The Postman Always Rings TwiceThe Postman Always Rings Twice
Score Classic
What it's about
Frank Chambers, a young drifter, stops at a roadside diner in California and takes a job there, because of the owner's wife, Cora. They begin an affair, and soon they're plotting to kill her husband. They get away with it, almost, and then the lawyers, and their own distrust of each other, take over.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels. It's short, fast and brutal, a model for crime fiction ever since.
You'll love it if you liked
The Big Sleep
The Maltese Falcon
An American TragedyGood to know
It's very short, with violence and sex that were shocking in 1934.
By the numbers
- Readers6 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Gripping, Moving
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My Cousin Rachel
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Quick answers
Is The Postman Always Rings Twice worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels. It ranks #2,377 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 59.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Postman Always Rings Twice about?
Frank Chambers, a young drifter, stops at a roadside diner in California and takes a job there, because of the owner's wife, Cora. They begin an affair, and soon they're plotting to kill her husband. They get away with it, almost, and then the lawyers, and their own distrust of each other, take over.
How long does it take to read The Postman Always Rings Twice?
About 3 hours (128 pages), or about 6 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Postman Always Rings Twice?
If you liked it, try The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett or An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.