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| Plot Summary of A Swell-Looking Babe |
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"A SWELL-LOOKING BABE is a novel written by Jim Thompson in 1954.
Dusty must take care of his stepfather now that his stepmother has died. He hates the poor man who lost his job as a teacher some years ago for having signed a liberal petition for free speech. Dusty had to accept to work as an hotel employee at night instead of going to the university. He also unconsciously hates his stepfather because he had developed incestuous thoughts while his stepmother was still alive.
So when Marcia Hillis arrives at the Manton Hotel in the middle of the night, Dusty falls madly in love with her because of her tremendous resemblance with her late mother. But why does Marcia try to seduce him so openly and act as if she wants him to be fired from his job ? One night, Dusty asks for help a local mobster living in the hotel and the no-good Tug kidnaps Marcia. The gangster's intentions are not so pure and he soon asks Dusty, if he wants to see again Marcia, to help him rob the Hotel's safe. But does Marcia really have no part in this blackmail ?
An ultra-noir study of a sick mind.
"
Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Swell-Looking Babe |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- seduction (yum!)
- late discovery that lover does bad
- secretly interested in business objective
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Father (or standin)
Kind of sex:
- incest
Loss of...
- mother
Taboo sex story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- accused criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
City?
Yes
City:
- dangerous
- rude people
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
- descript. of female anat. (the big B's)
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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