Three by Cain: Serenade/Love's Lovely Counterfeit/The Butterfly

by James M. Cain

All three books are written with an enduring view of the dark corners of the American psyche. Cain hammered high art out of the crude matter of betrayal, bloodshed, and perversity.

Genres: Fiction, Noir, Mystery, Crime, Detective, Mystery Thriller, American

455 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 1989

About the author

James Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892–October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the "roman noir."

He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.

After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.

He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.

Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.

His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.

He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).

He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.

Reviews

[Sarah Schulman]

At the recommendation of Edmund White I started this collection by the author of “The Postman Only Rings Twice.” WHOAH. A great reminder of the rollicking way of writing that existed before the flattening and homogenization we are now force fed. I mean, the first novella written in 1937 - I mean probably the most sexist and racist thing I have read in years AND AT THE SAME TIME an incredible lesson in putting words together. The plot is insane. There is a gay subplot that is CRAZY and completely unexpected. The author can move mountains in a few lines or sit on one moment for pages. The way it unfolds, the durational choices, the emphasis and de-emphasis are just gripping. If you are interested in how writing works, and can look past all the bias, this is a great technical provocation.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lovely gift from my library's e-reader section. I have been hunting James M. Cain books like crazy in my noir/detective fiction obsession and my library is pretty podunk (sorry, but it is--it's tiny so they go with what is popular which is chick lit, romance and mystery lite--none of which I can bear) so if you are looking for classics especially anything unusual it's really tough. Our big library is great but a pain to get to so I usually stick with the one nearest to me. Even the boyfriend's bookstore is painfully short on variety. When I came across this I was so happy as it contained 3 books I was looking for and was available to check out --wheeee! I was not disappointed. The first book, Serenade was a really amazing and unusual book for it's time--as I have said before, I don't do synopsis type reviews--but it contained some pretty fascinating storylines for a book of it's time, including latent homosexuality and a deep and passionate discussion of music. Like so many of Cain's books, a woman played a major role--something I adore about his work--and the women are not always the typical noir femme fatales--they are complicated and move the action forward actively. A really satisfying and emotional read. I did not enjoy Love's Lovely Counterfeit nearly as much--it was pretty anti-climactic after Serenade. Interestingly, it's the only book Cain specifically wrote for the screen. That might be part of what I did not like about it--it had a falseness about it that I don't see in his other work. The Butterfly more than made up for it--wow--what a great book--and a total combination of 2 types of book I love--a hillbilly gothic mixed with noir elements. As I was reading it I was actually nervous and tense (in a good way if that makes sense) and the last few chapters were just "can't put it down" amazing. Even if I had not loved this book and Serenade so much, the afterword by Cain himself would have made it a worthwhile read--absolutely hilarious and honest. I just adored Cain as a person after reading that--funny, sharp and ironic. I plan to keep reading him as much as possible.

[Bill Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book includes 3 novellas by, my guy, James Cain. It's not nearly as good as Cain's usual fare, but it's worthy.

1. Serenade - This is the story of an American opera singer named John Howard Sharp and a Mexican beauty named Juana. Sharp is the very definition of a whiny diva which, yes, makes him a very unattractive character. There are a lot of interesting plot twists and turns in here though. This is the best story of the Three by Cain.

2. Love's Lovely Counterfeit - This is a pretty poorly-written mob story. This is the worst thing I've read by Cain.

3. The Butterfly - This is the story of a miner/farmer Jess and his daughter Kady. Or is she his daughter? It's good.

QOTD

I tried to tell myself she was nothing but an Indian girl, that she didn't mean a thing with me, that if she was going off to spend the night with this cluck it was no more than she had done plenty of times before, that she didn't know any different and it was none of my business anyway. No dice. Maybe if she hadn't looked so pretty out there in the moonlight I might have shut up, but I don't think so. Something had happened back in that church that made me feel she belonged to me. I heard my mouth growl again. "You're not going."

- girl problems for John Howard Sharp in Serenade

These three stories were glommed together a decade after Cain's death. So, somebody out there is making that $$$. Not great, but still... a good read.
thanks... yow, bill

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serenade is the best of the three. The others are straight forward enough and classic Cain plots/writing. As one of the other reviewers states, Serenade would make an excellent movie, and now that we can talk about homosexuality in film without major censorship issues, it would be a treat to see this made for the big screen. The author's preface to The Butterfly, where he describes his writing style, wonders why critics try to lump him into some sort of genre/category, and continue to compare him to Steinbeck, Hemingway and Hammett is really a great read in and of itself. All in all, good examples of his work for hardcore fans, but if you've never read Cain before, stick to the classics (Mildred Pierce, Postman, and Double Indemnity--the best of his work).

[Christine Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

"James M. Cain hammered high art out of the crude matter of betrayal, bloodshed, and perversity." I disagree with the term "high art," but these three short novels are definitely hammered out of crude matter. The stories are terse, hard-boiled and occasionally quite far-fetched. They range from a has-been opera singer who regains his voice and becomes a movie star (Serenade), to a chiseler who takes over his crooked boss's business (Love's Lovely Counterfeit), to a father with incestuous desires for his daughter (The Butterfly). I learned how to cook a whole iguana, how to rebuild a pinball machine and how to make moonshine, as well as a whole lot about music. Cain's other, more famous books are far better than these three.

[Ashley Vaught · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serenade is a fascinating novella that goes into surprising depth on vocal performers and music as well as touching on sexual orientation in progressive ways (by early 20th century standards).

Love’s Lovely Counterfeit seems a little too Dashiell Hammett-esque. Some claim it influenced the Coen brothers’ film Miller’s Crossing (1980), a personal favorite.

Butterfly was perhaps the most disappointing. A page turner, no less.

