Mildred Pierce

Author	James M. Cain
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Knopf
Released	1941
Media Type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)

For other uses, see Mildred Pierce (disambiguation).

Mildred Pierce is a novel (1941) by James M. Cain. It was made into a feature film starring Joan Crawford. Image File history File links Mildred_Pierce_book. ... James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... Alfred A. Knopf ( September 12, 1892 – August 11, 1984) was a leading American publisher of the 20th century. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... Paperback may refer to a kind of book binding by which papers are simply folded without cloth or leather and bound - usually with glue rather than stitches or staples - into a thick paper cover; or to a book with this type of binding. ... Mildred Pierce can refer to: in Literature Mildred Pierce is a 1941 novel by James M. Cain. ... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892 – October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. ... A reel of film, which predates digital cinematography. ... Joan Crawford, photographed by Yousuf Karsh, 1948 Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed Academy Award winning American actress. ...

Characters

• Mildred – middle-class mother of two
• Bert – husband of Mildred
• Ray and Veda – daughters of Mildred
• Wally – business partner of Bert
• Monty – friend of Mildred
• Ida – waitress and friend of Mildred

Plot summary

Set in Los Angeles in the 1930s, Mildred Pierce is the story of a middle-class, single mother's attempt to maintain her and her family's social position during the Great Depression. Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government Country State County United States California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 and lasting through most of the 1930s. ...

Frustrated by her shiftless, unemployed husband, and worried by their dwindling finances, Mildred separates from him and encounters the new problem of trying to support herself and her children on her own. After a difficult search for a job among the ranks of the unemployed, she finally finds one but worries that it is beneath her middle-class station.

Actually, Mildred worries more that her family will think her new job beneath their station. Her ambitious daughter Veda happily enjoys Mildred's new financial success but increasingly turns ungrateful, demanding more and more from her hard-working mother and letting her contempt for people who must work for a living be known. Mildred's attachment to her forms the central tragedy of the novel.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Made into a film starring Joan Crawford, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Brue Bennett, and Lee Patrick. Joan Crawford, photographed by Yousuf Karsh, 1948 Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed Academy Award winning American actress. ... Arden with Armed Forces Radio Service in the 1940s Eve Arden (April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an Oscar-nominated American actress whose career in films was as a supporting and character actor, due, in large part, to the fact, that while tall and slim, she was not a... Ann Blyth Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928 in Mount Kisco, New York) is an American actress and singer, most often cast in Hollywood musicals, but who also succeeded in the dramatic roles she was given. ... Jack Carson (October 27, 1910 – January 3, 1963 was a Canadian actor. ... Lee Patrick (November 22, 1901 – November 21, 1982) was an American theater and film actress. ...

Mildred Pierce (1945) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037913/