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tomgenue's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
garbagebarge69's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Sexism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, and Death
Minor: Violence, Alcohol, and Physical abuse
saku_3939x's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sara_stars567765's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
First, let me just say that I didn't go into this book willing; I had to read this in school in preparation for my exam. Otherwise, this would have remained a known book in the invisible shelf of classic books I am never going to read. And let's just say that my intuition is usually correct, as I did not enjoy this all that much, compared to my other school novel, The Outsiders by SE Hinton. I actually really liked that book, but I was planning to read that anyways.
The intro was good, with enough information to give us a rough idea of the background, but not too much that we get bored instantly.
The middle portion of the book is just about George and Lennie working, and in between there isa discussion with Candy about moving and buying their own land. Candy's dog also gets shot, which hints at the way that Lennie's life got ended. And we also meet Crooks, like, once.
The amount of foreshadowing in this book is crazy. And I really really hate foreshadowing, because, let's face it, it always hints at something bad, and never good. It is just downright frustrating. But apparently we need a whole lotta foreshadowing to be considered a classic book.
The ending was very abrupt. I obviously knew that the end of the book was coming, but if I ignored the pages, then I would've been left saying 'That's it?' at the end of the book. To be honest,Lennie had it coming for him since the start of the book. We all sorta knew it was going to happen, even if we didn't know how. Having an intellectual disability during the Great Depression was never going to go smoothly.
Even though it was abrupt, the ending works, and it brings along the sense of finality. And melancholy with it. I suppose it also reflects that the person George's life was centred around is gone, and so the book ends. George being the one to end him was better than Curley doing so , but I feel like there was a hint of desperation in his actions. Like this was the one thing that he could control of Lennie, and he pounced for the chance. It also matches his below-the-radar personality.
Curley's wife deserves a name, even if she low-key annoyed me during the first half of the book. But I respect the author's decision not to, which truly reflects the idea of women at the time. But either way, I am going to call her Ashley from here on now. She was hugely blamed by the men as being their ruination, and even whenLennie kills her,both Lennie and Candy are shown to be asking why she got in the way of their dream. Bruh, no.
Ashley reminded me an awful lot of Raphina from the movie Sing Street (which we also had to study for our course). They both wear make-up as a barrier against the outside world. They also both wanted to be famous, though Raphina wanted to be a model, and Ashley wanted to be an actress. They both used their good looks as a coping mechanisms, Raphina as a face of a supposed model, and Ashley to flirt with the ranch men.
Lennie was similar to a huge child, and we really get many instances where we see this. He doesn't know right from wrong, but only what George tells him. His disability really pulls on the hearts of the audience, as we can never blame him for anything, even all the bad things.
George reminds me of typical main characters with heavy responsibilities. He deals with Lennie in an endearing, yet irritated way. He feels weighed down by Lennie, but still cares for him. His choice at the end of the book might seem cruel, but it was the right decision, I feel. It brings a sense of closure about.
Curley was such a weird guy. He tries to impress his wife constantly, almost like he wants to prove himself worthy, but also goes all possessive over her. I guess it is kinda hard to determine who was actually the boss in the couple.
One guy I was iffy about was Slim. He should've been a cool guy, but he feels sorta weird to me. He is described as confident, everyone trust him, his word is law etc. But we don't really get any reason to why he is like that, or any background on him at all.
"He neither encouraged nor discouraged him". The author is really trying to sell us this person, but my man isn't getting there. It just feels superficial to me (my English teacher would heavily disagree). He also seems like a fraudster, or the guy who would betray them in the end, lol. I see why Ashley would like him though.
Candy and Crooks sort of just existed.
The writing is nice, but at times there is a lot of description, and sometimes not all that much. For example, how things are said. I was following along the audiobook with a paperback edition of this book, and for the most part, i was reading ahead unconsciously. And when the audio caught up to that part, it narrated the dialogue differently to how I had imagined it in my head.
But other than that, the book was paced nicely, and it was easy enough to follow along. The book was short, which I liked, because I wouldn't be able to stand reading a full length book of this. No offence, but it wasn't the most immersive. Anyways, my class reads at a much a slower pace than I would've, which is why my reading dates are so long.
