ilchinealach reviewed In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
Review of 'In Dubious Battle' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
starts off incredibly strong, I was convinced I was going to love this. around the halfway point though the labour activity the novel had been building towards takes off and Steinbeck makes the unforgiveable decision of having armed stand-offs represented off-stage, to be narrated later by witnesses who take regular breaks to explain each others motivations. Steinbeck also has a love interest who is supposed to be the simple, earthy contrast to the novel's scenic default (men debating strategy and ethics) but she just comes across as, well, very child-like.
finally there's a character who sets out plans adequate to defeating the local reactionary militia which leads to a lot of very rote and stodgy discussions on means versus ends, in a way that helps me realise why this is Barack Obama's favourite novel.
