The second book in John Steinbeck’s labor trilogy, Of Mice and Men is a touching tale of two migrant laborers in search of work and eventual liberation from their social circumstances. Fiercely devoted to one another, George and Lennie plan to save up to finance their dream of someday owning a small piece of land. The pair seems unstoppable until tragedy strikes and their hopes come crashing down, forcing George to make a difficult decision regarding the welfare of his best friend.
The novel is set on a ranch in Soledad, CA. Author Frank Bergon recalls reading Of Mice and Men for the first time as a teenager living in the San Joaquin Valley and remembers how he saw “as if in a jolt of light the ordinary surroundings of [his] life become worthy of literature.” Steinbeck works to propagate the notion that meaningful stories emerge from the marginalized; …
The second book in John Steinbeck’s labor trilogy, Of Mice and Men is a touching tale of two migrant laborers in search of work and eventual liberation from their social circumstances. Fiercely devoted to one another, George and Lennie plan to save up to finance their dream of someday owning a small piece of land. The pair seems unstoppable until tragedy strikes and their hopes come crashing down, forcing George to make a difficult decision regarding the welfare of his best friend.
The novel is set on a ranch in Soledad, CA. Author Frank Bergon recalls reading Of Mice and Men for the first time as a teenager living in the San Joaquin Valley and remembers how he saw “as if in a jolt of light the ordinary surroundings of [his] life become worthy of literature.” Steinbeck works to propagate the notion that meaningful stories emerge from the marginalized; that even those on the fringes of society can make deserving contributions to the literary canon.
I somehow missed these classics in grade school so this was my first time reading "Of Mice and Men", and surprisingly most of the story was not spoiled for me. Not much can be said other than this was a great, alebit tragic, story of friendship.
I somehow missed these classics in grade school so this was my first time reading "Of Mice and Men", and surprisingly most of the story was not spoiled for me. Not much can be said other than this was a great, alebit tragic, story of friendship.
It's difficult to review this book, because there's just so much going on in the story, and it's all over the place, sometimes.
It's the story of two labourers travelling around the US looking for work. George is the relatively smart one, compared to his companion Lennie, who's a bit retarded. Lennie struggles to make sense of the world, while George tries to protect him from doing bad things. The two have a dream of one day earning enough money to buy their own ranch, and they believe this latest job will be the job that finally allows them to do it... if Lennie doesn't mess it up, like he does with everything else.
Lennie's a sad character, but he also possesses a childlike innocence about him. It's clear though, that he can't cope with the demands of their tough lifestyle. There's some racism in the story, with a negro …
It's difficult to review this book, because there's just so much going on in the story, and it's all over the place, sometimes.
It's the story of two labourers travelling around the US looking for work. George is the relatively smart one, compared to his companion Lennie, who's a bit retarded. Lennie struggles to make sense of the world, while George tries to protect him from doing bad things. The two have a dream of one day earning enough money to buy their own ranch, and they believe this latest job will be the job that finally allows them to do it... if Lennie doesn't mess it up, like he does with everything else.
Lennie's a sad character, but he also possesses a childlike innocence about him. It's clear though, that he can't cope with the demands of their tough lifestyle. There's some racism in the story, with a negro character that everyone refers to as "Nigger", although Lennie can't understand why, but it's never fully explored in the story.
Like that character, there are lots of other loose ends, and I think the book could've been a little longer, so that they could've all been tied up properly (or they shouldn't have been introduced in the first place).
Found in a hotel room in New Hampshire, picked up to fill the hours, instead kept me up late into the night finishing it.
As always with Steinbeck, tight, consistent prose that feels like you are sucked along at a fast pace even when the narrative is wandering among the flowers. Even when the end has been clearly telegraphed by foreshadowing, the writing is so tight you cannot look away from the train wreck.
Sidenotes: Society has changed much - and yet little since this slice of the past.
Found in a hotel room in New Hampshire, picked up to fill the hours, instead kept me up late into the night finishing it.
As always with Steinbeck, tight, consistent prose that feels like you are sucked along at a fast pace even when the narrative is wandering among the flowers. Even when the end has been clearly telegraphed by foreshadowing, the writing is so tight you cannot look away from the train wreck.
Sidenotes: Society has changed much - and yet little since this slice of the past.
Review of 'Of MICE and MEN John Steinbeck' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I enjoyed the book but was looking for more...I don't know exactly what I expected. I think I liked Lenny as a character more than anyone in this book. His slowness really appealed to me as I've known some people like that. Maybe my opinion is biased based on this, but it really was a good book, very sad. It was a breeze to read and a little too light to me, considering the plot of the book. The ending was the saddest part. I'd recommend this book for someone looking for a quick, light, heartbreaking read.
I enjoyed the book but was looking for more...I don't know exactly what I expected. I think I liked Lenny as a character more than anyone in this book. His slowness really appealed to me as I've known some people like that. Maybe my opinion is biased based on this, but it really was a good book, very sad. It was a breeze to read and a little too light to me, considering the plot of the book. The ending was the saddest part. I'd recommend this book for someone looking for a quick, light, heartbreaking read.
Review of 'Des souris et des hommes' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Très court et rude, ce roman est écrit de manière brutale. Pas de fioriture. Des dialogues simples et efficaces qui nous plongent dans l’Amérique rurale des années 30, son austérité, sa misère. L’espoir fou de deux hommes très différents mais liés par une amitié profonde, chose rare chez les ouvriers journaliers. Ils voyagent ensemble, George prenant soin de Lennie, incapable de se débrouiller seul. J’avais déjà vu le film de Gary Sinise (dans le rôle de George Milton) avec John Malkovitch (dans le rôle de Lennie), et il m’avait bouleversée. Je n’ai donc pas été surprise par la fin, le suspens étant un peu gâché du coup, mais j’ai apprécié l’écriture sobre et dépouillée de Steinbeck, il va droit au but, relate les faits tels qu’ils sont. L’émotion n’en est que plus intense. Je compte lire d’autres livres de cet auteur que je viens de découvrir.
