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loveislandkentuky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
4.5/5
I think this is the best classic I've ever read. I have not read a lot of Steinbeck but I'm starting to think maybe I should. Going into it, I had no expectations for what the book would be like except that I had gotten a good recommendation, so you can imagine my surprise when it turns out to be the most anti-capitalist book I've ever read.
Throughout the book, Steinbeck portrays heavy anti-capitalist, anti-cop, anti-big-owner, ideas and it was very interesting to read about. When the book was released originally, it was met with great backlash due to this but I think no matter if you loved it or hated it, it really gets you thinking and questioning your own beliefs, which I believe is above all, the mark of great literature.
Although it is an old book, the ideas are not too dated (besides of course use of the n-word as well as some misogynistic family value ideas) and the language is still very easy to understand. Steinbeck's work remarkably stood the test of time.
I think he has an interesting portrayal of characters as well as just enough plot so that his ideologies do not take over the book completely. I really enjoyed his in-between chapters, where Steinbeck would enter an entirely different point of view and discuss happenings of the time. It added great context to what was happening at the time as well as what you could expect from the chapter. It was like every chapter had its own little prologue which I really liked.
This is not to say that the book was perfect, there were some questionable points, but overall the book was very enjoyable for me, and I really did like it a lot. It's a long read, but I would definitely say it was worth it.
I think this is the best classic I've ever read. I have not read a lot of Steinbeck but I'm starting to think maybe I should. Going into it, I had no expectations for what the book would be like except that I had gotten a good recommendation, so you can imagine my surprise when it turns out to be the most anti-capitalist book I've ever read.
Throughout the book, Steinbeck portrays heavy anti-capitalist, anti-cop, anti-big-owner, ideas and it was very interesting to read about. When the book was released originally, it was met with great backlash due to this but I think no matter if you loved it or hated it, it really gets you thinking and questioning your own beliefs, which I believe is above all, the mark of great literature.
Although it is an old book, the ideas are not too dated (besides of course use of the n-word as well as some misogynistic family value ideas) and the language is still very easy to understand. Steinbeck's work remarkably stood the test of time.
I think he has an interesting portrayal of characters as well as just enough plot so that his ideologies do not take over the book completely. I really enjoyed his in-between chapters, where Steinbeck would enter an entirely different point of view and discuss happenings of the time. It added great context to what was happening at the time as well as what you could expect from the chapter. It was like every chapter had its own little prologue which I really liked.
This is not to say that the book was perfect, there were some questionable points, but overall the book was very enjoyable for me, and I really did like it a lot. It's a long read, but I would definitely say it was worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Police brutality
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Racial slurs
edwardian_girl_next_door's review against another edition
Alright, I didn't make it through this book, but it was bound to happen for two reasons: a crappy English teacher and I don't much enjoy American literature. I feel like this endeavour was doomed from the first; and looking back I'm surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. I hate leaving a book unfinished, especially when it wasn't necessarily at fault, so the most I can do is leave an explanation. Here it goes.
To take first, my crappy English teacher. I go to a private school, so I'm aware this may be nothing compared to some of y'all's crazy teachers, but for my school, this lady was pretty off the wall. To give you a vague picture, she practically made us write all of our papers from the feminist point of view, and she would cry about her messy divorce and alcoholic dad in class (none of which was adding to the discussion at the time). I tried to enjoy the books we read despite her, but by the end of the year, when we read this book, I was pretty done with her. I wasn't encouraged to continue with the material because I basically received no class insight or analysis and I was too busy to research it on my own. Maybe I'll be more available in the future and can do more research into the time period, author, text, &c. to better appreciate the book.
Secondly, I'm not the biggest fan of American literature, so I didn't particularly take to this book. Pretty self-explanatory. I also discovered Steinbeck isn't my cup of tea. I can appreciate it as literature, but I'd rather read something else. Nothing specific I can pinpoint (besides the often disturbing and violent turns his narratives take), I just don't like it.
One thing I did like about The Grapes of Wrath was Jim Casey. I am endlessly fascinated by priest/clergy characters and their various tropes, and Casey both fit into a priest trope but also maintained nuanced elements to his character. I enjoyed his kindly, loyal, honest nature and his talks with Tom Joad.Actually, I was planning on independently continuing to read (we only read a portion of the novel in class), but I looked ahead a bit and read the section where Casey gets killed. That was the deal-breaker for me. My favourite characters always get killed, and although I did (reluctantly) sign up for the breastfeeding scene at the end, I did NOT sign up for another character death.
