Throwback Thursday!!! A book review by Miki Atencio

Since everyone seems to be doing TBT facebook posts, I thought it would be fun to do something similar, but with book reviews.  This week, my throwback book is The Thin Man by Dashell Hammett.


About a year ago, my fiance Pete, recommended that we watch The Thin Man on one of our movie nights.  I love vintage anything, so I was game.  The film was so wonderful.  The costumes (especially Nora's) were so elegant, the chemistry is to die for, the comedy is fresh, and the mystery is smart.  I just fell in love with the main characters in the film.

In the time since that first film, we have now watched three of the films in the series.  All have been a delight.  Because I have grown to love these films so much, I couldn't wait another minute to read the book that started them all.  I was well aware that films rarely follow the book, so I was anticipating that the book would have less of the comedic charm than the films have and more of the dark noir feel.  Fortunately for me, my assumptions were very wrong.

The Thin Man novel was so much more than I thought it would be.  Those responsible for the film did a darn good job of sticking to the story and making sure that Nick and Nora were portrayed by the best.  The book was equal parts hilarity, wit, and fine-tuned detective work.

The Thin Man is one of those books that just felt timeless.  Although some words showed the era of the novel, the relationship between the characters is so modern.  Nick and Nora are not the cookie cutter couple.  Nora is never in the kitchen (unless she is mixing cocktails) and Nick seems perfectly happy to have an equal along side him.  In both the film and the book, the couple has a very real feel.

The other part of the novel that I just loved was how fun the detective aspect of the book was.  Hammett has a great way of being slightly obvious about giving hints to the guilty party.  When you read a mystery, you tend to be on the lookout for clues.  Hammett really played into the reader in this novel.  He seemed to know the reader's nature, so he used those clues to steer the reader in the wrong direction.  Then, it is in the tiniest, slightest mention that you discover the real missing piece to the puzzle.

If you are looking for a quick, fun read that doesn't involve a woman making poor relationship choices, this would be a great pick.