Cloud Nine
by James M. Cain
On This Page
Description
One man sells his soul to save an innocent—who turns out not to be so innocent after allGraham meets Sonya outside of his real estate office. She is sixteen, beautiful, and showing just the right amount of leg. He's ruminating on those legs when she drops the bombshell—she's there because Graham's brother, Burl, raped her, leaving her frightened, pregnant, and very much alone. She was spending the night with a friend when two boys and a case of beer turned a quiet evening into a hellish show more orgy. All she wants is the $1,111 it will cost to spend the next few months in a convalescent home, then give the baby up for adoption, but Burl won't give her the money. Sonya's vengeful father, meanwhile, wants far more money from Burl, to pay for harming his daughter. Graham offers Sonya a better choice: He'll marry her so that she can get a legal abortion. This moment of twisted generosity will change his life forever—but he has no idea that, as he asks for Sonya's hand, he is signing away his soul. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
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 show more 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." show less
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 show more 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." show less
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
Mystery writer James Mallahan Cain was born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1892. He received his B.A. and M.A. from Washington College, and served in the military as editor-in-chief of the official newspaper of the 79th Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Cain worked as a staff reporter for the Baltimore Sun; he became a professor of journalism show more in the 1920s; he worked as a Hollywood screenwriter in the 1930s and 40s. Many of his stories, including Double Indemnity (1943), have been made into successful films. Joan Crawford won an Academy Award in 1945 for her portrayal of Cain's Mildred Pierce (1941). Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934), was said to have inspired Albert Camus' The Stranger, but offended sensibilities in the U.S. and was even tried for obscenity in Boston. The novel was eventually made into a movie in 1946, starring Lana Turner and again in 1981, with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. In all, Cain authored eighteen books. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1984
- People/Characters
- Graham Kirby; Burwell Stuart; Sonya Lang
- First words
- I first met her, this girl that I married a few days later, and that the papers have crucified under the pretense of glorification, on a Friday morning in June, on the parking lot by the Patuxent Building, that my office is i... (show all)n.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 58
- Popularity
- 524,227
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (2.79)
- Languages
- English, French, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 3
