Mildred Pierce

By: James M. Cain

Narrated by: Christine Williams

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

Mildred Pierce had gorgeous legs, a way with a skillet, and a bone-deep core of toughness and determination. She used those attributes to survive a divorce in 1940s America with two children and to claw her way out of poverty, becoming a successful businesswoman. But Mildred also had two weaknesses: a yen for shiftless men and an unreasoning devotion to her monstrous daughter.

Out of these elements, Cain created a novel (later made into a film noir classic) of acute social observation and devastating emotional violence - and a heroine whose ambitions and sufferings are never less than recognizable.

©1941 James M. Cain (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"[James M. Cain is] the poet of the hard-boiled school of the American novel." (Washington Post)
"A novel that, once begun, will almost surely be read to the end....it reflects no codes, no restrictions, and none but the primordial necessities. It is a bath in sensation." (New York Times Book Review)

A really great American novel

Mildred Pierce is perhaps the greatest work of America's most under rated literary genius. James M. Cain is the inventor of the novel style that today is termed "noir." He is universally known for his crime novels, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Double Indemnity.

Mildred Pierce is not a crime novel. It explores how the Great Depression impacted the psyche of one American woman, how her dangerous pride, which she instilled with disasterous results in her daughter, drove her to use her common talents and become a very successful business woman at a time when women did not own businesses. Mildred Pierce is an honest novel at a time when people did not discuss the intimate parts of their lives candidly. As with all of Cain's novels, it was way ahead of its time. Unlike some of the other listeners, I very much enjoyed this reader's performance. I highly recommend this audio book as a great story with philosophical depth.

The Hollywood movie from 1945, has very little to do with this novel which has much greater depth and is a more realistic story.

Great reading Iof a great story

Mildred Pierce was noir but without guns car chases murders just some unlikeable people herein.

How Sharper Than a Serpents Tooth.

Great book. Gave me a lot to think about. Most intriguing plot line is that Mildred was in love with her daughter. I wonder how often sociopaths had a parent in love with them. There are several villains I've read about in True Crime who had a parent obsessed with them. This book is certainly not dated. I was surprised at how frankly some subjects were handled. Still like the movie better. It was made great by the outstanding performance of the entire cast, especially Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth. The narrator does a wonderful job ,especially with the dialog.

Fantastic

Loved the book loved the movie. but the characters leave you with a certain feeling and want for moral justice.

Better than the movie

But hard to see anyone other than Joan Crawford as Mildred. She fits as well into the book as she did the film version.

The film version was changed, and jazzed up quite a bit, but there's much more depth to the story in the book. There were times I was a little irked by the fact that Veda could so easily wrap her mother around her finger, betraying her again and again. I kept rooting for Mildred to finally slap her daughter and put her out.

Chalk it up to a mother's love. Or a neurotic need for her daughter's approval.

But the story and the characters are engaging, and while I thought the narrator came across as a little light and "smiley" rather than "noir," I enjoyed listening to the book.

You can get arrested for bad morals

This is like historical fiction. Cain writes about the common man or woman. I like it better then books about presidents or rich guys. Cain's writing is usually exciting and he has mastered the ability to keep you interested in the story and the characters.

Mildred Pierce is a housewife who divorces her worthless husband and starts a business on her own in the 30's. She is hard working and you really want her to succeed. Unfortunately those around her just want to take advantage of her. The relationship between her and her daughter is different. The daughter is a major bitch and all Pierce wants to do is make her happy. Some people might find it unrealistic that a mother would cow tow so much to her daughter, but I have seen such things in real life.

In the thirties if two people want a divorce they must go to court and one of them must bring charges against the other. In one part of the story a young man is threaten to be taken to jail, because he may have gotten a young lady pregnant, because evidently we once had moral laws. It is very interesting to see how life has changed in the last 80 years.

The first half of this book is better then the second half, but none of it is bad. I have now listened to all three Cain books offered by audible and liked them all. The Postman always rings twice is my favorite.

The narrator is very different. It is like she is yelling at you from across a crowded room. Everything is read in a rush and as if each sentence is extremely exciting. You get used to it and it may have even helped some of the slower parts of the book. At other times it is little distracting.

One of my favorites!

Poor Mildred! From the Joan Crawford to the late winslet movie version, Mildred never disappoints. My only complaint was the somewhat shrill at times, strident voice of the narrator

Excellent psychological drama

Though I can’t really see anyone but Joan Crawford in titular role, the voice actor brought me to the 1930s as if I lived back then myself. Very lush. Honest portrayal of female ambition.

not what I expected

this book didn't seem to live up to the categories in the detail section. it was good at times but bad at times too. I didn't like the narration, it dragged the story down.

Interesting Story!

A good story! I sense there to be a lot more going on here than I was able to glean from this first listen. I have read many complaints about the narrator, but I really very much enjoyed her performance and thought she did a great job.