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Title: Fletch
ISBN: 0375713549
Author:
Gregory Mcdonald
Publicate Date: 2002-03-12
Publish: 2002-03-12
List Price: $13.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.96
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.35
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.16
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| Customer Review: |
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1: The Movie Stinks Compared To The Book!
Don't get me wrong. . . I love the movie, but the book that inspired it just blows the movie away. I've read "Fletch" at least four times now, and I enjoy it more every time. The characters are much more interesting in the book, and the plot is much deeper.
I really can't say too much without spoiling it, but just trust me: You want to read this book, and then you'll want to read the rest of the Fletch series, which just keeps getting better.
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2: Witty and gritty
I first stumbled on this book in the library many moons ago, when I had polished off all the Alistair McLean books and was perusing the nearby stacks for something else I might like. At the time I read all of McDonald's books, thoroughly enjoying them (I then moved on to John D. MacDonald, whose Travis McGee books are in a similar vein). I recommend the movie to friends as an adaptation of a book where they've captured the spirit of the story and updated it to modern times. Yes, it's lighter, the gritty reality of the plot surfaces only occasionally, but it translated to screenplay much better than I expected it to.
For readers who enjoy mysteries or detective stories or just well-written novels, Gregory McDonald should be on your list.
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3: Engaging
Fetch won't win a prize for great lit. But the book is a great read. It has an intriguing plot, a likable (sometimes) main character and fun setting.
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4: Turns Noir on Its Head
All of the other reviews are spot on-- this is a page-turner, very funny, especially great dialogue, etc.
One more thing that should be mentioned-- fans of noir fiction will appreciate the stylistic tweak McDonald gives the genre. Whereas the typical noir milieu is dark, dreary and brooding, McDonald sets "Fletch" on a bright, sunny beach.
To the extent that noir is defined by setting and mood more than anything else, this has a substantial effect. Whereas the typical noir setting is something of a metaphor for all that is evil or twisted lurking beneath the surface, in "Fletch," all of the evil is lurking in plain sight (yet is no less mysterious). The hot, sunny beach setting also recalls "The Stranger" by Camus, another book that famously played on the noir genre.
"Fletch" is so entertaining that it is easy to miss the skill with which McDonald adds to and reimagines many of the noir cliches.
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5: Great Dialogue and a Great Protaganist Mean a Great Book
I've seen the Chevy Chase movie, although it's been years. I remember it having some good one-liners, etc., although it was not a "great" film. Still, bargain bins are great things, and this book was too good a bargain to pass up.
I. M. Fletcher, "Fletch" to his friends, is a reporter chasing a drug story on the beaches of California. Here, he is approached by Alan Stanwyck, wealthy businessman, about doing a favor. It seems Stanwyck is dying of cancer, and wants Fletch to kill him at the end of the week. Fletch, intrigued, agrees. He naturally investigates Stanwyck while juggling the drug story, dealing with an editor he has no respect for (rightfully so), and dodging his ex-wives' (yes, wives plural) lawyers.
Let's face it, the real draw here is the dialogue. Kevin Smith is among many people who have said they learned how to write great dialogue from Gregory McDonald. And it's not hard to see why, as McDonald has a gift it. He simply lets his characters talk. There are no adjectives, adverbs, "he said," "she said" in his pages of speaking. He simply chooses his words (or his characters do), and everything is left to the reader to "see" and "hear"--tone, body language, etc. And it keeps the reader turning the page, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire as Fletch trades barbs with whatever "lesser" being he is forced to deal with as he pursues both stories.
Which isn't to say the plot is lacking. It's quite gripping. Actually the two disparate plot-lines are gripping, as Fletch moves in and out of his investigations, using solid detective work and a great deal of duplicity to get answers. Unlike the film, the two stories Fletch chases don't come together in any meaningful way, but the chase is in and of itself fun. Indeed, even if you have seen the film, you will be surprised at how different the many details of the book differ from the film. They are almost two different stories.
And in many ways, the Fletch of the book is very different from the character of the film. As I read the book, I was never quite sure if I liked Fletch as a person. He refuses to pay alimony (never quite clear if it was because he couldn't or simply wouldn't), he has a relationship with a 15-year-old girl who is a drug-addict that doesn't seem terribly healthy, he hates his editor, and he demonstrates just generally misanthropic tendencies, with little obvious reason. But, somehow, he won me over, and so I was rooting for the guy to finally overcome all the obstacles in his life, the most important obstacle being the entire human race.
While I am not in a huge hurry to read the next book in the series, I do think I will eventually. Fletch is an interesting character, and I am very curious about the course of his career.
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