Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy this book without hesitation! Just do it!, Mar 7 2004
I just read this book for the second time. The first time was fifteen years ago. I've read most of Thompson's books, and in my opinion, this book is his best, slightly edging out A Hell of a Woman and Cropper's Cabin. For the most part, I read literary fiction and the "classics." Make no mistake, I consider Thompsen to be one of the finest writers of the 20th century. That said, this novel, like his others, is not without flaws, plot holes, and underdeveloped characters. What this has going for it is that it starts out so innocently. Thompson sets up the reader for the harshest fall, a descent into the most tortuous psychological hell imaginable. Things are not what they seem, and by the time you, the reader, figure this out, you will be too hooked to put it down. I have never experienced a book that so successfully pulls the rug out from under the reader. The graphic details of contemporary fiction are missing, but the genius of Thompson is that even without these details, the underlying anger will shake you to the core. If you are looking for a mystery whodunit in the Agasta Christie vein, don't read this. If you're looking for psychological horror crafted by a genius, this is your book.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
a strange, bleak story that fails to ignite..., May 25 2003
'A Swell-Looking Babe' is typical of so many Jim Thompson books. Its lead character is, to some extent, psychotic and finds himself involved with a big crime. There is a woman involved who complicates matter. And all the characters seem to fall into some forgotten sub-culture of the 1950s: the deadbeats, the boozers, and those who have forgotten even how to hope for a better life. Ozzie & Harriet don't exist in Jim Thompson novels. But will all this promise 'A Swell-Looking Babe' didn't quite engage this reader. Why? Well...Without mentioning any spoilers, the reader is introduced to this "swell-looking babe" and gradually understands who she and why she means so much to the leading character (a young kid working as a bellhop). Our leading character has a dark history with ... *unwholeshome* thoughts of women. Yet just as the author begins to shock the reader he sort of pulls backs and tones down the book. So any "oomph!" was quietly squelched. A shame really since most of the book is crafted very cleverly, and Jim Thompson captures wonderfully the malaise of small-town American losers of the 1950s. Bottom line: not a great example of Jim Thompson material but still intriquing. Fans of this genre will probably get enjoyment out of it.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Enjoyable Thompson Book, Oct 27 2002
I've read quite a few of Jim Thompson's potboiler books, and A SWELL-LOOKING BABE is one of the most enjoyable. The protagonist is Bill "Dusty" Rhoades, a bellboy in a second-rate hotel. Dusty is a good-looking intelligent guy. He had to drop his plans for med school to care for his adoptive father, who lost his job in the school district for alleged Communist activities. Dusty resents his father and misses his mother, who died a few years earlier. Into the picture walks Marcia Hillis, the eponymous 'swell-looking babe,' who becomes a guest at the hotel. Dusty figures that Marcia is on the make, but he can't help falling for her anyway. Mix in a crazy mob figure (Tug Towbridge) and assorted other characters, and you have a rollicking good story. Unlike many other of Thompson's protagonists (e.g., THE KILLER INSIDE ME, POP. 1280), Dusty is not crazy. He's just a normal, but angry guy who is looking for a way out of his unpleasant life circumstances. Of course, he does things that the average person would not do. Making one sympathetic for such characters is one of Thompson's gifts and part of makes him such a great writer. Highly recommended.
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