Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain (2007, Unabridged, Audio Cassette)

Master of the taut, noir mystery thriller, James Cain tries his hand at something different here, an in-depth melodramatic character study of a Depression Era single parent struggling to provide a decent life for her family. While the characters’ everyday language is dated enough to sound unnatural to modern readers and while the feminist movement has made achievement easier for the Mildreds of today, the contempt of the haves for the have-nots and discrimination against working mothers still exist in contemporary America. So too does the ingratitude of more than a few children towards the parent who spoiled and sponsored them.

When Mildred’s husband loses his profitable real estate business in the Depression and is too disheartened to do much more than to take up with a nurturing mistress, she chucks him out. Having no skills other than that of homemaker, she draws upon her talent for cooking and baking and ultimately becomes a successful restauranteur. A soft touch as well as an attractive one, she is exploited by men and most people for whom she cares and by none more coldbloodedly than her adored daughter, Veda. Christine Williams tackles the narration enthusiastically. Her voice for the monstrous child is memorably without soul or heart.