The Cocktail Waitress audiobook

If this book actually were a cocktail you’d probably find it was pretty smooth going down, but think that it’s not all that strong while drinking. Then you’d be surprised by the twist you found at the bottom of the glass, and when you tried to stand up you’d fall over and realize that you were completely shitfaced after all. Joan Medford is burying her husband, but since he was an abusive drunk she isn’t exactly upset that he crashed and burned in a drunk driving accident. However, he’s left her stone broke, and his sister is using Joan’s inability to provide for her small son Tad as an excuse to have the kid stay with her as the first step towards claiming custody of him. Desperate for cash Joan takes a gig as a scantily clad cocktail waitress in a lounge where her looks draw the attention of plenty of male customers including the rich but sickly Earl K. White who starts dropping huge tips on her. Joan quickly sees an opportunity to help her get her son back if she can make White fall for her, but she’s torn between working towards that goal and her attraction to a handsome rogue named Tom Barclay. She’s also got a problem with a pesky policeman who thinks that she was somehow responsible for his husband’s death.This is one of those Hard Case Crime offerings where they’ve dug up some unpublished treasure, and this time it’s from noir master James Cain. Cain wrote and rewrote multiple versions of the novel until his death, and it’s a helluva interesting and tricky read. You can see elements of his best known books like Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Mildred Pierce, but what’s interesting here is how he’s almost subverting his previous work by heading down similar paths yet still making The Cocktail Waitress something different.It’s a subtle thing, and a good portion of the book just seems to be this hard luck woman struggling to overcome her circumstances and people’s perceptions of her. The police and her husband’s family think she might be a killer. Many people assume that she’s willing to flirt and flash some cleavage for tips, and maybe even do more than that. When she gets into the relationship with White it seems like a classic gold digger scenario. And yet the first person narration that Joan gives us make it seem like she’s just a decent practical woman trying to do her best to improve her situation enough to make sure she gets her son back.The great thing about the writing here is that by the end you’re still sympathizing with Joan until the point where you look back and realize that there’s a whole lot of fishy stuff in her story. Is she an unreliable narrator who has been feeding the reader a line the entire time? Are we just as big of suckers as the rubes that Joan works for tips? Or is it really just a string of bad luck that is making Joan look bad, and she is just trying to set the record straight as she claims? Those are the kind of questions you’ll find yourself asking, and it’s the way that Cain made Joan come alive as a character so that you’re not entire sure that makes this a fresh approach to a classic noir story.

Decisamente migliore questa mia seconda esperienza con James M. Cain noto autore e soprattutto conosciuto per il Il postino suona sempre due volte.Mentre conMildred Pierce non ero riuscita (per mio limite) ad entrare in sintonia con le atmosfere della storia, qui è andata diversamente.Cain cominciò a scrivere “La ragazza dei cocktail” nel 1975. Aveva 83 anni e due anni dopo sarebbe morto. La pubblicazione di questo libro è, pertanto, postuma e frutto del lavoro di editing dello scrittore/editore Charles Ardai che ha ricomposto il romanzo lavorando su diversi manoscritti ed altrettante versioni della storia.La protagonista, Joan Medford, fa un racconto in prima persona.A 21 anni rimane vedova con un bambino. Non è tanto disperata per la perdita del marito alcolizzato e violento quanto per il fatto che trovandosi senza soldi è costretta ad affidare il figlio di tre anni alla cognata Ethel.Quest'ultima ci mette del suo a rendere inquietante la storia dimostrandosi esageratamente smaniosa di tenersi il bambino per sempre. Con un colpo di inaspettata fortuna, Joan, trova lavoro al Garden of Roses, un ristorante con annesso bar dove in short e camicetta scollata la ragazza si mette a servire ai tavoli. Le sue splendide gambe e il suo generoso décolleté fanno presto colpo.Proprio nel locale, infatti, si deciderà il suo destino quando farà conoscenza prima con un ricco ed anziano spasimante, poi con un giovane bello ma squattrinato.La sua scelta deciderà le sorti di tutti: Joan è una femme fatale conscia del suo potere sugli uomini e disposta a tutto pur di riavere suo figlio…Romanzo scorrevole ed intrigante e, come scrive in postfazione il curatore Charles Ardai, la scelta di far raccontare alla protagonista stessa la sua storia è quanto mai azzeccata. Il dubbio su quale sia la verità è un filo sotteso in tutta la narrazione che lascia spazio a chi legge di farsi una propria idea e l’aria di mistero che si respira è la forza di questo scabroso romanzo.

