Mildred Pierce Audiobook By James M. Cain cover art

Mildred Pierce

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Mildred Pierce

By: James M. Cain
Narrated by: Christine Williams
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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. Literary Fiction Psychological Classics Genre Fiction Noir Crime Fiction Mystery
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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)
Engaging Plot • Fascinating Characters • Psychological Depth • Compelling Drama • Unexpected Twists

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Really enjoyed this book and the narration. Glad I read the book before watching to the miniseries.

Great Book

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Loved this story! Ms. Williams does an amazing job in her reading! I recommend it without reservation.

Better Than The Movie

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What a ride for our Mildred! The depression era setting makes the story interesting, and the reader cheer for and sympathize with the main character.

Very enjoyable

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The story is on the shorter side but still packs a punch. Narrator was great and her voice fit the time period of the story, quite nicely.

Timeless Classic

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My problem with the book was that I saw the film first and loved it. I was hoping the film was true to the book, but it was not. The basics are the same, but the major differences make the book experience somewhat different and a little lacking for me. I did enjoy some of the characters, although Mildred seemed to come across as more naive than ruthless. Normally I don't listen to female narrators, but this one was okay. She played a better Veda than Mildred, breathing more life and evil into that soulless child. Overall, the book did not emotionally grab me as the film did.

Prefer the film, but the book was okay.

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