- Hardcover
- Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (Aug 31 1987)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0517656205
- ISBN-13: 978-0517656204
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2.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
1.0 out of 5 stars
a post-humous coda from a former master of noir, April 28 2012
By danielx - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Cloud Nine (Hardcover)
This book will be of interest to the rare "completist" who wants to read everything the novelist James M. Cain ever wrote. He wrote the manuscript towards the end of his life, and like much of his other work of that time period, it was rejected by his publisher. Cloud Nine is only available in print because it was published posthumously in 1984.The story line involves sex, rape, murder (attempted and actual), and forbidden liasons, against a backdrop of money, power, and family secrets. In the late 1960s (when it was written), Cain could be far more daring than back in his heyday two decades earlier. However, even in a charitable assessment, the action and dialogue fall flat (and at times, are excruciating to read). C'est la vie.
In an extended afterward, Cain's biographer Roy Hoopes puts Cloud Nine into the historical perspective of the author's life and career. As Hoopes states it, "Frankly, the wallop at the end is something less than pure Cain. But the suspense does hold, and the prose reads, well, like it was written by a 75-year-old James M. Cain -- which it was."
3.0 out of 5 stars
Posthumously published., April 12 2012
By Michael G. "mikefromrochester" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Cloud Nine (Paperback)
Somewhere between the Depression Era and the Vietnam Era legendary author James M. Cain lost his touch as a novelist. Cloud Nine, written in the late 1960s but only published in the 1980s well after Cain had died, is both poorly plotted and shockingly inept in character development.Graham Kirby, a successful realtor, is confronted by a 16 year old girl named Sonya. Kirby's ne'er do well half brother has raped and impregnated her.
In order to prevent Sonya's family from causing trouble for his own family, Kirby hastily decides to marry the underage high schooler, even though he knows her not at all.
It's hard to believe Cloud Nine could get any worse after this unconvincing lead in. But it does. Cain follows up with a couple additional plot elements that are even more preposterous.
The Postman Always Rings Twice and Cain's other early novels are classics because they reflect a hard edged reality the reader can easily buy into. Cloud Nine, though hard edged, seems to take place in an alternate universe where the actions of the characters defy any known behavioral norms. Not recommended
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