Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

165 reviews

dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If you can, go into this book knowing nothing about it like I did. It's going to be a blast. Highly recommended.

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reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I do understand why some people would love this (I guess), I truly hated the experience of reading this novel. I found the characters to feel performative and hollow, and I truly was not able to get anything beneficial out of reading this novel.

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dark sad tense fast-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

It goes without saying that this book is an absolute classic. Scholars and ninth graders can agree. 

This latest read through was maybe my fifth or sixth time enjoying this short story. Every time I read it, I catch some new detail that I missed the time before. 

George and Lenny’s love for each other is palpable. It is a timeless story and message, yet paradoxically, might only be able to exist in its time. Much like all of Steinbeck’s work, it is a brilliant and human critique of the cruelty of capitalism. How it “breaks a man’s back” only to “shoot them in the back of the damn head” so to speak…

I am obsessed with the age old question, which might never have an answer. Is “Curly’s wife” named such because Steinbeck was a misogynist, who didn’t care to give her an actual name -or- is that a purposeful statement, pointing to the inherent misogyny of the time and setting and circumstance? If I had to bet, I’d say a little column A, little column B.

(As a side note: damn! Y’all can’t leave Crooks alone?)

Readers beware that this book uses the N word about 56,000 times in a total of 3 pages. (I’m not an idiot. I do understand the unfortunate contextual use within the setting and historical precedent. Still though, as a modern reader, it is jarring to say the least.)

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i was really hoping that this was gonna end with the five of em living their best lives. this is hopelessly devastating.


the scene that steinbeck paints is very well done. heavily descriptive just up to the point where it sets the scene, no further, which i appreciated bc i get dizzy with too much detail.
quick read, horribly packed with internal conflict. poor george. poor lennie. poor mae. i strongly believe that steinbeck was not “demonstrating bias of the period” so much as participating in it heavily.


i’ll think about this book for a while.

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this book made me feel so angry and conflicted and now i’m like AHH

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emotional hopeful relaxing sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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sad medium-paced

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sad

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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