The Cocktail Waitress was James M Cain's last work of fiction before his death in 1977, a hard case crime story that was written and lost in the final years of his life. The novel was eventually recovered nine years later by the editor of the hard case crime series, Charles Ardai. He assembled a publishable version from Cain's transcript and many notes with vital scenes played out many times. The story is told in first person with the narrator being the young, stunningly beautiful Joan Medford, starting with the funeral of her husband and the first meeting of the young love interest Tom Barclay. Her husband was an abusive drunk who died in a car crash, circumstances place the young widow under suspicion but with no real proof the investigation peters out. With no income Joan is forced into work as a cocktail waitress where she meets the extremely rich investor, Earl K. White, an old man suffering from angina. Mr White is smitten and tips Joan excessively. So there's the love triangle, add into the mix Joan's young son and there's a lot at stake for our young cocktail waitress. You can't help but see Joan Medford as a victim of circumstance, her narration is on the cusp of honesty, there's only one point where she hints at what's underneath, a conversation with a lawyer who advises her on certain points as her marriage to the rich old man becomes an ever closer step to reality. But death follows this girl round like a lost puppy, hand in hand with suspicion it seems, the author cleverly forces you to care about Joan Medford as everything teeters on disaster and then it all just falls into her lap. Her perception is one of innocence, a hapless victim surrounded by deaths she neither caused nor contributed to. You have to question the narrator though, is she relating every last thought, well that’s entirely up to you and only on the very last page does it all click into place. A femme fatale or just a nice girl that swings the boundaries of luck incessantly. There has to be something though, you know it's going to happen and it doesn't make it any less shocking when all is revealed, definitely well worth the wait after a few stutters regarding the pace.Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...

'The Cocktail Waitress' reaffirms James M Cain as a true master of noir. An intelligent and emotionally satisfying portrayal of a middle class beauty living below the poverty line who only wants the best for her son. A victim of domestic abuse and punished for her curvaceous body and move star looks, Joan Medford faces adversity in every mirror. Public perception immediately ridicules and downgrades her intellect and ambition, yet through a strong reserve and perhaps a muddled sense of justice, she strives to improve her family's quality of life. A widow with little by way of job prospects, Joan lands a job as a cocktail waitress at the Garden Bar. Using her assets to advantage she quickly collects admirers, one a handsome young man with an eye for future wealth, the other, an old man suffering from angina whose wealth is a temptation beyond Joan's will. Both suitors are not without drama and before long Joan's world is once again turned upside down - murder, cash, and her very home all thrown at her or threatened to be taken away.'The Cocktail Waitress' is a fast paced read lead by a linear plot that's as crafty as it is enjoyable. The first person perspective storytelling clouds Joan's intentions and honesty, keeping the reader guessing the whole way through. Viewed through eyes hidden behind a veil to eyes wide open with opportunity and sass, Joan's complexity is a joy to read. The victimised persona wavers just enough to show a sinister side threatening to bubble to the surface. The subtle and obstructed truth haunts each page turn and amounts to a captivating telling of a femme fatale whose unseen actions dominate the readers perception.Full the full review and extras on my blog 'Just A Guy That Likes To Read: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

Fun noir novel, with all the ingredients: leggy, none-too-good dame, a 'wallet' (monied older man), a handsome stud. Could have been a formula until the very end. Only those familiar with the effects of the medication mentioned will get it, and I wonder if younger readers will understand. No more, spoilers.

