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Completed	14 July 2007
Title	Double Indemnity
Author	James M. Cain
Published	1936
Quote	"She brought the stepdaughter in, a pretty girl, named Lola. Lola wanted to go, but Phyllis said she had to get the wool wound for a sweater she was knitting, and kept her there, winding it."
Review	Unfortunately, I had seen the movie before reading the book. I don't know what I love more, the movie or the book. It's such an oddity. The movie was made in 1944, and starred a very young Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. The movie was great. A real film noir. If you watch it now, it's almost a parody of a film noir, but in actuality, it's the real thing. It's great. The book is great too. The author really has a way with words, and it's no wonder that he was quite successful in his day. I really enjoyed reading the descriptions of the 1930s lifestyle, and the cars, and train travel, and the clothes. I thought it especially humorous to read the description of Barbara Stanwyck's sailor suit, considering I just wrote my Master's thesis on the subject. Cain wrote that the second time they met, "She had on a white sailor suit, with a blouse that pulled tight over her hips, and white shoes and stockings." Cain is the guy who also wrote The Postman Always Rings Twice and Mildred Pierce, two great movies----but make sure to see the originals, not the re-makes. I think this book was great. This style of writing is really something of the past, and for that it's interesting. Yes, it seems melodramatic, but hey, what do you expect? You have to take it for what it is. It's a slice of history. They really don't write books like this anymore. It's a fast read, and well worth the time.

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