[Roy]

**** (stars) Serenade - (finished 14 Sept 2023) It took so long for me to read because it was difficult getting past the racial slurs of the 1930s. I almost gave up on it, but I'm glad I stayed through to the end. There was a surprising, for the 1930s, plot twist about 3/4 of the way through. However, it ends as expected for a Cain novel.

[Lisa Wendell · Rating 1 out of 5]

could't do it. Boring. I enjoyed the Black Dhalia very much, but this was blech. Pointless, meandering. Didn't care about any of the characters and Ellroy's writing wasn't enough to sustain my interest.

[Ellie Feroleto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, but Cain's writing doesn't hold up so well after all these years.
The character development is pretty shallow and the situations and dialogue are less than realistic.
If you're not a die-hard detective fiction fan, you might want to give this a miss.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far read SERENADE. Next THE BUTTERFLY.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a starting point it's probably a better bet to get the 5 great novels which included Double Indemnity and Postman

[Mikey J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this instance

[Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me say that this collection of three of James M. Cain's novels is crazy good! I read these three books on my Kindle over the course of a couple of days while on business travel and sitting on airplanes or in airports and simply couldn't put them down.

The first book in the collection, Serenade, is hands down one of the best novels I've read this year, and I never wanted it to end. Great plot, great characters, and superb writing all combine to create a truly memorable book that I unhesitatingly recommend. Also, I am mystified that nobody has endeavored to make a film adaptation of this novel, as I think it would do really well on the big screen. I have to wonder if Cormac McCarthy didn't get some of his inspiration for his "Border" trilogy from Cain and particularly from Serenade.

The other two books, Love's Lovely Counterfeit and The Butterfly are both very good too. I think I overall preferred The Butterfly as it has an interesting twist and that it is set in the coal-country of Appalachia shortly after Prohibition has ended.

I have come to realize that the works of James M. Cain are excellent examples of the best of American crime-noir fiction. I also think Cain is a completely underrated author, and that is simply inexplicable to me.

Serenade gets 4.5 of 5 stars from me; while the other two novels receive 3.5 of 5 stars. This a wonderful collection to have on your shelf or Kindle!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title indicates, this book is comprised of three novels by James M. Cain. None of them are in the league of Cain’s classic crime noirs, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity – books I thought just killed – but all of them boast Cain’s usual blunt, wonderfully tough but genuine voice. The weakest of the three is Love’s Lovely Counterfeit, a rather plodding tale of gangsters in a Midwestern town with no real compelling characters. Meanwhile, the best of the trio, Serenade, is an involving tale with a startling plot point centered on a major character’s bisexuality – startling for the time in which it was written, anyway (1937). I was with Cain all the way through this one. The final story, The Butterfly, a tale of incest and deception in the Appalachians, was just okay – nothing to write home about but its compelling subject matter ultimately drove the story home, though not with many sparks. Final score on the Rob-o-Meter, one Yeah, one Meh, and one Almost-But-Not-Quite-Meh. Mainly for Cain fans.

[Hannah]

In certain moods I think Cain might even be better than Chandler - he's more ruthless. In Chandler, Marlowe is a continuous presence and (despite his general misanthropy) rather a comforting one - you're pretty sure he's going to survive from book to book. Without the constraints of series, Cain is free to kill off pretty much everyone, which makes for unsettling reading. And his knack for making the smallest stories seem epic in scope, as inevitable as Greek tragedy, is incredible - the pacing here, especially in Serenade, is a thing of wonder. If you can look past the unfortunate racism at the beginning of Serenade (which is sort of possible if you look at it as a product of its time/the character speaking rather than Cain), this book is pretty astonishing. It made me feel weird for days.

[Bill Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serenade: Darkness on many levels

Recommendation: Do not read anything about this novel before hand! The experts have way too much to say about it. That said, it's billed as one of Cain's "finest sustained pieces of writing".

Main characters: John Howard Sharp, Juana Montes.

Three by Cain (The collection)

As a whole, these stories will really give you a feel for what Noir Fiction is about. Of these stories, my favorite is The Butterfly. I've given reviews for The Butterfly and Love's Lovely Counterfeit elsewhere.

This paperback version doesn't have any additional material except for the preface to The Butterfly written August 6, 1946. Published by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, average quality, thick pages and smaller font. A total of 455 pages.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Three of a Kind, but enjoyable. Love's Lovely Counterfeit is the weakest and I enjoyed Serenade the most (there must be something about his opera novels.) Both Serenade and the Butterfly are interesting, because he tackles issues that today, and most certainly at the time, make people uncomfortable, and tackles them in a straightforward casual way. I personally also enjoyed the author's commentary, in either a foreword or an afterword, I don't recall which.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's talk sometime about whether Serenade is either i) racist and homophobic, ii) merely a product of its times, iii) a depiction of racist and homophobic characters, not necessarily a reflection of the author, or iv) all the the above.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, as any compilation is destined to be. "Serenade" is borderline-great, but the other two are far off Cain's peak form, especially the plotty and convoluted "Love's Lovely Counterfeit". "The Butterfly" has some fine moments.

[Patrick King]

It is now time to make a film of Serenade since we can now talk like adults about this subject. Love's Lovely Counterfeit is the best and simplest explanation of political corruptions I've ever read. Butterfly also tackles an uncomfortable subject. Ground breaking writing.

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

i haven't read 'the butterfly'. but my paperback of the other two stories i read wasn't on here. :-[ lol!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serenade was excellent.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, I only loved Serenade

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with many of the reviews here: Serenade was the best. But for me, the preface to The Butterfly, in which Cain describes his writing, was totally worth the price of admission.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the masterpiece that is Mildred Pierce, but even Cain at not his best is better than almost anyone else. He is the most most underrated American writer - it's a crime he's not taught more.