James Cain's Last NovelJames M. Cain (1892 -- 1977) is best-known for his early novels including "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Double Indemnity" and "Mildred Pierce" and for the many movies based on his writing. After these successes, written while working as a Hollywood screenwriter, Cain had mixed success and for a time was largely forgotten. He returned to his home in Hyattsville, Maryland (a suburb of Washington, D.C.) in 1948 and continued to write. Written just before his death, Cain's final novel, "The Cocktail Waitress" consisted of various partially edited manuscripts. Edited meticulously by Charles Ardai,the novel is being published in 2012 for the first time.Cain's novel is largely set in Hyattsville and other Washington D.C. suburbia during the 1950s. The use of the drug Thalidomide during this time, which resulted in many severe birth defects, forms an important backdrop to the book. The book's primary character, a highly sexual femme fatale in her early 20's, Joan White, narrates the story. The daughter of a prosperous Pittsburgh family, Joan ran off to Washington D.C. when she rejected a suitor urged by her parents. She becomes pregnant by and marries an abusive young man, Ron who dies under the influence in a single-car accident under suspicious circumstances. Her sister-in-law takes custody of the couple's young child. In order to make ends meet, Joan takes a position as a cocktail waitress in a bar called Garden of Roses, where the services of the waitresses sometimes are for sale.Joan tells the history of her relationship with two men. One of the patrons of the Garden of Roses is Earl White, a wealthy and elderly widower with a severe heart condition. Joan's physical and emotional response to Earl borders on repulsion; but she marries him to secure a future for her son and, of course, for money. The other male character is a young, impulsive Tom Barclay, who is physically aggressive and demanding. Joan is strongly attracted to him almost in spite of herself. The tension-filled relationships between Joan and Earl and Tom build through the course of the book.The book shares a theme common to most of Cain's writing. As her schemes unravel, Joan says to herself: "And then at last I began to realize how terrible a thing it was, the dream that you make come true." The book also shares many plot elements with Cain's famous books. In particular, "The Cocktail Waitress" reminds me of "Mildred Pierce" in that in tells the story of a young, highly sexual, single mother with a strong determination to better her condition in life, with little thought of the cost. Restaurants,food,and alcohol are integral to both books. Both books center upon an enigmatic female character; and, as in the portrayal of Mildred in "Mildred Pierce", Cain shows great insight into Joan's heart and mind in "The Cocktail Waitress".The strongest scenes in the novel are those which capture Joan's deep disgust at the prospect of a physical relationship with Earl. The descriptions of the life of cocktail waitresses and other employees of bars and establishments also has a strong naturalistic tone. I enjoyed reading Cain's descriptions of the sexual underworld of the Washington, D.C. area in the 1950's at a time well before I knew the city. A contemporary noir writer, George Pelecanos, has taken this part of Washington, D.C. life as his subject.This novel is not on the level of Cain's best writing. The story tends to wander, and it lacks tension. The dialogue is wordy and too extensive in places rather than pithy and terse. Some of the secondary scenes and characters receive too much attention and detract from the flow of the story. Although Charles Ardai did excellent work in piecing together Cain's various manuscripts (as he describes in an Afterword), there are inconsistencies in the final text and places where the joints creak and show.It is valuable to have this, the final novel of James Cain, available at last. I have enjoyed reading further in Cain after getting to know his masterworks. Readers of noir and admirers of Cain will be interested in reading "The Cocktail Waitress." Robin Friedman

Joan Medford is a young beautiful woman in an unhealthy marriage, but when her husband dies in a suspicious car accident, does that mean her life will improve? No, she now has to take a job as a cocktail waitress to make ends meet and somehow make enough money to finally be able to take her son back from her mother in law. On the job, two men take a special interest in her, one really gets Joan’s blood racing and the other is a very wealthy older man who tips very generously if she gives him her attention.It’s no secret that I’m a huge James M. Cain fan; The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity are two classic noir novels that I highly recommend but there is another side to this author. Cain wrote a very emotionally charged noir novel called Mildred Pierce which makes up the top three essential Cain novels. The Cocktail Waitress really reminds me of Mildred Pierce, you have all the noir elements plus the female protagonist not to mention the emotionally charged plot. This is a previously unfinished novel by Cain but don’t let that worry you, he did finish the novel but he had not finished the revisions before he died, but it took over thirty years for this book to finally come out. The editor, Charles Ardai used Cain’s notes to finish the revisions of this book and it still reads and feels very much what you expect from a book by this Noir master. He was even quoted in saying; “Together with Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain is universally considered one of the three greatest writers of noir crime fiction who ever lived, and for fans of the genre, The Cocktail Waitress is the Holy Grail. It’s like finding a lost manuscript by Hemingway or a lost score by Gershwin – that’s how big a deal this is.”Joan is everything you want from the protagonist; strong, witty and beautiful. She knows what she want (her son back) and she is determined to make her life better on her own. But the drama of working in a cocktail lounge might be a little too much for her. Her mother in law is now convinced that cocktail waitress is just code from something more. Joan’s on a mission and won’t let anyone or anything stand in her way; which makes her a great femme fatale.The Cocktail Waitress is a fast paced, hard hitting novel with complexity; a well-crafted book that was just a joy to read. I loved the sinister elements that transported this from just an emotional journey to a classic James M. Cain style noir novel. I’m so glad that Charles Ardai took the time and effort in finishing this book so we can all enjoy it. If you liked Mildred Piece then you are going to love reading The Cocktail Waitress.The review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2012/...

If you have read many of his novels you will know of his characters, his femme fatales and women stuck in situations where their other half could do with a killing off for a hefty sum of insurance.His storytelling is about ordinary people mostly men and women, where the women go to extraordinary lengths to win and get what they want, they wish to get that much more out of the plan of things, manipulation of love and deceit their modus operandi.He writes with a dynamic plot and narrative drive that has a potent voice.

Stylish dialogues and an attractive woman with history． James.M.Cain is a genius! I'm JAPANESE,and don't fully understand subtle nuances but this is worth rereading.

