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caffinatedslug's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
At first, I did not enjoy the book as the strong language (including the n word) along with the rude treatment of Lennie turned me off. Even though I’m aware this is the language people used in the Great Depression era, it didn’t make me enjoy reading it. However, I still found myself intrigued and wasn’t able to put it down. Gradually, I came to enjoy the book and seeing George and Lennie piece their dreams together. The book did end on an incredibly sad note, but I thought it was well-written and nuanced. Overall, it’s a good story with the narration framed in the time period it takes place in, and even though it’s very short it conveys lots of meaning and nuance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism and Alcohol
rochelleisreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
geesammy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Vivid character portrait. Normally I don’t enjoy overly descriptive scenes with little plot but it worked well in this shorter format
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism
kiwij96's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
After having to leave their previous town, George and Lennie find themselves on another ranch as a stepping stone for their own future ranch.
This is the first time I've read this book independently since leaving school. School definitely made this book feel longer but it was a quick evening read of 120 pages.
Reading it in Secondary School, I used to think Curley's wife was the villain of the story. But having read it now as an adult, there are no villains. It is just a concise social commentary on life in 1930s America:
1. Sexism: Curley's wife didn't even have her own name and based on her conversation with Lennie, she didn't even have her own life - she just married Curley to get back at her mother. Dreamt of being an actress and making a name for herself.
2. Racism: Crooks also didn't even have his own name. He lived on his own, segregated from the rest of his colleagues based on the colour of his skin. He put up with racist slurs being hurled at him constantly.
3. Ableism: Crooks' nickname comes from his injury. Candy and Lennie get left out of the men's outing to town. And George frequently tells Lennie that Lennie is a burden.
The book is not well-written by modern standards for sure: racist, misogynistic and ableist terminology is rife. The repetition also becomes a bit painful at times. But in little over 100 pages, you understand the characters and there is no need to continue it much further than where it ends.
The story is wanting the American Dream. Everyone in this story wants it, dreams of it, works for it. But in the end, no one really achieves it.
This is the first time I've read this book independently since leaving school. School definitely made this book feel longer but it was a quick evening read of 120 pages.
Reading it in Secondary School, I used to think Curley's wife was the villain of the story. But having read it now as an adult, there are no villains. It is just a concise social commentary on life in 1930s America:
1. Sexism: Curley's wife didn't even have her own name and based on her conversation with Lennie, she didn't even have her own life - she just married Curley to get back at her mother. Dreamt of being an actress and making a name for herself.
2. Racism: Crooks also didn't even have his own name. He lived on his own, segregated from the rest of his colleagues based on the colour of his skin. He put up with racist slurs being hurled at him constantly.
3. Ableism: Crooks' nickname comes from his injury. Candy and Lennie get left out of the men's outing to town. And George frequently tells Lennie that Lennie is a burden.
The book is not well-written by modern standards for sure: racist, misogynistic and ableist terminology is rife. The repetition also becomes a bit painful at times. But in little over 100 pages, you understand the characters and there is no need to continue it much further than where it ends.
The story is wanting the American Dream. Everyone in this story wants it, dreams of it, works for it. But in the end, no one really achieves it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
clockwork_hel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i read this for school, of course that made me hate it more than I already did
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
beereading90's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ich weiß nicht was ich dazu sagen soll.
Es scheint alles nicht ausreichend zu sein um dieses Buch zu beschreiben.
Steinbeck ist solch ein meisterhafter Erzähler.
Er schafft es so viel auf so wenigen Seiten zu sagen. Man denkt man hat einen dicken Roman gelesen.
Sobald man das Ende erreicht hat wird einem klar, dass die erste Hälfte komplett forshadowing war und man es am liebsten noch einmal lesen möchte.
Es scheint alles nicht ausreichend zu sein um dieses Buch zu beschreiben.
Steinbeck ist solch ein meisterhafter Erzähler.
Er schafft es so viel auf so wenigen Seiten zu sagen. Man denkt man hat einen dicken Roman gelesen.
Sobald man das Ende erreicht hat wird einem klar, dass die erste Hälfte komplett forshadowing war und man es am liebsten noch einmal lesen möchte.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Violence
bmessierlegendre's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Magnifique roman graphique, les illustrations sont à tomber par terre! L’histoire est d’ailleurs tout aussi prenante, malgré qu’elle a mal vieilli sous certains aspects (i.e. le seul personnage féminin et son rôle dans l’histoire). J’ai même versé une larme à la fin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty
lunababybat's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Honestly, this was going to be a 2 or 3 star for me initially. I wasn't really relating to the characters or time period at first, but the more you read, the more you understand. And the ending shook me. I actually felt some deep emotions about George's decision, a long with being impressed with foreshadowing earlier in the story. This is a tale of what friendship during hardship really means, and how sometimes mercy can look brutal without the proper context.
Not a 5 star because the misogyny and racism were tough for me to get through (I understand it's an old story and "things were different then" but I also don't have to be comfortable with it).
Not a 5 star because the misogyny and racism were tough for me to get through (I understand it's an old story and "things were different then" but I also don't have to be comfortable with it).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Racism
giuliana_ferrari's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexual assault
kearneth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I do understand why some people would love this (I guess), I truly hated the experience of reading this novel. I found the characters to feel performative and hollow, and I truly was not able to get anything beneficial out of reading this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, and Violence