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everyatom's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The way that the Grapes of Wrath moves as a story is unlike anything else I remember reading. The story makes the reader feel the abrupt pain of losing the family members that walk off, leave, or die . It never feels whole or complete or like those characters' endings were justified. Because they weren't. And the folks they left behind weren't able to get closure or process the absence of their loved ones. I mourned not only the characters as well as how their family was deprived of proper mourning .
I felt the big swell of the message. Where the Joads' story and painsgot continually harsher, slimmer, and harder to comprehend the message of the book becomes stronger and more epic in scope. The chapters between the story of the Joads' were so important to help the reader get that scope and to see the place of the Joads in the larger, unfair system.
I'll be thinking of this book for years. Can almost guarantee. Just sits deeply in me and feels magnificent in scope, message, and pain.
I felt the big swell of the message. Where the Joads' story and pains
I'll be thinking of this book for years. Can almost guarantee. Just sits deeply in me and feels magnificent in scope, message, and pain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
An unnamed dog is hit in the road and dies in the first part of the booksundayfever's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This read much faster than I expected given how long it is. Interesting and made me reflect. The core issues around class, poverty and respect for the land are still issues today, despite the age of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Murder, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racial slurs
meanbeanreads's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
menomica's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
We can’t depend on it. The bank—the monster has to have profits all the time. It can’t wait. It’ll die. No, taxes go on. When the monster stops growing, it dies. It can’t stay one size.
Reading this book made me fall out of love with reading. It made me give up my no dnf goal for the year. It’s not a bad story, and John Steinbeck is a good storyteller in his own right, but he definitely is not a good writer. I do like the way he portrays events effecting the Joads as effecting the rest of the migrants into California; the only problem is he is just really bad at prose and syntax.
Also, in the words of femkereindeer, I never want to read this man talk about a woman’s body ever again, thank you very much. Like my god, this is so creepily horny for all the female characters in this book, or very weirdly sexualizes them.
I think it’s weird how this book got flack for being communist propaganda when it was literally just like «poor ppl got fuck over domestically because of capitalist practices that denied ppl access to basic needs like food and shelter, not because of lack of access but because of lack of capital» which is, exactly what happened!
Tom was kinda funny cause he really would just say whatever and not give a fuck. Love that for him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Racial slurs, Vomit, Miscarriage, and Animal death
signeskov's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Death, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage
ethrbo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racial slurs
readerette's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book is pretty immersive, and despite the heavy use of phonically-spelled dialogue, it was a smooth read. It was easy to feel empathy for the families who had to do what they could to escape the Dust Bowl.
The ending really threw me. I get perhaps an allegory of giving life to something dying but not dead yet, and a continuation of the book theme of these traveling families sharing what they had even when they truly had nothing by most measures, but the specifics are activating my sense of wrongness, for sure. Perhaps mostly because I wonder if a non-male author would have chosen the same action to convey the intended message.
Much too long. Every other chapter is more about broader societal conditions or other families besides the Joads, and I skimmed most of that without feeling like I missed much. People who like lots of detail will probably enjoy reading more closely. I definitely gathered some interesting context from the "extra" chapters, but I didn't need as much as there was.
This story has aged less poorly than other classics I've read, though it's also not that old. Period-typical racism and sexism, including use of the n-word and mention of domestic abuse.
The ending really threw me. I get perhaps an allegory of giving life to something dying but not dead yet, and a continuation of the book theme of these traveling families sharing what they had even when they truly had nothing by most measures, but the specifics are activating my sense of wrongness, for sure. Perhaps mostly because I wonder if a non-male author would have chosen the same action to convey the intended message.
Much too long. Every other chapter is more about broader societal conditions or other families besides the Joads, and I skimmed most of that without feeling like I missed much. People who like lots of detail will probably enjoy reading more closely. I definitely gathered some interesting context from the "extra" chapters, but I didn't need as much as there was.
This story has aged less poorly than other classics I've read, though it's also not that old. Period-typical racism and sexism, including use of the n-word and mention of domestic abuse.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Pregnancy, Violence, Racial slurs, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Murder, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
gabriella_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
God, what a great read.
Let me start with the problems.
I have some critiques. First - I felt like it didn’t capture the breadth of displaced Americans for the time. Second - It was very white-centric and seemed to buy into Manifest Destiny shit. I take major issue with both of these. These are my narrative issues
Clearly not as pressing but the pacing at point was inconsistent and dragged on. But I know at points that was the point.
Now the pros.
I really loved the way Ma and Tom were characterized throughout. The family relations at points felt complex. There were really moving moments throughout, and great commentary that’s still relevant now.
Let me start with the problems.
I have some critiques. First - I felt like it didn’t capture the breadth of displaced Americans for the time. Second - It was very white-centric and seemed to buy into Manifest Destiny shit. I take major issue with both of these. These are my narrative issues
Clearly not as pressing but the pacing at point was inconsistent and dragged on. But I know at points that was the point.
Now the pros.
I really loved the way Ma and Tom were characterized throughout. The family relations at points felt complex. There were really moving moments throughout, and great commentary that’s still relevant now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Animal death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness
gewrgia_lightwood's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
One of the best books I’ve ever come across
Beautiful writing, brilliant story. Touching, hard, raw.
It deals with a very real problem, a problem as relevant now as ever. The consequences of capitalism, of greed, of money as a ruler are spread thought out this book.
If there is one thing to take away from this book is that solidarity and kindness will always be the weapon of the people. It’s at the darkest times, the people come closer, the people speak up, the people rise up.
Μόνο ο λαός σώζει τον λαό.
Beautiful writing, brilliant story. Touching, hard, raw.
It deals with a very real problem, a problem as relevant now as ever. The consequences of capitalism, of greed, of money as a ruler are spread thought out this book.
If there is one thing to take away from this book is that solidarity and kindness will always be the weapon of the people. It’s at the darkest times, the people come closer, the people speak up, the people rise up.
Μόνο ο λαός σώζει τον λαό.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Murder, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Animal death, Xenophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, and Colonisation
mondovertigo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Animal death, Pregnancy, Classism, Violence, Abandonment, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Racial slurs