Overall, I liked this book as much as I expected to like a classic book, which is in the 'meh' bracket. Would I read another one of John Steinback's books. Nope, not at all. But I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy, short read, while also trying to read more classical literature.
↝3.25 stars
The intro was good, with enough information to give us a rough idea of the background, but not too much that we get bored instantly.
The middle portion of the book is just about George and Lennie working, and in between there is
The amount of foreshadowing in this book is crazy. And I really really hate foreshadowing, because, let's face it, it always hints at something bad, and never good. It is just downright frustrating. But apparently we need a whole lotta foreshadowing to be considered a classic book.
The ending was very abrupt. I obviously knew that the end of the book was coming, but if I ignored the pages, then I would've been left saying 'That's it?' at the end of the book. To be honest,
Even though it was abrupt, the ending works, and it brings along the sense of finality. And melancholy with it. I suppose it also reflects that the person George's life was centred around is gone, and so the book ends. George being the one to end him was better than Curley doing so , but I feel like there was a hint of desperation in his actions. Like this was the one thing that he could control of Lennie, and he pounced for the chance. It also matches his below-the-radar personality.
Curley's wife deserves a name, even if she low-key annoyed me during the first half of the book. But I respect the author's decision not to, which truly reflects the idea of women at the time. But either way, I am going to call her Ashley from here on now. She was hugely blamed by the men as being their ruination, and even when
Ashley reminded me an awful lot of Raphina from the movie Sing Street (which we also had to study for our course). They both wear make-up as a barrier against the outside world. They also both wanted to be famous, though Raphina wanted to be a model, and Ashley wanted to be an actress. They both used their good looks as a coping mechanisms, Raphina as a face of a supposed model, and Ashley to flirt with the ranch men.
Lennie was similar to a huge child, and we really get many instances where we see this. He doesn't know right from wrong, but only what George tells him. His disability really pulls on the hearts of the audience, as we can never blame him for anything, even all the bad things.
George reminds me of typical main characters with heavy responsibilities. He deals with Lennie in an endearing, yet irritated way. He feels weighed down by Lennie, but still cares for him. His choice at the end of the book might seem cruel, but it was the right decision, I feel. It brings a sense of closure about.
Curley was such a weird guy. He tries to impress his wife constantly, almost like he wants to prove himself worthy, but also goes all possessive over her. I guess it is kinda hard to determine who was actually the boss in the couple.
One guy I was iffy about was Slim. He should've been a cool guy, but he feels sorta weird to me. He is described as confident, everyone trust him, his word is law etc. But we don't really get any reason to why he is like that, or any background on him at all.
"He neither encouraged nor discouraged him". The author is really trying to sell us this person, but my man isn't getting there. It just feels superficial to me (my English teacher would heavily disagree). He also seems like a fraudster, or the guy who would betray them in the end, lol. I see why Ashley would like him though.
Candy and Crooks sort of just existed.
The writing is nice, but at times there is a lot of description, and sometimes not all that much. For example, how things are said. I was following along the audiobook with a paperback edition of this book, and for the most part, i was reading ahead unconsciously. And when the audio caught up to that part, it narrated the dialogue differently to how I had imagined it in my head.
But other than that, the book was paced nicely, and it was easy enough to follow along. The book was short, which I liked, because I wouldn't be able to stand reading a full length book of this. No offence, but it wasn't the most immersive. Anyways, my class reads at a much a slower pace than I would've, which is why my reading dates are so long.
Overall, I liked this book as much as I expected to like a classic book, which is in the 'meh' bracket. Would I read another one of John Steinback's books. Nope, not at all. But I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy, short read, while also trying to read more classical literature.
↝3.25 stars
sara_stars567765's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.25
First, let me just say that I didn't go into this book willing; I had to read this in school in preparation for my exam. Otherwise, this would have remained a known book in the invisible shelf of classic books I am never going to read. And let's just say that my intuition is usually correct, as I did not enjoy this all that much, compared to my other school novel, The Outsiders by SE Hinton. I actually really liked that book, but I was planning to read that anyways.
