The Postman Always Rings Twice is a “noir” classic listed on both Peter Boxall’s 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die and Random House Modern Library’s, 100 Best Books of the 20th Century. Apparently this book was very influential on 20th century crime writing, and there have been numerous movie adaptations. The book is short, and it moves fast.
PLOT- Very entertaining plot that was easy to follow along. The plot was even somewhat easy to relate to. Though easy to follow and relate to, the plot had unexpected turns that made the book very enjoyable to read. 13/15
CHARACTERS- Very well developed characters who are easy to hate. Of the six main characters of the book, only one is somewhat likable. Usually that isn’t good for a story, but it is fun reading and the characters are very vivid. 9/10
WRITING- I’m not an expert in grading this sort of thing, but you know when you are reading exceptional writing. I’m not sure how common or important this is in the detective/noir genre, but I didn’t find the writing all that exceptional. The book is plot-driven, and I think the effort is in moving the plot along, which the author does well. 9/15
WORLDVIEW EFFECT- How did this book contribute to my worldview? A detective novel is generally read for entertainment value, but everything contributes to our worldviews. We have some pretty awful things happening in this novel, with entertaining justice coming to all. I was surprised at the darkness of the two main characters in their plot to murder. I guess the book shows the depth of the evil that lurks in all of us. Paired with the right person, we are all probably capable of a lot of evil. But there is always justice, and the novel brings that out in an entertaining and ironic way. 12/15
SETTING/LANDSCAPE- There is not a lot of description of the setting of the small California town. There was some good description of the coastal road. The novel definitely felt locked in a time period with the description of the restaurant and the vehicles. 5/10
“CAN’T PUT IT DOWN” EFFECT– I read this in less than 48 hours. It helps that the book is barely 100 pages, but it is an easy read that is hard to put down. The author does a good job of creating a sense of oncoming doom. This makes it hard to put down because you know that at any second something is going to go terribly wrong. 9/10
ENDING- The perfect ending in my opinion. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a book with a better ending. There is ironic justice at the end that probably is the reason for the title. 10/10
VOICE- First person from the main character, who isn’t the most likable character. The author did a great job of telling the story through this character. I really liked reading about how he processed all the events happening to him. 5/5
PACE- Very fast, maybe too fast. But it was a fun ride. Personally, I appreciate a faster pace than a slower one. 4/5
OPENING LINE- “They threw me off the hay truck about noon.” I like the opening line. It is short, it denotes a fast pace and the fact that he was riding a hay truck paints a very rural picture that continues through the book. Also the fact that he was thrown off the truck starts the story on the right foot with the main character. 2/2
RECOMMEND TO WIFE?- Maybe, she likes mysteries and murders. But it might be actually more dark than she would appreciate. 1/2
RECOMMEND TO KIDS?– No, it is too graphic in several ways. I guess this was pretty sensational for the 1930’s. 0/2
RECOMMEND TO PEERS?– Yes, it is a good read that most of my peers would probably enjoy. 2/2
RECOMMEND TO PASTOR?- Yeah, but only as a fun read. Nothing too deep here, unless you start analyzing the motives of the murder. 1/2
Total Rating- 81/100
The Unedukated Reader 