 Remembered forever |
| Review Date: July 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Book Bug, Johannesburg, gauteng, ZA |
| When I was about 11, I took this book off my parent's bookshelf, because I thought I would liked the mice in the story. I had never heard of John Steinbeck - I am not native English speaking and don't live in America. Reading it captivated me and changed the way I viewed books forever, in a way no other book ever had, and could do since. The writing is so elegant, so simple, so even and uncomplicated that at first it deceives one into believing the story was simply about two brothers and a girl. And it was - simple enough at that age for me to grasp and be moved by it. As a child, this book turned me into a reader of adult books. It was a turning point in the reading choices I made since, and my expectations of literature up to this day. When I read the book again as an adult, it had lost none of the simplicity but gripped me even more deeply, since I could fully understand the tragedy and violence. This book is absolutely essential reading, and I will give it to my children and every child I know. I am eternally grateful that it was written and that I stumbled upon it. |
Not for the light hearted
|
| Review Date: July 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: NYM, |
| A beautiful story written by a master, but don't be mistaken that it's all butterflies and rainbows. There are plenty of vulgar phrases and disturbing themes. |
Of Men and Mice
|
| Review Date: July 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Iris Netters, |
| Thank you for an easy transaction. The book is in great condition - as described. |
A true classic!
|
| Review Date: July 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Patrick A. Kellner, Atlanta |
"Of Mice and Men", by John Steinbeck.
Depression era California; George and his mentally challenged friend Lennie are migrant workers who hope one day, like many in their position, to be in control of their life. If things go right they just might be able to put enough money together to buy that piece of property and live off of the fat of the land. Raise chickens and rabbits and live out a simple yet pleasant life which isn't an uncommon theme for the time. Just a few more jobs and their dream might be realized...
The story told in "Of Mice and Men" is simple and straight forward enough however the richness within is delivered in Steinbeck's ability to quickly draw strong characters and set the tone not only in each scene but for the times in which the characters live as well.
The good: As stated this story is all about Steinbeck's ability to present strong characters and give the reader a good feel and understanding of the time and place in which the story takes place.
The Bad: Nothing memorable.
Overall: "Of Mice and Men" is worthy of the moniker `Classic' and deserves your attention. Pick it up and give it a read.
|
"We're gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an' live on the fatta the lan'"
|
| Review Date: June 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Michelle A., |
One of the most incredible things that I have found reading Steinbeck is his ability to manipulate my mind set and opinions of his characters. I found this most relevant in OF MICE AND MEN.
Though I had nothing in common with either of the main characters, in no time I started to relate to them through their emotions of lonliness and that desperation to find an ideal to cling to and look forward to. Taking the journey with them to the farm and interacting with the other people helping, Steinbeck tells a beautifully written story through dialogue. This story has detailed, but limited descriptions of settings. I for one really enjoyed this aspect after reading GRAPES OF WRATH which has both vivid descriptions and dialogue.
Through the book, the reader witnesses Lennie constantly being lectured for every action he makes but still stays loyal and warm to George. This story actually reminded me of an abusive relationship when I first started reading it. George, being the abuser, is extremely negative, and verbally abusive to Lennie. Yet, the reader can feel how much love he has for Lennie as well. At first I hated George. He reminded me of Mo from the Three Stooges. I hated seeing him be so controlling and unkind to Lennie. As the story unfolded though I warmed up to George until the last pages where I went through a stage of shock, and then anger, and then pity for George. To bring all those emotions out of someone within about fifteen pages I was fully impressed.
I only wish I would've gotten the opportunity to read this in school instead of reading it on my own so I could compare perspectives and opinions on the book. |
Of Mice and Men
|
| Review Date: June 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ms. 90, Maryland |
| Well written, easy to read and kept my interest from beginning to end - although I was disappointed by some of the language - I understand it was the language of the day. |
Like walking into a cloudburst. . .
|
| Review Date: June 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Ackerman, |
Of Mice and Men is an extremely well written novella about itinerant farmer workers in 1930s California. The piece is tightly crafted with nary a needless word, the dialogue is so vivid that you feel like more like you're eavesdropping on people standing beside you than reading fiction and the story is poignant and controversial: you could have a good debate with someone about the motivations of the characters.
