NOIRTRASH
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2015
- Posts
- 10,580
The other day I read an essay about author James M. Cain. The essayist included critical opinions of Cain with common agreement about the excellence of Chapter ONE of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, Cain's first novel. Critics say no better writing exists. The whole chapter is 750 words. ...maybe.
They threw me off the hay truck about noon. I had swung on the night before, down at the border, and as soon as I got up there under the canvas, I went to sleep. I needed plenty of that, after three weeks in Tia Juana, and I was still getting it when they pulled off to one side to let the engine cool. Then they saw a foot sticking out and threw me off. I tried some comical stuff, but all I got was a dead pan, so that gag was out.
It won no awards but was and is a best seller since 1934.
Start to finish its 34.000 words. SOUBLE INDEMNITY is smaller at 27,000 words.
All of Cain's early novels were best sellers and made into major movies: POSTMAN, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, MILDRED PIERCE, SERENADE, and THE BABY IN THE ICEBOX (with a different title).
They threw me off the hay truck about noon. I had swung on the night before, down at the border, and as soon as I got up there under the canvas, I went to sleep. I needed plenty of that, after three weeks in Tia Juana, and I was still getting it when they pulled off to one side to let the engine cool. Then they saw a foot sticking out and threw me off. I tried some comical stuff, but all I got was a dead pan, so that gag was out.
It won no awards but was and is a best seller since 1934.
Start to finish its 34.000 words. SOUBLE INDEMNITY is smaller at 27,000 words.
All of Cain's early novels were best sellers and made into major movies: POSTMAN, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, MILDRED PIERCE, SERENADE, and THE BABY IN THE ICEBOX (with a different title).
Last edited:
