The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

[Dan, Hardboiled]

Why does the postman always ring twice?

Which is the better film version? The 1946 classic? Or the 1981 remake with Jack Nicholson and ‎Jessica Lange?

Here is the fascinating story about how the book got its name: https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2019/10/how...

Who has begun to get their copy of this great novel?

[Rosemarie]

I read the book last year and highly recommend it!

[Dan, Hardboiled]

Thanks Rosemarie. Good to know we're in for a good read.

One thing that strikes me from the Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M...) as odd is how well regarded his first three novels are and how unknown his later ones seem to be. Authors usually get better over time, don't they?

[Dan, Hardboiled]

My copy of this novel just arrived today. First surprise: how small it is! My edition is just 116 pages with plenty of white space.

[Dan, Hardboiled]

I read the first chapter yesterday and was really impressed with the writing quality. I like the situation after just a few pages. Cain really draws a reader in.

I have been reading some non-fiction over the past weekend about the history of hardboiled fiction. One of the interesting things the book pointed out was that all but two of the major writers got their start writing for the pulps, especially The Black Mask. Cain, very notably, did not. He was an exception. He instead exploded on the scene with this, his first novel. He followed it up a year later with a novel almost as successful, Double Indemnity. Anyhow, my understanding is that Cain never "stooped" even later to pulp writing.