Laura (1943)

ust finished reading this fabulous book by Vera Caspary in a delightful reprint by Feminist Press. I quite like the old time pulp detective stories with the hard-boiled detectives, the dames, the guns. They feel like comic books.
This is not one of these. Though classified as pulp. this is a wonderful character study of a detective story. The plot is absorbing, the mystery is enchanting and I was kept guessing, but the real genius here is in Caspary's character development. Each character is given a voice, and their lives are detailed enough so that you feel as if you can see them. In every case, the interplay between the characters makes the story multi-dimensional, gripping, and beyond expectations.
I don't find many books that keep me up at night, reading through slitted eyes that want to close. Or, at least, not many that I am able to remember the plots as I doze in and out, struggling to keep reading. This book did. And bravo to Caspary for making Laura a complex, strong, stand-alone character, not just a hanger for clothing. She was one of the first who did in this genre, and she did it fantastically well. Now I have to get "Bedelia" by the same author. I can't wait. ( )

Yikes! I'm not sure what put me further off, its casual racism, the un-ironic misogyny or the incredibly obvious ending.

I know, I know we're supposed to treat this sort of out-moded racist backdrop like hate-speak comments made by elderly people. "Don't be offended, she's from another era..." Yep, an unpleasant, hateful era. One for which I'm not terribly nostalgic.

As a detective story? I don't know, I suppose I'm not sufficiently fond of the genre to give an opinion. It was an easy plot to follow.

WARNING: this review is spoilery. Very hard to discuss this book without spoilers.

This book starts off very well, with an excellently rendered voice for newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker, describing the circumstances of his dear protégée Laura's murder. However, once the dramatic twist occurs (that Laura was not really murdered, but it was someone who was borrowing her apartment), the book kind of lags a bit. It does pick up toward the last two parts of the book, but the middle was a bit less exciting. Still, it was an enjoyable read and very effectively narrated with multiple perspectives (Waldo, detective Mark McPherson, Laura's fiancé Shelby Carpenter). I would definitely recommend it to fans of pulp fiction or those who can't get their hands on a copy of the movie. Now I have to see the movie! ( )

As another reviewer mentioned when comparing novel and film versions, Waldo is originally described as fat (I wish I could see version of Woman in White featuring Sydney Greenstreet--maybe that's one reason he was not available to appear in film of Laura?

Book version is told in different writing styles of different characters--I think film only retains the "voice" of Waldo. By the way, Waldo's last name was likely inspired by name of illustrator most famous for his creation of "The Arrow Shirt man" featured in magazine advertisements.

These familiar depictions of handsome young men also probably were the types that made Mark McPhearson think he had seen Shelby Carpenter somewhere before. For interesting discussion of the influence of magazines shaping American ideals, see non-fiction book THE GIRL ON THE MAGAZINE COVER

By the way, Caspary's autobiography, "Secrets of Grown-ups" describes her experiences as a less glamorous "career girl" which must have been one reason she created in Laura a strong woman alternative to typical detective noir femme fatales. See related comments on review of novel TWENTIES GIRL--and follow the clues!

Great characters; still holds up over time; every chapter is in a different voice ( )