"The Maltese Falcon" Online Book Discussion

Welcome to the Online Discussion!

2010-02-02T08:08:00.010-05:00

If you can't attend one of the book discussion groups meeting locally, take a look at the discussion questions below, taken from The Big Read Reader's Guide. Feel free to leave your comments, by clicking on the comments button, found directly below the post. Follow the prompts.

Sam?

2010-02-01T12:00:00.005-05:00

Are Sam Spade's actions in the novel's final scene consistent with his character? What would you have done in his place?

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If A Woman Wrote This ...

2010-02-01T11:58:00.006-05:00

In the 1930's and 1940's mostly male writers adapted the femme fatale character - a "foxy, dangerous " woman - to crime stories. How might a woman have written Brigid differently?

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The Women

2010-02-01T11:49:00.003-05:00

What do the novel's three women - Brigid O'Shaghnessy, Effie Perine, and Iva Archer - have in common? How different are their personalities and motivations?

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Sam Spade - American Hero?

2010-02-01T11:47:00.003-05:00

Is Sam Spade a hero? How would you describe his personal moral code in a violent world?

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"Miss Wonderly"

2010-02-01T11:45:00.004-05:00

Why does Sam Spade take the case, even though he suspects that "Miss Wonderly" is lying?

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What About Sam?

2010-02-01T11:40:00.004-05:00

The Maltese Falcon centers on detective Sam Spade, a character almost as elusive as the falcon itself. What aspects of his personality remain mysterious? Which of his choices retain their ambiguity?

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When Did You Solve the Mystery?

2010-02-01T11:37:00.005-05:00

The reader discovers some parts of the mystery at the same time as the detective, other parts much later. At what point did you solve the crime?

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Are You Reading The Maltese Falcon?

2010-01-11T00:06:00.007-05:00

I've seen the movie many times, and fondly recall watching it with my dad. He thought Peter Lore and Sidney Greenstreet stole the show. He chuckled throughout the picture even though it's not a comedy. For The Big Read, I read the book for the first time. While I read, I could not help but recall the movie ... and my dad. By watching him enjoy the movie, learned that even a serious facade, may have not-so-serious implications. I loved the whole experience.

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Welcome to The Big Read!

2010-01-10T23:46:00.003-05:00

We are so excited about bringing The Big Read to Howell for 2010!

We are reading The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Be sure to pick up a copy of the book at your library, neighborhood bookseller or come to our kickoff, January 31st, at the Howell Carnegie District Library starting at 1 pm. Enjoy the sounds of Premier Big Band upstairs and then make your way down to the Meabon Room to enjoy award winning local author Loren Estleman and author/EMU English professor David Gerherin discuss the Falcon, Hammett and their contribution to the mystery genre. Be one of the first 150 and you'll receive a free copy of The Maltese Falcon! Stick around afterward for a book signing!
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