Nightmare Alley (Special) | 
so-soAt almost 300 pages, Nightmare Alley is the longest book in the American Noir Collection‘s first half. And it feels like it too. It seems as if Gresham is trying to create something epic but in the confines of Noir it becomes too laborious. By the end of the book the pacing is so haphazard that you can tell Gresham just wanted to be done. And by that time I did too.
Image from the 1947 film adaptation. Directed by Edmund Goulding
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was excellent! The classic film was my first experience with this story. The movie captures this book so well but the book has so much honest grit and frightening yet realistic troubled people. The ending is also perfection. Highly recommend this one. This was my April #bookspin pick No. 18 pick.
pickThis noir novel about the rise and fall of a con man is freakin' fantastic!
It's exploration into the dark, seedy side of human nature made me feel despicable just for reading it. It blows my mind that this was published in the 40s and yet the immorality of the characters ring true to people even today.
Now tomorrow I get to treat myself and watch Guillermo del Toro's version of this great read.
My local library just added 50+ NYRB books to their online catalog. I'm beyond excited to start reading some of these. I've already checked out the tagged book and put Stoner on hold. 💚
pickI bought this maybe a decade ago and while I‘m not setting foot in a theater any time soon, I need to be ready to watch my fantasy wife smash it as Dr. Lilith Ritter. I‘ve long been fascinated by con artists and this examination of one such individual‘s rise and fall was mesmerizing.
Apparently part of the new film coming out was filmed in my City #howcoolisthat
Afternoon reading: I don‘t know why I have waited so long to read this. 🎪🖤📚
pickOh, what seedy, morally bankrupt, unlikable people are out there! A carnival worker/conman shoots for the stars...but that‘s an awful long way to drop...Dr. Ritter though, *shudder* This must have blown some minds in the ‘40‘s!! I don‘t want to spoil too much, because this is @Dempsey pick for #LMPBC #GroupO and @corycatelyn and @melyndarae have yet to read it! Jamie, it‘ll be on it‘s way tomorrow!
