Title: The Grapes of Wrath
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Classic (1939)
Pages (words): 619 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Steinbeck's classic depression-era novel follows the Joad family as they are forced to leave their Oklahoma homestead and head to California in search of a better life. As they encounter the harsh reality of an American divided into Haves and Have-nots, they battle to simply sustain themselves and maintain their dignity.
Thoughts: I tried to read this book a couple of years ago and couldn't get past the first 100 pages. Jenn also started it but didn't get far before giving up. So this time I was determined to read it, like it or not, because it just seemed like I needed to read this book in order to be well-read. The first 100 pages were a real struggle again, but I pushed through and I'm really glad that I did. I'm not sure why I disliked the preliminaries so much...I just got really bored with it. But eventually the plot begins to move, and by the end of the book I was really enjoying it a lot. It has so much to say about human nature, ranging from how awful we can be when we have power, to how noble we are when we band together. The ending (I won't ruin it) was especially poignant. It's definitely a landmark book, and a worthwhile read, even if I didn't give it five stars.
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Classic (1939)
Pages (words): 619 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Steinbeck's classic depression-era novel follows the Joad family as they are forced to leave their Oklahoma homestead and head to California in search of a better life. As they encounter the harsh reality of an American divided into Haves and Have-nots, they battle to simply sustain themselves and maintain their dignity.
Thoughts: I tried to read this book a couple of years ago and couldn't get past the first 100 pages. Jenn also started it but didn't get far before giving up. So this time I was determined to read it, like it or not, because it just seemed like I needed to read this book in order to be well-read. The first 100 pages were a real struggle again, but I pushed through and I'm really glad that I did. I'm not sure why I disliked the preliminaries so much...I just got really bored with it. But eventually the plot begins to move, and by the end of the book I was really enjoying it a lot. It has so much to say about human nature, ranging from how awful we can be when we have power, to how noble we are when we band together. The ending (I won't ruin it) was especially poignant. It's definitely a landmark book, and a worthwhile read, even if I didn't give it five stars.
As a sidenote, I couldn't help but compare The Grapes of Wrath to How Green Was My Valley, which I reviewed just before this book. Both were written in 1939, and both are viewed as books that define a nation in the midst of major transitions: How Green Was My Valley chronicles Wales' transition from small farming communities to an integral part of the United Kingdom, while The Grapes of Wrath is the Depression-era novel for the U.S. Both novels are extremely moving, and have a lot to say about human nature. But How Green Was My Valley made me want to be better, while The Grapes of Wrath simply taught me a lot about people in general. The Grapes of Wrath a worthwhile read, to be sure, but for me, How Green Was My Valley is the better book.
Disclaimer: This book has plenty of "farm language," and some references to sex, but nothing explicit. It deserves a rather mild warning.
Disclaimer: This book has plenty of "farm language," and some references to sex, but nothing explicit. It deserves a rather mild warning.
1 comment:
You MUST at East of Eden by Steinbeck to your reading list. Hands down my favorite Steinbeck book, and a classic that surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. Great story about father/son relationships, etc. I'm hoping to re-read it sometime in the next year or two.
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