I heard of this book by James M. Cain by accident. Truthfully, Amazon's algorithms recommended it, and the rest was history. I usually never follow these AI recommendations but the blurb did catch my attention. I own a few of the hard case crime books, which I hope to read and review soon. It's a great collection of books about crime. The Cocktail Waitress was so good I will prioritise these over my unending 'to be read' list.Let's start by describing the cover. It is a very eloquent and steamy poster of a woman serving cocktails- a critical plot point of the 300-page book (sorry, it's 30-pages short). It also reflects the novel's noir tone and past vibe, a different time from the one we live in today. The title is simple but effective and described better in the book.The story has a whopping dialogue of professionalism and double meaning. It is about a pledge to reveal the absolute truth of one woman, the so-called Cocktail Waitress, slandered by journalists and her sister-in-law, Ethel. But after reading this, and as promised by Joan (our protagonist), I still am not sure whether the defamations against her (Joan Medford) were true or not. Was Joan Medford the perpetrator, or was she the victim? If she wasn't the killer, then who did it? Was it any of the characters: minor or secondary? I mean, it's only the testimony of one woman, the first point of perspective, and it's not always the truth that comes out of our mouths at the end of the day. And it's difficult to believe that a strong female-lead such as Joan is as innocent as she makes us feel. It's not in her character to be so naive. But it would be so cool if it was one other character who I think had a motive and is much more revolting if it was.There's a lot to like about this book. The characters are handled professionally by Cain, and each character behaves quite fluently, as expected in society, and all the mannerisms speak volumes about them.Please read it. Have fun!It's a five for me.

Joan Medford is a twenty-two-year-old cocktail waitress whose first husband Ron, a brute and drunk, dies in a fatal auto crash. She marries a second husband Earl who is loaded and lots older than she is. The goal she has to get back her little son Tad currently under the care of her sister-in-law Ethel who has designs to keep Tad as her own. I found myself wondering throughout reading the story whether Joan is actually an unreliable narrator since it's her speaking in the first-person. Some of her decisions left me scratching my head. She definitely has her own ideas about things. Since this is a posthumously published novel, we don't get the author's final cut as the afterword explains. At any rate, it's a fairly entertaining tale, and I found myself wanting to know what happens to Joan.

Scandalous stuff indeed, with some killer plot-twists. Unusually for crime-noir, the story is told from the P.O.V. of the femme fatale. ('The Cocktail Waitress' was published posthumously after years of determined sleuthing by Charles Ardai, founder of Hard Case Crime, to find the lost manuscript. Thank you, Charles, from the bottom of my heart!)

I reserve five stars for only the very best of the best. The plot was engaging and the end so perfectly twisted.I loved this book for two reasons. First, I found the plot, writing style and narrative pacing to be lovely. It doesn't have the grit and edge that Postman has -- it is more measured and nuanced. I love the ease with which it unfolds and draws you in -- not too rushed or forced. It meanders up and down through the minor crescendos, and brings you to the very end wondering what is going to happen. Then the end comes, and you wonder "what just happened?" I love that. I love being forced to puzzle on some aspect of a book. With most noir books or mysteries, once the truth is revealed, you walk away with a sort of satisfied calm. This book is refreshingly ambiguous. I thought I understood exactly how the twist worked, and then after a day or two, I remembered one key fact that made me question the entire interpretation I had of the "truth." Now I am left hungry, longing for more. The Cocktail Waitress is a tease and an unanswered question. What a perfect way for one of the "big three" to exit, leaving us wondering what the truth is!Second, I loved the excitement of reading a brand new book from a long-dead master of noir. I savored the anticipation of its release, finally holding it in my hands like a kid on Christmas Day, and then cracking open something totally new from one of the "classic three." On the historic aspect, I remember my surprise when I heard that this book was found and was going to be published. I was so worried that it would be a disappointment that I forced myself not to get my hopes up. I made myself expect that it would be another posthumous dud. However, I am thrilled to report that this is not one of those half finished, worked over by living heirs, unsatisfying kinds of posthumous books. Granted, it could use a little polishing. However, it is obvious that Cain wrote it, all the way through to the end, every word. I am satisfied that it deserves its place alongside the pantheons of Postman, Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce. I'd rate it just a notch below Postman, but above the other two. It was that good.I have to say that, after all this time (I read it the day it was published), I still can't decide whether the truth is the story as written, or whether we are reading something meant to fool us. In the end, I lean toward the latter. I can't remember a book that has used this device, making you doubt yourself even after the twist is "supposedly" revealed. I think that this feature makes The Cocktail Waitress a masterpiece that deserves more recognition.