. You think you're being treated nice and then it smacks you in the face with a crowbar -- and you let it. At the end it all disintegrates into complete incomprehensible psychosis. Apparently there was some dispute between Thompson and the publisher as to how the experimental section at the end was typeset -- whatever, I'm kind of shocked t Good Christ, this book is disturbing.
Apparently there was some dispute between Thompson and the publisher as to how the experimental section at the end was typeset -- whatever, I'm kind of shocked they allowed freaky post-modernist shit like that to be used in a crime novel. For my money, it doesn't work, but that kind of freakout is part of what makes Thompson interesting; he'd try anything to lay his booze-addled, brain-damaged misanthropic hateful vision of the world on people, to make them suffer with the burden of, as he put it, "A bucket of shit with a barbed-wire handle.
- See a Problem?.
- The Bugs Dont Bite and Other Childrens Stories.
- Remember This! Not Just Anyone Will Do (Relationship Talk Series Book 2).
With the small matter of a hidden stash of , dollars greed, lust and murder all conspire to drag Frank into his own personal hell, gradually losing his mind. A Hell of a Woman is another typical twisted crime novel from the one of those rare authors who turns pulp fiction into literary magic.
A masterpiece of cheap lives, small-town desperation, and absent morals. The last few pages, in which the protagonist has a mental breakdown, is written in alternating lines of conflicting consciousness: The protagonist, a sleazy door-to-door salesman, is the epitome of the Thompson archetype: Among Thompson's best works.
The language just hums along. I have Thompsons at home unread but this is definitely going on the radar. How can I guess that???
Customers who bought this item also bought
He wanted to make a film version of Pop. Let me know if you understood it. Finally I got to the last Thompson on the shelf. What he does with the narration is very impressive, like you say. The end is really powerful. I was just thinking about Pop the other day and remembering how good it was. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. His Futile Preoccupations ….. His current problem woman is his wife, Joyce: All it took was for us to move in. May 21, at 3: May 21, at 6: May 24, at 2: May 23, at 5: Little mix-up with your titles in the top of this post, I think… You have to wonder, how did he narrate and write up his own story after what he endures in the last page!
An outstanding crime writer, the world of his fiction is rife with violence and corruption. Product details File Size: Mulholland Books March 1, Publication Date: March 1, Sold by: Hachette Book Group Language: Share your thoughts with other customers.
A Hell of a Woman: Jim Thompson () | His Futile Preoccupations
Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention jim thompson hell of a woman killer inside dolly dillon crime novel thompson books main character frank dillon told in the first person door to door thompson best frank dolly thompson novels noir women classic dark mona american filled. Showing of 41 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Although the plot is a bit clumsy and farfetched in places, this is still an excellent book.
As usual with Thompson, he wastes no time getting the story started. Frank "Dolly" Dillon spies the woman who will will be his undoing in the first sentence of the book, and by the end of the first chapter, you know that these particular characters meeting under these particular circumstances are bound for trouble. Thompson is simply brilliant at conveying how character and circumstance combine to form destiny.
Buy for others
And he does it in simple, straightforward language, with no wasted words, no precious metaphor or long-winded descriptions. He simply takes you by degrees down into hell, and by the time you realize where you're going, it's too late to turn back. Frank Dillon seems a pretty reasonable guy at first, and his more colorful comments come off as humorous. Over time, you begin to see his flaws and how they contribute to his undoing. One common element of all Thompson's novels is that the protagonist remains a largely sympathetic character, even when he starts doing horrible things.
You understand his thinking and his weakness, even as you cringe at what he's doing. This one gets very dark at the end. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Who was a hell of a woman?
Although I think it was the last one, it really doesn't matter as the title suggests. I have enjoyed so much the last chapter it took a while for me to realize how I should reading it , I consider it a gem of literary work and of crime no ir novel. Like so many other Jim Thompson novels, A Hell of a Woman dares to push the envelope as it not only defies convention but in fact shatters it. The story's narrator and protagonist if that's the correct term is an amoral sociopath with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, not one. Frank "Dolly" Dillon works in the unenviable world of door to door sales and collections.
A world where he routinely chisels from others even as he himself is being chiseled. Of course, since Dolly is the sole narrator of this rather improbable tale, we have only his word as to the truth of his own victimization. And since Dolly freely and often changes the description of events depending on which version is most advantageous to him at any given moment, his word is worth very little.
Conversational, folksy and informal, the narration itself provides a disturbing contrast to the shocking tale of greed, murder and endless duplicitity it describes. A Hell of a Woman is an excellent example of Thompson's use of unconventional storytelling as a means of revealing humanity's dark underbelly. Recommended to readers unafraid of catching a glimpse of the seamier side of life.
This story might not be for everyone. It is very dark and disturbing. But, it will keep a reader's interest, I think. It is the story of a door to door salesman named Dillon, and how he gets involved with a troubled young woman with an evil aunt.