The intro was good, with enough information to give us a rough idea of the background, but not too much that we get bored instantly.
The middle portion of the book is just about George and Lennie working, and in between there isa discussion with Candy about moving and buying their own land. Candy's dog also gets shot, which hints at the way that Lennie's life got ended. And we also meet Crooks, like, once.
The amount of foreshadowing in this book is crazy. And I really really hate foreshadowing, because, let's face it, it always hints at something bad, and never good. It is just downright frustrating. But apparently we need a whole lotta foreshadowing to be considered a classic book.
The ending was very abrupt. I obviously knew that the end of the book was coming, but if I ignored the pages, then I would've been left saying 'That's it?' at the end of the book. To be honest,Lennie had it coming for him since the start of the book. We all sorta knew it was going to happen, even if we didn't know how. Having an intellectual disability during the Great Depression was never going to go smoothly.
Even though it was abrupt, the ending works, and it brings along the sense of finality. And melancholy with it. I suppose it also reflects that the person George's life was centred around is gone, and so the book ends. George being the one to end him was better than Curley doing so , but I feel like there was a hint of desperation in his actions. Like this was the one thing that he could control of Lennie, and he pounced for the chance. It also matches his below-the-radar personality.
Curley's wife deserves a name, even if she low-key annoyed me during the first half of the book. But I respect the author's decision not to, which truly reflects the idea of women at the time. But either way, I am going to call her Ashley from here on now. She was hugely blamed by the men as being their ruination, and even whenLennie kills her,both Lennie and Candy are shown to be asking why she got in the way of their dream. Bruh, no.
Ashley reminded me an awful lot of Raphina from the movie Sing Street (which we also had to study for our course). They both wear make-up as a barrier against the outside world. They also both wanted to be famous, though Raphina wanted to be a model, and Ashley wanted to be an actress. They both used their good looks as a coping mechanisms, Raphina as a face of a supposed model, and Ashley to flirt with the ranch men.
Lennie was similar to a huge child, and we really get many instances where we see this. He doesn't know right from wrong, but only what George tells him. His disability really pulls on the hearts of the audience, as we can never blame him for anything, even all the bad things.
George reminds me of typical main characters with heavy responsibilities. He deals with Lennie in an endearing, yet irritated way. He feels weighed down by Lennie, but still cares for him. His choice at the end of the book might seem cruel, but it was the right decision, I feel. It brings a sense of closure about.
Curley was such a weird guy. He tries to impress his wife constantly, almost like he wants to prove himself worthy, but also goes all possessive over her. I guess it is kinda hard to determine who was actually the boss in the couple.
One guy I was iffy about was Slim. He should've been a cool guy, but he feels sorta weird to me. He is described as confident, everyone trust him, his word is law etc. But we don't really get any reason to why he is like that, or any background on him at all.
"He neither encouraged nor discouraged him". The author is really trying to sell us this person, but my man isn't getting there. It just feels superficial to me (my English teacher would heavily disagree). He also seems like a fraudster, or the guy who would betray them in the end, lol. I see why Ashley would like him though.
Candy and Crooks sort of just existed.
The writing is nice, but at times there is a lot of description, and sometimes not all that much. For example, how things are said. I was following along the audiobook with a paperback edition of this book, and for the most part, i was reading ahead unconsciously. And when the audio caught up to that part, it narrated the dialogue differently to how I had imagined it in my head.
But other than that, the book was paced nicely, and it was easy enough to follow along. The book was short, which I liked, because I wouldn't be able to stand reading a full length book of this. No offence, but it wasn't the most immersive. Anyways, my class reads at a much a slower pace than I would've, which is why my reading dates are so long.
Overall, I liked this book as much as I expected to like a classic book, which is in the 'meh' bracket. Would I read another one of John Steinback's books. Nope, not at all. But I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy, short read, while also trying to read more classical literature.
↝3.25 stars
The intro was good, with enough information to give us a rough idea of the background, but not too much that we get bored instantly.
The middle portion of the book is just about George and Lennie working, and in between there is
The amount of foreshadowing in this book is crazy. And I really really hate foreshadowing, because, let's face it, it always hints at something bad, and never good. It is just downright frustrating. But apparently we need a whole lotta foreshadowing to be considered a classic book.
