John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters." During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward F. Ricketts, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies. Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists.
This is a short and easy read and I actually enjoyed the book surprisingly enough. The type of characters introduced in this book aren’t normally my cup of tea...but, Steinbeck still manages to have a way for me to be drawn into the storyline and enjoy these characters nonetheless
So these characters...Let’s just say a gallon of wine is like water to them, and they’d do anything to get more of it 😂
Presented with these type of characters, the story manages to be funny, genuine, and heartfelt which is why I’m surprised to say that I actually enjoyed this book!
It’s not a big contender like other Steinbeck novels such as Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden. But I find myself amazed how Steinbeck is able to take such unlikeable characters and present them in such a way that gave me feelings towards them other than distaste. Overall, I felt and understood these characters, and it takes the talent of Steinbeck to draw any of these emotions out of me.
Steinbeck is just great, I savor his books. This was a story told with a fairy tale, "once upon a time" feel (complete with occasional overblown thee and thy sort of language), in which nothing much happens but great all the same because Steinbeck.
This is a classic. That’s all I have to say really. The book and characters will be with me my whole life. The ending got me. TEARSSSSSSS. It caught me off guard but it had an amazing ending! ♥️♥️♥️
I did not like the cursing, using the Lord's name in vain and such. There were also references to drinking, prostitution, fighting, stealing, and gambling that I disliked as well. The story lines were alright. The characters in these books were shady, unethical, hence all the above references. The style of the author's writing was excellent, profound drama. I watched my brother play Lennie last year in our local theater group, Great River Players, and the ending moved me to tears, makes you wonder if mercy killing is still murder. I probably won't read these books again, but since I like reading classics, I'll probably read John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath."
I really love the way John Steinbeck writes. All the metaphors and descriptive language is incredible, but his choice of topics always irritates me. All of his books are based in California and all are somber, morbid, and generally frustrating. They are very well-written, though.
Still my two most favorite stories of all time. Steinbeck's way of seamlessly writing a story makes me feel like I'm sitting in a room with an old friend, drinking a beer and just catching up on our lives.
Steinbeck is one of my all-time favourite authors, doing what so few twentieth-century writers do well, telling men's stories and giving them a voice they would otherwise not find for themselves.