The Postman Always Rings Twice

Kliatt, July, 2005 by Francine Levitov

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. James M. Cain. 1934/2005. Read by Stanley Tucci. 3 cds. 3 hrs. Caedmon. 0-06-075667-5. $22.95. Cardboard; plot, author, reader notes. SA

Sometimes those oldsters who say, "They just don't make things the way they used to," are absolutely right. James Cain's classic suspense story is a case in point. All of this dark, steamy novel's characters may be fueled by lust, selfishness, and violence, but Cain's spare prose sketches their mixed motives with such blurry deftness that his readers sit on edge, not quite knowing what is happening or whom, if anyone, they can trust, until the very last words of the novel. And only afterwards might they notice that Cain held them in complete thrall without any of the gratuitous sex and large-scale violence that characterize today's thrillers. Tucci's straightforward, low-key performance gives nothing away, so that Cain's Postman can truly deliver. Francine Levitov, Attorney, New York, NY

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advance students and adults. This code will help librarians and teacher working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.