The ending was very abrupt. I obviously knew that the end of the book was coming, but if I ignored the pages, then I would've been left saying 'That's it?' at the end of the book. To be honest,
Even though it was abrupt, the ending works, and it brings along the sense of finality. And melancholy with it. I suppose it also reflects that the person George's life was centred around is gone, and so the book ends. George being the one to end him was better than Curley doing so , but I feel like there was a hint of desperation in his actions. Like this was the one thing that he could control of Lennie, and he pounced for the chance. It also matches his below-the-radar personality.
Curley's wife deserves a name, even if she low-key annoyed me during the first half of the book. But I respect the author's decision not to, which truly reflects the idea of women at the time. But either way, I am going to call her Ashley from here on now. She was hugely blamed by the men as being their ruination, and even when
Ashley reminded me an awful lot of Raphina from the movie Sing Street (which we also had to study for our course). They both wear make-up as a barrier against the outside world. They also both wanted to be famous, though Raphina wanted to be a model, and Ashley wanted to be an actress. They both used their good looks as a coping mechanisms, Raphina as a face of a supposed model, and Ashley to flirt with the ranch men.
Lennie was similar to a huge child, and we really get many instances where we see this. He doesn't know right from wrong, but only what George tells him. His disability really pulls on the hearts of the audience, as we can never blame him for anything, even all the bad things.
George reminds me of typical main characters with heavy responsibilities. He deals with Lennie in an endearing, yet irritated way. He feels weighed down by Lennie, but still cares for him. His choice at the end of the book might seem cruel, but it was the right decision, I feel. It brings a sense of closure about.
Curley was such a weird guy. He tries to impress his wife constantly, almost like he wants to prove himself worthy, but also goes all possessive over her. I guess it is kinda hard to determine who was actually the boss in the couple.
One guy I was iffy about was Slim. He should've been a cool guy, but he feels sorta weird to me. He is described as confident, everyone trust him, his word is law etc. But we don't really get any reason to why he is like that, or any background on him at all.
"He neither encouraged nor discouraged him". The author is really trying to sell us this person, but my man isn't getting there. It just feels superficial to me (my English teacher would heavily disagree). He also seems like a fraudster, or the guy who would betray them in the end, lol. I see why Ashley would like him though.
Candy and Crooks sort of just existed.
The writing is nice, but at times there is a lot of description, and sometimes not all that much. For example, how things are said. I was following along the audiobook with a paperback edition of this book, and for the most part, i was reading ahead unconsciously. And when the audio caught up to that part, it narrated the dialogue differently to how I had imagined it in my head.
But other than that, the book was paced nicely, and it was easy enough to follow along. The book was short, which I liked, because I wouldn't be able to stand reading a full length book of this. No offence, but it wasn't the most immersive. Anyways, my class reads at a much a slower pace than I would've, which is why my reading dates are so long.
Overall, I liked this book as much as I expected to like a classic book, which is in the 'meh' bracket. Would I read another one of John Steinback's books. Nope, not at all. But I would recommend to anyone looking for an easy, short read, while also trying to read more classical literature.
↝3.25 stars
cordeliacondron's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like I would really love this novella if I hadn't hadn't studied it for GCSE.
hakimbriki's review against another edition
5.0
This is pretty much one of my favorite books. Of Mice and Men has a timeless quality to it, a narrative and emotional singularity that made me love reading back when I was a kid.
Reading it a second time reinforced my fondness for Steinbeck's marvelous, vividly descriptive and genuinely heartbreaking prose and brought back a few good memories.
Reading it a second time reinforced my fondness for Steinbeck's marvelous, vividly descriptive and genuinely heartbreaking prose and brought back a few good memories.
saku_3939x's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
justovereherereading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is a re-read for me, having first read it for my brother who had to write an essay about it but didn’t want to read the book!
I don’t know how I forgot what this book was about because it’s such an emotional story. Beautifully written.
I don’t know how I forgot what this book was about because it’s such an emotional story. Beautifully written.