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cricca's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
avent1ne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
emilyconstance's review against another edition
5.0
"The story is a parable...the story of a race, growth, and death. Each figure is a population, and the stones, the trees, the muscled mountains are the world—but not the world apart from man—the world and man—the one indestructible unit man plus his environment."
This is the best book I've ever read...maybe ever? Definitely the highlight of 2022 for me. This is only my 2nd Steinbeck novel; really my first since Of Mice & Men was a required reading for school and I barely paid attention to it. It certainly won't be my last. The minute detail that Steinbeck captures so seamlessly—and without repetition—is so impressive. This is the clearest picture of a book's setting/narrative that I've been able to maintain start-to-finish. The character development is lacking, but they're all believable people. Even some of the briefly mentioned characters—McGreggor, in particular—are just captured in a way where you get a full mental image and completely understand their essence even through just a few specific lines about them. Loved the personification of the land, loved the earthly descriptions of Joseph. Loved everything. Steinbeck is a force of nature.
This is the best book I've ever read...maybe ever? Definitely the highlight of 2022 for me. This is only my 2nd Steinbeck novel; really my first since Of Mice & Men was a required reading for school and I barely paid attention to it. It certainly won't be my last. The minute detail that Steinbeck captures so seamlessly—and without repetition—is so impressive. This is the clearest picture of a book's setting/narrative that I've been able to maintain start-to-finish. The character development is lacking, but they're all believable people. Even some of the briefly mentioned characters—McGreggor, in particular—are just captured in a way where you get a full mental image and completely understand their essence even through just a few specific lines about them. Loved the personification of the land, loved the earthly descriptions of Joseph. Loved everything. Steinbeck is a force of nature.
josi767's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Yapping
leonorsds's review against another edition
4.0
Nunca tinha lido nada de Steinbeck e acho que foi uma boa introdução a este autor. Não vou parar por aqui.
doji_k's review against another edition
4.0
It is apparent after reading this how early Steinbeck wrote this in his career, not due to the skill he has displayed in writing this, but in how stark of a contrast the themes tackled in this novella are to the rest of his work. And after being on a sort of Steinbeck binge, this was definitely a breath of fresh air.
Steinbeck here has written a novella a kin to the works of Cormac McCarthy, a grim and often time unsettling and hopeless view of the harsh and desolate climate in the American West. Steinbeck's descriptions of Monterrey are still to this day unmatched, but in a departure he also chooses to incorporate surrealism in many scenes, making this story more of a tale of magical realism.
All of this culminates in a story that tackles the idea of faith and how different people react to having that faith tested. It explores many people's need for religion, and the nagging sense of superstition that builds in all of us. It also shows the lengths people will go to in order validate that faith, regardless of the consequences or mental skips in logic to do so.
I understand for many, this may be too different from the rest of Steinbeck's work. My only negative would be that even though this is already a short novella, shaving a little more off of the somewhat meandering first half would have made for a much more enjoyable read once the point of the novella begins to show itself.
Overall, judging from reading many other reviews, I think this is his most underrated work that has a lot to say and is well worth your time.
Steinbeck here has written a novella a kin to the works of Cormac McCarthy, a grim and often time unsettling and hopeless view of the harsh and desolate climate in the American West. Steinbeck's descriptions of Monterrey are still to this day unmatched, but in a departure he also chooses to incorporate surrealism in many scenes, making this story more of a tale of magical realism.
All of this culminates in a story that tackles the idea of faith and how different people react to having that faith tested. It explores many people's need for religion, and the nagging sense of superstition that builds in all of us. It also shows the lengths people will go to in order validate that faith, regardless of the consequences or mental skips in logic to do so.
I understand for many, this may be too different from the rest of Steinbeck's work. My only negative would be that even though this is already a short novella, shaving a little more off of the somewhat meandering first half would have made for a much more enjoyable read once the point of the novella begins to show itself.
Overall, judging from reading many other reviews, I think this is his most underrated work that has a lot to say and is well worth your time.
jeanie77's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marlo42's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Steinbeck read in a while, and I guess I'd forgotten how stunning this man's writing is.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should write here exactly. This is not a perfect book by any means - the beginning and very end of the novel felt a little stilted. The characters at times don't exactly talk like real people and their behaviors are a bit extreme, but the flaws of this piece are far, FAR outweighed by the superb prose.
I was extremely taken by (and even moved, at points) by this. Once it gets going (at around 70 pages in), this novel does not let up - it keeps picking up steam and there is just rolling excellence until the end. You need to give this one a chance, but once you do it rewards you in spades. Please, give this a shot.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should write here exactly. This is not a perfect book by any means - the beginning and very end of the novel felt a little stilted. The characters at times don't exactly talk like real people and their behaviors are a bit extreme, but the flaws of this piece are far, FAR outweighed by the superb prose.
I was extremely taken by (and even moved, at points) by this. Once it gets going (at around 70 pages in), this novel does not let up - it keeps picking up steam and there is just rolling excellence until the end. You need to give this one a chance, but once you do it rewards you in spades. Please, give this a shot.
lizzyfrykman's review against another edition
4.0
I could write paragraphs of detailed analysis as a review of this book, as it dealt with themes of nature, religion, spirituality, family, and duty, and was very mystical, poetic and dramatic. BUT I think anything I say will be inadequate and I read this for fun, so I’ll just say this:
This NEEDS to be a film. I really think there’s a market for this kind of story and setting right now, and it would transfer SO well to the screen. I have never been more confident of an adaptation idea in my life, despite the book not being my favorite of Steinbeck’s books, and certainly not my favorite in the whole range of literature. But it just has a haunting, captivating tone that would just make so much sense on screen.
This NEEDS to be a film. I really think there’s a market for this kind of story and setting right now, and it would transfer SO well to the screen. I have never been more confident of an adaptation idea in my life, despite the book not being my favorite of Steinbeck’s books, and certainly not my favorite in the whole range of literature. But it just has a haunting, captivating tone that would just make so much sense on screen.
gravity_free's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25