Review: The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

An okay-ish story, with the stress on the 'ish' part. It might have created enough scandal when it was published in 1934 and maybe something very new and raw to the reader then. And hence the glorious reviews and recommendations.

Sure it has an okay story going about it which doesn't bore one, but that's all it has now. For reader today can almost feel like a waste of time, unless you're looking to learn the mid US lingo of the country folk in 1930s, of which it has plenty to offer. The only thing that most readers of the current times can enjoy is the writing, which was what the stars are for. I liked this line, a small funny line in a tense moment.

Stealing a mans wife, thats nothing, but stealing his car, thats larceny.

Definitely not a must read, especially for the reader of 21st century. It's definitely misleading to be part of the Modern Library's list of 100 best novels. They should have added it to the list of '100 best novels of their period'. This inclusion reduces the credibility of the list.

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