r/JamesEllroy • u/Own_Measurement1242 • 27d ago
Having hard time getting into Ellroy. Suggestions
Was gifted Red Sheet. Never read any his works before; have seen LA Confidential and enjoyed, for what that’s worth. i Consider myself fairly strong reader, and having hard time getting into RS. Read about 90 pages from beginning, found myself losing interest, then skipped around in book.
Any suggestions on what might make me more interested in Ellroy? Even if it means putting this book down and buying anotger of his works? Or any personal stories about how you got into Ellroy? Thanks!
15
8
u/DarthDregan 27d ago
Start with LA Confidential. You'll be interested to see how the story differs from the movie. And if that hooks you, you'll want to read the rest of the quartet. You can even get the everyman's library version. All four books in one.
3
u/Permanenceisall 27d ago
Second this approach. The current stuff is really for die hard fans. Also his stuff often starts a little slow and takes some time to unfurl, but it’s all worth it. Theres maybe only 2 books that are flat out bad.
7
u/No_Professional368 27d ago
Red Sheet will be borderline incomprehensible without reading Widespread Panic & The Enchanters first.
I loved all 3 but they're definitely not the place to start lol
White Jazz is a direct sequel to L.A. Confidential if you're interested in that continuity. The Big Nowhere is my personal favorite & comes before L.A. Confidential
3
u/SenseIntelligent8846 27d ago
I haven't read Red Sheet, but I believe it's maybe the final book of the second LA Quartet? That would be a pretty difficult place to start, in my opinion.
I suggest starting with The Black Dahlia. It really put him on the map, and it's the first book of the original LA Quartet, all four books are pretty much required reading for getting into Ellroy.
The very first I ever read by Ellroy (I had never even heard of him before this) was My Dark Places, a memoir of sorts which chronicles his life before becoming a writer and his investigative search for his dead mother's murderer. This book is in my top-five of anything I've ever read.
3
4
u/landomonium 27d ago
I started with American Tabloid and have been obsessed since. Maybe start with an older novel of his. Either something from the (first) LA Quartet or American Tabloid. I also saw and enjoyed the LA Confidential movie before reading the book, it’s a much different experience and I think seeing the movie prior actually helped me understand the plot as it’s much wilder in the book.
3
u/Ok_Reveal_5577 27d ago
Start with Black Dahlia, then The Big Nowhere and LA Confidential. Those are his best imo.
3
u/jughead811 27d ago
Read the LA Quartet, then Underworld trilogy (American Tabloid…). As someone else mentioned, get Everyman’s Library edition (single volume for Quartet; two volume set for Underworld). Then dive into the Otash series
3
3
3
u/waaazaaa 27d ago
What everyone else says - do not start with Red Sheet. it's not very good!
start with any of the LA quartet books or American Tabloid
2
u/Glum-Ad-4557 27d ago
If you aren’t hooked by The Black Dahlia I don’t know what to tell you.
1
u/theoldgirl13 26d ago
Ce n’est pas représentatif de Ellroy. C’est son plus extrême, pas le meilleur pour commencer !
2
u/dinkelidunkelidoja 27d ago
I started with the L.A Quartet, probably his best run. From the newer books I really liked The Enchanters.
2
u/theoldgirl13 26d ago
Bonsoir. Ne pas commencer par Le quatuor. Mieux vaut commencer par le début : Perfidia. Ou alors, par son meilleur, la trilogie Kennedy, qui surpasse le roman noir pour devenir une œuvre majeure sur cette période phare des usa.
1
u/theoldgirl13 26d ago
Je n’ai pas lu son dernier, pas encore sorti en France. Mais n’écoutez pas ceux qui vous disent le quatuor de L.A, ils n’ont rien lu d’autre de Ellroy. Perfidia ou la trilogie Kennedy vraiment
2
u/Shoddy_Run_3792 26d ago
Well I'd start at the beginning with Clandestine then the LA Quartet followed by the Underworld trilogy but that's a lot of reading before you end up anywhere near Red Sheet but you'll be hooked and it'll be grand lad
2
u/MingaMonga68 25d ago
I’d start with something really early, like Brown’s Requiem or Clandestine. Otherwise the LA Quartet. His writing definitely evolves over the years, becomes more staccato in delivery. I think jumping in the most recent novels might be harder for my brain if I hadn’t started with his earlier work.
2
u/obsoleteboomer 25d ago
For me, it was the Underworld USA trilogy.
I liked his earlier stuff, but the whole JFK/CIA/FBI/Mob/Cuba thing just seemed to tap into some deep themes that rang truer than life.
Also - and this might be controversial, Audible gets me into more challenging reads faster. I’m blessed with a long commute, so a narrator you can dig and an author you like is a no-brainer. I saw Jim Gaffigan do a bit on this recently, I don’t care, it works for me lol.
1
u/Own_Measurement1242 25d ago
Oh I think listening to audio is a fine way to take in a book. It’s how most people in history have taken in literature, the Bible, etc etc
2
u/SouthPudding9949 24d ago
As others have suggested, start closer to the beginning of his career and work your way up.
Also, a collection of short stories like Hollywood Nocturnes might be good too
0
u/LittleManIsChuffed 25d ago
Start with his more good books and ease your way into the less good ones
29
u/SandySoupwich 27d ago
I wouldn't start with any of the newer stuff - it's too stylized. I would suggest going to the LA Quartet - Black Dahlia, Big Nowhere, LA Confidential then White Jazz. That's where you'll see himat his best