Reviews

Hard to believe I haven’t read Steinbeck in over 30
years . he is able to capture the plight of humans so well. Men who need their symbols are the most dangerous of all aren’t they ?

devinb333's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

cricca's review against another edition

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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

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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

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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.

josi767's review against another edition

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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

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