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Showing posts with label The Postman Always Rings Twice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Postman Always Rings Twice. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Tolog Review: The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain
reviewed by Abigail Martinez

The Postman Always Rings Twice, by James M. Cain, is a mystery and adventure novel that constantly keeps its reader on the edge of her seat. The main characters of this book are Frank Chambers, Nick Papadakis, and Cora Papadakis. Frank “knocked around” for many years, and in the beginning of the book is where he comes to the end of this. This happens because he ends up at the Papadakis’ restaurant, and Nick asks him to work for him, because he had just lost another worker. When Frank sees Nick’s wife, Cora, he decides to stay, even though this is nothing like the life he had been living for all of his life previously. Cora and Frank are secretly falling in love, and will do anything to get each other, but Nick, Cora’s husband, is in the way. Throughout the book, the three of them go through quite a lot of scary and thrilling events. The way Cain writes is not like most writers. He keeps giving surprises and ongoing adventures, making the entire novel seem like the climax of the story. I enjoy this because, to me, it meant that I never got bored while reading it. What will Frank and Cora do to get Nick out of the way? Do they love each other enough to go to any extent? Will they end up with what they want, or in trouble? All of these questions can be answered by reading this thrilling novel that will keep you on your toes. This book is perfect for anyone who loves thrills, drama, love, adventure, and mystery.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Tolog Review: The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain
reviewed by Chase Hayes

Inside James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice you are brought into a world full of romance and mystery. The novel starts out with a man named Frank Chambers, who is always on the move. He makes a stop in Southern California at a diner and tells the owner, Nick Papadakis that he won’t be able to pay for his food if the people he’s expecting don’t show up. He then lands himself a job there. Frank meets Nick’s wife, Cora and is instantly attracted to her. Over time, their feelings for each other grow and the only thing holding them back from getting together is, of course, Nick Papadakis, who has no idea they even like each other. They plan to kill Nick so they can spend the rest of their lives together, but will they be able to go through with it?

If you love a good mystery, this book is for you. It’s a quick read and always leaves you wanting more. Cain does an amazing job of creeping you out, but at the same time you won’t be able to put the book down. He makes the conflicts chaotic to create more emotion, making you feel the panic and tension throughout the book. He uses exclamation marks and has Frank yell to create more urgency as he shouts, “There was a state cop out there, and he saw the stepladder! Phone for the doctor!” (Cain 20). Cain uses similes to describe characters and to give you a clear image of what they look like. Cora says to Frank, “You turned white as a sheet” (60). Cain compares Frank to a sheet of paper, meaning he was super pale and can give us an image in our mind.

At the beginning of the book, I was confused as to what was happening and who the characters were. I had to reread some paragraphs for clarification. After I understood what was going on, I was intrigued and wondered when the next surprise was going to sneak up on me. I couldn’t get enough of this book. I loved how suspenseful it was and it grew more interesting with each plot twist. I ended up enjoying the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in mystery books.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Tolog Review: The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain
reviewed by Grace Tighe

The Postman Always Rings Twice, is one of James M. Cain’s best works of fiction. James M. Cain is the author of many 20th century horror mysteries. In The Postman Always Rings Twice you will be filled with suspense and confusion, not knowing who to trust and what will happen next. I enjoyed questioning and analyzing this story to finally form my opinion of what happened. James M. Cain gives the reader two sides of the story and allows them to portray the story in their own way. If you are a fan of books that will leave you questioning the entire story and even more, then this is the perfect book for you. 

The story starts with Frank Chambers finding himself at the Twin Oak Tavern in Southern California. Frank had previously hitched a ride in the back of a truck from Mexico. Here Chambers eats a meal however declines to pay saying a friend he is meeting will pay for it all. Chambers also tells the owner that if his friend does not arrive he will still be unable to pay for his meal. Mr. Papadakis who is the owner of the Tavern agrees to this then offers Frank a job. Frank then notices a beautiful woman named Cora, the wife of Mr. Papadakis. After seeing Cora, Frank agrees to work at the Tavern. Cora and Frank immediately like each other and form an aggressive yet loving relationship. With few options of how they can continue their affair, Cora and Frank think up the worst. 


James M. Cain uses an unreliable narrator leaving the reader questioning the whole outline and outcome of the story. At first our narrator, Frank Chambers, comes across as a average man who is always on the move, however his later actions and events from his past question how reliable his word is. Cain’s story will have you full of suspense until the very last page. The reader will be left questioning if Chamber’s actions are ones based on love or wondering how true his love was for Cora. Cain’s complex storyline is not fully shown until you find the true meaning of the title. The title, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is not meant to be taken literally but to serve the purpose that doing something once is just not enough for everyone. 

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Tolog Review: The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain
reviewed by 

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain is a mystery and adventure book with a little romance that grabs your attention at the beginning and doesn’t let go until the very last page. At first glance, it might seem like a strange book that is hard to follow, but looks may be deceiving. The Postman Always Rings Twice tells the story of twenty-four year old Frank Chambers and his dramatic journey of love and trust.

Frank Chambers lives most of his life on the road, hopping from town to town, staying a little while before hitting the road again. He wandered into Glendale, California where he found a job at a diner. He stayed with the owner, Nick Papadakis, where he met Nick’s wife, Cora.
Although Frank doesn’t like to stay in one place for very long, once he met Cora, he just couldn’t leave. Frank and Cora fall in love and want to live happily ever after, but there is just one problem: Cora’s husband. Frank and Cora decide there is only one way to get what they wanted, by killing Cora’s husband. They hatch a clever plan to murder him and make it look like an accident, but when a cop shows up and the plan fails they need to think of a new plan, quickly. Will Frank and Cora be able to pull off their diabolical plan to murder Cora’s husband and live happily ever after, or will they be caught and spend the rest of their lives in jail?


The Postman Always Rings Twice
was a great book that I couldn’t put down. The book is not very long and was a pretty quick read, however, there was plenty of action and suspense. I love mystery books though some can be very predictable. The Postman Always Rings Twice was not predictable at all, there were many plot twists and action up to the shocking conclusion. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves an adventure book with a little bit of romance. The story is told in first person from the perspective of Frank Chambers which adds detail to the story about what he is thinking and how he feels about Cora and the events that lead up to the dramatic climax. This also leaves the reader wondering if you can really trust Frank and his opinions because he shows his crazy side a few times in the story. I believe that because the story is told from Frank’s point of view, it adds suspense to the story to see the way people react to him and his choices. Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone that likes to read.