And yet, I have to admit that I admired the novella more than I enjoyed it. It has more foreshadowing than almost anything else I've ever read, enough that I could quickly piece together the scraps I've picked up by accident (as so many people read it, especially in high school). This quickly gave me a pit in my stomach as I was reading. This proved to be a serious distraction. I could recognize the art -- I bought another Steinbeck while I was still reading it -- but it's even heavier than I anticipated. (This is a testament to how the subject matter is handled, but it is just overwhelmingly raw.)
One thing I'm surprised that more of the other reviewers don't mention is how much it reads like a screenplay. The work was quickly turned into a stage play and no wonder: virtually everything takes place through dialogue. Even the backstory, which writers usually describe, is maneuvered into a slightly implausible conversation. (It seems like George is too cautious to tell everything he relays to a farmhand he just met.) And the written descriptions feel like stage directions: "On one side of the little room there was a square four-paned window, and on the other, a narrow plank door leading into the barn." |
Of Mice and Men
|
| Review Date: May 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Cyndie Browning, Tulsa, OK USA |
| I've heard about _Of Mice and Men_ all my life but had never read it. Gary Sinise does a fine job of reading it, with different voices for each character. The story is simple but almost horrifying as I watched Lenny accidently "pet" Curly's wife to death, and then realized that George is going to kill Lenny rather than let him suffer a trial, prison, or execution. This short story was SO good that I plan to read more of Steinbeck's books from now on. |
Well done audiobook, but disturbing story
|
| Review Date: April 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Volkert Volkersz, Snohomish, WA United States |
Gary Sinise does an amazing job of bringing the story and characters in "Of Mice and Men" to life in the complete and unabridged audiobook.
Having said that, the story itself is rather disturbing and one wonders why it became required reading in so many high schools across the land.
It's a an interesting time peace, reflecting the Great Depression in California, but these are rough characters, with rough language and behavior. There are so many more uplifting works of fiction out there for our young people to read or hear.
|
Masterpiece of Concise Writing
|
| Review Date: April 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Katie Lieber, |
| Steinbeck has a great talent of telling a profound story with simple sentences, basic vocabulary, and a straight forward plot. The strength of the story is in great characters and the tone of the story. Not many books have touched my life like this one. It's hard not to feel for Lennie and George and become angry at the world for there being no place for someone like Lennie at that point in time. It's a truly moving story that should be read by everyone at least once. |
The Odd Couple: a tragedy.
|
| Review Date: February 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: David Lupo, Fairhaven, MA USA |
Here is another classic that slipped by me during my school years. What a powerful novel. It's hard to find this sort of caliber fiction in the popular market today. In a time of early rugged individualism, in the years of the Depression, here come Lenny and George. They are an oddity to the field workers they join to garner a living. It is all too transparent that the clumsy, oversized, highly-challenged Lenny needs his pal, George. He is lost without him, a walking tragedy that needs constant monitoring. What is less clear is why George continues his relationship with Lenny. Often George ponders what life might be without him. Might it be that rugged individuals experience a loneliness that is too painful?
Steinback's novel reads like a stageplay. One cannot differentiate the description of props from the description of experienced reality. Outside the text of the powerful drama, Steinbeck ends a chapter by context, noting a truck's passing on a distant road, or the noises of animals outside. The result is fascinating, enlarging the drama, and including the reader therein. Some years ago I read "Cannery Row", but I only vaguely remember it. This work will stay with me.
The characters are real, walking into the barn, and the play right off the fields as Steinbeck studied them; Slim; Candy; Crooks: Carlson. Of course, there has to be Curley, let alone his nameless wife. They all knew she was trouble, except Lennie. And therein lies the tragedy. A mouse? No problem. A puppy? Hmmm. A woman? Big problem! The tragic ending severs a relationship. But Slim offers hope, another chance.
A wonderful, powerful story of the human condition. |
A powerful exploration of loneliness and helplessness!
|
| Review Date: February 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Paul Weiss, Dundas, Ontario Canada |
The tension and pathos in John Steinbeck's "playable novel", "Of Mice and Men" is palpable. It tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two itinerant field workers in 1930s depression era California. Milton, a cynical, intelligent man, by a combination of habit, intent, solicitude, friendship, love, loneliness and, one might even say, bad luck, has allowed himself to become the surrogate father or brother for his companion traveler, Lennie Small. Small, (undoubtedly a name chosen by Steinbeck for its irony) is a retarded adult with the social skills and gracelessness of a young child, trapped in the body of an enormous and physically powerful man.
