The Postman Always Rings Twice

By: James M. Cain

Narrated by: Stanley Tucci

Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

An amoral young tramp. A beautiful, sullen woman with an inconvenient husband. A problem that has only one, grisly solution; a solution that only creates other problems that no one can ever solve.

First published in 1934 and banned in Boston for its explosive mixture of violence and eroticism, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic of the roman noir. It established James M. Cain as a major novelist with an unsparing vision of America's bleak underside, and was acknowledged by Albert Camus as the model for The Stranger.

©1934 James M. Cain (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A good, swift, violent story." (Dashiell Hammett)

Not too bad

The narration was nearly monotone, the way Detective movies apparently were in the age of black and white. Unfortunately,it's not a "classic technique", it's just dated.

The story is supposed to be one of the best of the 20th century. It IS pretty good, too. I can certainly see how it would get that reputation.

In the end, I'm happy with my purchase, and that pretty much says it all.

Great book, 10/10

Book is really great if you’re a fan of noir or James M Cain. Think it is much better than the film.

Good story.

I enjoy the story but felt the narration did not help the story in any way. I wish I had read this rather than listen to it. The narrator has little inflection and did not put any emphasis on the dialogue. There was absolutely no emotion in this reading at all. I can't say it was monotone, but it was the next thing to that.

A Great Listen to a Disjointed Story

If you could sum up The Postman Always Rings Twice in three words, what would they be?

Disjointed
Action-packed
Excellent

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I loved it. I bought it completely and deeply enjoyed it.

Which character – as performed by Stanley Tucci – was your favorite?

The Greek's wife was really impressive.

Portrait of hopelessness

This is a dark tale of two people with low expectations of life. The male protagonist has no hope and little fear since he has nothing to lose in his own estimation. The woman waffles between emotions. It's a great story. The narration was spectacular, particularly Tucci's rendition of "the Greek." Definitely a good listen from another era in American 20th Century history.

Excellent- kept me guessing

Better than the movie! James Cain and Stanley Tucci: Doesn’t get any better than this!! Interesting how this novella evokes such emotions - ups and downs, twists and turns, good and evil, and one wonders how can this possibly end well? It simply does. This short work packs a powerful punch.

Great Dark noir.

Classic , the two main characters are made for each other , the wise cracking way of speaking set the mood and time of a era that’s gone . The story is relatable because it’s as old as love , a man a women in love and they have a spouse in the way. The idea murder story with a moral ending you never get away with murder the postman alway ring twice , or you reap what you sow, classic good read . Narration was great too.

Incredible Tale

Getting the bad out of the way first: Stanley Tucci is one of the worst narrators I’ve heard. I’m aware he’s an actor, but this narration just drove me batty. Apparently he thought that the whole thing should be read in a rapid monotone. That’s what it was. No more no less. Utterly toneless emotionally and otherwise.

As for the writing itself, this is a classic. It should probably rank up there with Steinbeck as a great American novel. On its surface, it’s a story of murder and passion. But it’s also a story of racism, sexism, survival, loss and the Great Depression. It reads like a burner novel - some formula thriller you would pick up in a bus depot - but it’s meant to make you think about how close we always are to our darkest impulses and how love and hate and death and life get mixed up together.

A Wicked Love Story

Frank and Cora are attracted to the wickedness that they experience in themselves. Their fate is inescapable.

Wickedly fun and well narrated

I liked everything about this dark story with lots of twists and turns in the plot. I am new to this author and highly recommend him to someone who would like discovering a new author. All four of Cain's audiobooks that I have heard have the uncanny trait of outstanding narration. I wish other book narraters were as expertly chosen.