John SteinbeckOf Mice and Men
D**A
Steinbeck is a great master story teller
If you haven’t read this classic , you must. His characters are so real and they alwyas tug at your heart.
M**K
A Classic Tale
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a classic story written in the early 1900's. The story is based on two men and their struggle in life. One man, George, small in nature, looking over his large friend Lennie. This is a definite must read for anyone. This story is very popular and is frequently used as a beginner's read by many high schools across the nation.George and Lennie first set out to find new jobs after being forced to flee from their current jobs. At first you are not told why they were fleeing but you knew from the dialect that something bad had occurred and Lennie was to blame. Lennie was a friendly, child-like dimwitted man. What he lacked in brain power he made up tenfold in brawny. He had a large muscular build which enabled him to be a good worker. George on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Lennie. He was small but definitely smarter than his counterpart Lennie. George looked out for Lennie and tried to keep him out of trouble, albeit an impossible task.While reading the story you inevitably know the ending before you even get there. At every turn you are expecting the well intended Lennie to do something horrible. George tries to keep him in line and is successful for most of the story.The main idea is the search for happiness. George and Lennie are working to save enough money to buy their own land and work their own fields. George constantly reassures Lennie that they can achieve their goal and Lennie can have his rabbits to tend to. If Lennie ever slips up then George has to remind him of the future they intended.John Steinbeck has a tremendous ability to set up a visual representation of his story. In the beginning to every chapter, the landscapes and surroundings are vividly detailed making the reader actually believe he is there watching the events take place. Steinbeck follows his structure throughout the book. Each chapter sets up the scene and the conversations between characters tell the story for the remainder of the chapter.Each character in the story is well described. Always described upon first entering the story. Steinbeck also ensured that each person was flawed in some way. Each one had their good traits and their bad. George and Lennie seem to be the good guys in the story even though Lennie is a walking nightmare waiting to happen.You can tell George and Lennie develop a loving relationship. Lennie listens to George and George in return keeps an eye on Lennie. This is definitely a heavy burden placed on George. Finally, in the end Lennie slips up. He kills the boss' daughter-in-law. The event that was being set up all along. A lynch party is sent out to find Lennie. Ultimately it is George that find Lennie. George is forced to kill Lennie for his discretions. Lennie died at the hand of George whilst being promised that brighter future yet another time.Steinbeck makes it seem as though we're all searching for that brighter future that's just out of our grasp. This is one of those books that you can't put down. Although it is not a long read, it is extremely well written.
P**O
Protecting the vulnerable
A conflicting moral dilemma whether to protect the those who don't know what they are doing. The mind of a child in the body of a powerful man can create a monster. George's care and loyalty to Lennie is heart warming.The characters in the book are well crafted. Unfortunately there are too many unintended grammatical errors to award 5 stars.
F**Y
Really Excellent. I Love Both The Vintage Book And The Reading Experince
This review is a work in progress. I have the 1953 book with an introduction by Joseph Henry Jackson. I found the introduction by Mr. Jackson to be very instructive and enjoyable. However it may be for more a student than the casual reader.My book is from The Viking Press. It contains six short novels. They are mostly chronological in the order that John Steinbeck published them. The one exception is that the first short novel in the book is "Tortilla Flat". The second is "The Red Pony". These were composed, I think, in the opposite order. Mr. Jackson explains this. These are followed by "Of Mice and Men", "The Moon Is Down", "Cannery Row", and "The Pearl".I read "The Red Pony First". There is a lot in "The Red Pony" which reminds me "Of Mice and Men". It is episodic. The first episode is "The Gift", which is about a child Jody, and his pony. It is beautiful, poignant, and ultimately painful. The second episode is "The Great Mountains". It actually is about a visitor to the same ranch that is the setting for first story. Jody and his family are in this story, along with an elderly visitor. The next episode is "The Promise" which is, more or less, a sequel to the first story. It is somewhat painful. The last episode is "The Leader of The People" which is a bittersweet story about a senior citizen member of the same family at the ranch. It is my personal favorite episode.I completely enjoyed this novella "Of Mice And Men". It is a relatively short work. It was written in 1937, before The Grapes of Wrath. I had previously read The Grapes of Wrath. I enjoyed this book more. I have very little formal education in regard to literature. So my opinion may be very faulty. Anyway, I felt this work was a more artistic work than The Grapes of Wrath.This work reminded me more of Ermest Hemingway. I was very impressed. As is common with many shorter works, the author leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The reader is left to speculate why certain issues develope and are resolved in certain manners. I felt all the aspects of the relationship between George and Lenny were slightly unclear. The book ended with me wishing I knew more about George. My guess is that is intentional on the part of Mr. Steinbeck.I would like to note that I purchased this "Of Mice and Men" on Kindle and at the same time purchased the audiobook narrated by Gary Sinise. I felt Mr. Sinise was really excellent and I highly recommend the audiobook version as read by Mr. Sinise. Mr. Sinise really added to the pleasure of the reading experience with his very professional performance.
S**7
Short, excellent novella; timeless in post-industrial America
Pro's: (1) inexpensive; (2) very clear, beautifully framed writing; (3) centered on Alienation and the death of the American Dream.Con's: (1) Uses the n-word several times, hence may not be "usable" in a high school curriculum; (2) part of alienation story is alienation from women, which some readers may find unacceptable in today's culture. This alienation is one of the central themes of the story, however.Consider modern American political alienation against this quote (p. 71): "The thing is, they're talking, or the settin' still and not talkin'. It don't make no difference, no difference."
K**R
Bestest Friend
Bestest Friend is set in old farmland. The six friends hangout and play cards and drink. Nobody has their own space except for the black horse whisperer. Great book about how far one would go to have the bestest Friend. Five star. Colleen
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