Steinbeck fans discussion

Just finished The Moon is Down. Wondering if anyone would like to talk about it?

I absolutely loved this book, I read it in one hour at work. I always feel like I am really experiencing what his characters are and in this one I really loved how their spirits never died, they kept fighting instead of lying down and giving up. The ending was perfect, I felt like they would triumph over the invaders.

LOVED IT!

Yes, I thought it was great too. I thought Steinbeck got it perfectly what people under the Nazi or any extreme needed to hear. No wonder everyone was printing it.

I need to read this, I think. You guys have made it sound very interesting!
Thanks for contributing to this site!

This one is generally derided as a work of propaganda, and Steinbeck himself didn't seem to take it too seriously. But if it is mere propaganda, it's the only work of propaganda that's ever been accused of being sympathetic to the enemy -- James Thurber savaged Steinbeck in The New Yorker for creating sympathetic Nazis.

I don't think it is mere propaganda. It has aged well and remains relevant.

I have a 1942 British edition, with "WAR ECONOMY -- This book is produced in complete conformity with the authorized economy standards" printed inside the front cover. It's one of my most prized books.

I have recently reread this. There are some very timely elements, such as the invading soldiers expecting to be warmly welcomed and being shocked by the hostility of the local people.

While interesting as a piece of propaganda, I do not find it to be a satisfactory read as a piece of fiction.

Four years since the last comment in this topic -

I recently read The Moon Is Down. A pretty good story, but not my favorite Steinbeck. His style seems somewhat variable over the years, but the style of writing in this book isn't like other Steinbeck I've read. If I hadn't known the author, I don't know that I would have recognized it was Steinbeck.

One thing I found a little peculiar was that I don't think the nationalities were ever identified. We can easily recognize the invaders as Germans in WWII, but I think I only knew that the townspeople were Norwegian from something I read before picking up the book.