Earlier this month, I finished reading Mildred Pierce, written by James M. Cain. Cain has written other memorable books that were turned into movies, such as Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Serenade.

This was the first book I read by the author, but it was hard to choose which one of the author’s titles to start with. I am such a fan of the 1945 and 1981 movies The Postman Always Rings Twice.

However, I just finished a Mildred Pierce movie and miniseries binge. That it just made sense for me to finally read the novel. The movie and miniseries versions of Mildred Pierce offer different takes on the book, but both have outstanding acting. The movie, made in 1945, was directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford, Jack Caron, and Ann Blyth. Joan Crawford played the lead role of Mildren Pierce, while Ann Blyth played her daughter Vera.

Joan Crawford was so good at portraying Mildred Pierce that she won an Oscar in 1946.

The miniseries was made in 2011 and was directed by Todd Haynes (one of my favorite directors!!). It starred Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce and Evan Rachel Wood as Veda.

Both adaptions are faithful to the book because they accurately make sure to have the viewer understand the rise and fall of Mildred Pierce. How hard it was for Mildred to find suitable work and how tough it was for her to become a businesswoman trying to survive during the Great Depression. This was one of the rare books that I sat down to read and did not move until I was done reading. This book was first published in 1941 by Knopf. When it was first published, many reviewers commented that it was “mild and tame” compared to the author’s other novels.

Personally, I am glad that I read this novel first from the author because when I was reading the book, it made me flash back to both the movie and miniseries adaptions. It also made me want to read other novels by the authors in the near future.

If you would like more information about the movie and the miniseries, I highly recommend this video by Be Kind Rewind. The video is below:

What books is everyone reading this month? Comment below!!!

Sources: Internet Movie Database, Youtube.