A review by froon
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

1.5

this book really didn’t resonate with me. mostly, i was just pouting because i knew what the ending was or cringing because of the excessive racial slurs and misogyny. yes! i understand! this was written in the 1930s! that’s how life was! but that does not oblige me to enjoy reading a book about it. the discussion of this book on goodreads seems tainted by nostalgia and classics snobs who don’t seem to have the ability or nuance to understand that just because something is justified/explainable doesn’t mean it becomes immune from criticism or just plain dislike. 

i picked this up because i was interested in the prolific classic. in the end, i found that i only really enjoyed the parts with lenny and george by themselves (which, unfortunately ends up being just the very beginning and end of the book). additionally, i kept waiting for some sort of reveal or revelation. something about lenny and george’s past or something about when crook said “i wish there was someone there to tell me if what i saw was real or if i was dreaming.” or something with slim. just anything. unfortunately, there was no payoff. 

i don’t agree with people who think it’s ridiculous that this book is taught in schools because i think there’s a lot of academic discussion that can be found here. however, as a book i’m reading for pleasure, i found the experience a bit torturous.
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