Forced to run away from their last job when Small was wrongfully accused of rape, Milton and Small have now found a quiet farm and a crew with which they hope they work long enough to accumulate a stake. They want to buy a small piece of property that they can farm for themselves. Lennie's sole childlike dream for retirement is to live with his friend George and "tend rabbits". But, once again, Small's complete lack of adult social skills and the failure to understand the magnitude of his own strength undermine their dreams when Curley, the owner's mean-spirited and small-minded son draws Small into a fight and his lonely wife uses her attractiveness and feminine wiles to draw him into a conversation that ends in tragedy.
"Of Mice and Men" is a short novella. At only 118 pages, it can be digested in a mere two to three hours. Written as a "playable novel", the story is told almost exclusively in dialogue with the intent that it would translate easily into a three act play. Such small bits of narrative and exposition as exist in the story actually serve more by way of stage directions and hints as to the scenery backdrop that might be used in the live stage production that Steinbeck envisaged when he wrote it.
But for all its simplicity and brevity, the power and pathos of the themes of helplessness and loneliness embodied in Steinbeck's story are not to be denied. As with so many other classic novels that I've finally had the good sense to read over the last two years, I feel like I've not only come late to the party but all of the other party-goers have already come and gone. Well, I'm sure I wasn't the only one but if you're one of the few people who read and enjoy classic literature in the English language, "Of Mice and Men" deserves a place on your must-read list. It will be a hard-hearted reader indeed who comes away from "Of Mice and Men" without a lump in the throat.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
|
Of Mice and Men
|
| Review Date: January 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Luxx Mishley, |
One of the first things I noticed while reading Of Mice and Men was a sense of comfort on the part of the narration; the descriptions and character development seemed so natural that the sense of realism was undeniable. Although there is much that Steinbeck keeps to himself in terms of his main characters, I found Lennie and George to be well-rounded and honest - simple men trying to keep their heads above their water as they pursue (to different degrees) what qualified as "the good life" for two migratory farm hands.
Much to my surprise, I had no real emotional response to the novel. I tend to be a very emotive reader, and more often than not will respond passionately to what I read. However, Steinbeck has left me feeling completely neutral; I was not particularly invested in the characters or events of the book, and found the conclusion neither satisfying nor disappointing. In the end I'm willing to consider this neutrality a positive result of the trial - I didn't hate the book, so I'm more open to reading something along the lives of Travels with Charlie, but I also didn't love it, so I doubt I'll be tackling The Grapes of Wrath anytime soon. |
classic
|
| Review Date: January 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Matthew Bogusz, New Providence, NJ USA |
| this was a great read especially since Recession 2 just happened. it's short but good. worthy of reading again. it's a classic. |
Gary Sinise is captivating
|
| Review Date: December 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Anne P. Steiner, Stockton, CA USA |
| This is a great audio book. Gary Sinise captures each character of this classic with a fluidity that draws the listener deep into the story. After reading the book several times, and seeing both film versions, I felt like I was experiencing the story for the first time. |
|
Copyright © 2010
I just got done reading this book in my Journalistic Writing class and I must say I really enjoyed this book. The whole plot of the story was amazing and every character seemed to have its own personality wanting to shine through and speak its mind. When you read this book it just leaves you wanting more…you just want to keep reading it. That is something I always look in a book for…that it so good I can’t put it down and “of Mice and Men” accomplished that.
Cheech´s last blog post..Feelings Continued…
I read this book over the summer for summer work. At first, I did not want to continue, but after about the third chapter, I couldn’t stop. Steinbeck did a good job writing this book and packing it with many themes and motifs. Making a long story short, read the book, you WILL enjoy it!
I love this book. I had the opportunity to sub in an english class last year and I had a know it all teenager tell me that there is no purpose to reading this book. I quickly taught her the importance of this book.
So many of our classics are being forgotten.
Heathers last blog post..July Book Blowout Results
And it fits well with the classics challenge! I can’t remember if this was on your original list or not. Anyway, I’ve heard really great things about this book and his others, but for some reason I’m intimidated by Steinbeck. I think maybe because East of Eden is so gigantic (although I know his others are much shorter). Glad you liked it–I’ll definitely have to keep my eye for this one.
Trishs last blog post..The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde