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.
A very odd pairing but Jayne Mansfield and Anton LaVey met in 1966 and created a friendship perhaps this book gives us a better understanding of their bond.
Frances Glessner Lee is often referred to as the “mother of forensic science” because between 1940-1950 she constructed these dollhouse dioramas of actual crime scenes to teach budding crime scene investigations.
– A fantastic resource of everything about horror paperbacks of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Plus it has a lot of visual of the awesome cover art!
I have always been curious about the Victorian era and how medical procedures where doing during that era. During this era, doctors were notorious for digging up cadavers for studying and practicing procedures to then use on the living!
William Mumler was a photographer who claim to be able to capture spirits and ghost in photographs. I am interested in learning how he more about how he came up with this and who he was able to fool.
Rabid: A Cultural History of the World’s most Diabolical Virus- a very interesting and in depth history of rabies. I did know a lot about one of the world’s most deadly viruses but after reading this insightful book it gave me a better perspective of this virus. Everything about rabies is discussed from myths of how it originated to trial and errors to figure out treatment for it.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton- in my continuing quest to read every book on the Frequently banned & challenged list I decided to give this book another try. I haven’t read this book since 9th grade summer school. I remember that that first time I read it it was my least favorite book I had to read for a class. Although I found it much more interesting the second time around.
The Shining by Stephen King- classic reading. I have never been a reader of King’s books but I decided this was a good start!
Tawdry and classy! I remember walking into Urban Outfitters and this book was on sale for $3! So I decided to give it a try and this book did not disappoint!
Linda Lovelace side of her story about her raise and fall of frame that surrounded her must famous role in “Deep Throat.”
Have a sneaking suspicion that your neighbor is a robot? Well this book will only confirm your fears!
The early raise of MTV from the first round of VJ. It was quite interesting to hear some of the backstories of how MTV picked the first set.
My go to resource of anything related to trashy-horror in the 1980’s!
ladycultblog 