Final verdict: a slow, gritty book about hillbilly drama with twinges of violence and vernacular. 2.5 stars; might pick it up again in the future just to say I've read it.
To take first, my crappy English teacher. I go to a private school, so I'm aware this may be nothing compared to some of y'all's crazy teachers, but for my school, this lady was pretty off the wall. To give you a vague picture, she practically made us write all of our papers from the feminist point of view, and she would cry about her messy divorce and alcoholic dad in class (none of which was adding to the discussion at the time). I tried to enjoy the books we read despite her, but by the end of the year, when we read this book, I was pretty done with her. I wasn't encouraged to continue with the material because I basically received no class insight or analysis and I was too busy to research it on my own. Maybe I'll be more available in the future and can do more research into the time period, author, text, &c. to better appreciate the book.
Secondly, I'm not the biggest fan of American literature, so I didn't particularly take to this book. Pretty self-explanatory. I also discovered Steinbeck isn't my cup of tea. I can appreciate it as literature, but I'd rather read something else. Nothing specific I can pinpoint (besides the often disturbing and violent turns his narratives take), I just don't like it.
One thing I did like about The Grapes of Wrath was Jim Casey. I am endlessly fascinated by priest/clergy characters and their various tropes, and Casey both fit into a priest trope but also maintained nuanced elements to his character. I enjoyed his kindly, loyal, honest nature and his talks with Tom Joad.
Final verdict: a slow, gritty book about hillbilly drama with twinges of violence and vernacular. 2.5 stars; might pick it up again in the future just to say I've read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child death
youmeatunicorn's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage and Animal death
gladys_enmarte's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
"Grapes of wrath" es una novela escrita por John Steinbeck en el año 1939. Está ambientada en el medio de la gran depresión que sufrió USA en los años 30. Sin suavizar nada y con algunas escenas bastante explícitas, el autor nos relata la travesía de la familia Joad por encontrar trabajo luego de ser expulsados de sus granjas en Oklahoma. Forzados a abandonar todo y cargar solo unas pocas pertenencias, esta familia cruza USA para ir a California, el paraíso abundante de trabajo, en busca de una mejor vida.
Steinbeck en esta novela muestra los horrores y las injusticias que hubo en esa época. Cientos de personas desocupadas y al borde de la miseria dejaban atrás sus hogares en busca de algo mejor, pero al final lo único con lo que se encontraban era con más miseria y con explotación. Los ricos se aprovechaban de la desesperación de esta gente y ofrecían un pago mucho menor de lo correspondido. Los que estaban muy desesperados lo tomaban. Los que se rebelaban eran perseguidos por la ley. Y así, los ricos se hacían más ricos con mano de obra barata y los pobres se hacían todavía más pobres.
La novela, al contener una fuerte crítica social (a la Iglesia también), fue censurada por los políticos conservadores de la época. Les metió el dedo bien en la llaga y no les gustó. Pero como siempre, si algo se prohíbe la gente más curiosidad tiene y más lo consume. Ese fue el caso de este libro, la demanda de ejemplares fue tan grande que la editorial tuvo constantes problemas para satisfacerla.
Resumiendo, un clásico contemporáneo duro de leer, realista - aunque la Iglesia, los políticos y los empresarios negaron la veracidad de los hechos relatados - pero muy recomendado.
Steinbeck en esta novela muestra los horrores y las injusticias que hubo en esa época. Cientos de personas desocupadas y al borde de la miseria dejaban atrás sus hogares en busca de algo mejor, pero al final lo único con lo que se encontraban era con más miseria y con explotación. Los ricos se aprovechaban de la desesperación de esta gente y ofrecían un pago mucho menor de lo correspondido. Los que estaban muy desesperados lo tomaban. Los que se rebelaban eran perseguidos por la ley. Y así, los ricos se hacían más ricos con mano de obra barata y los pobres se hacían todavía más pobres.
La novela, al contener una fuerte crítica social (a la Iglesia también), fue censurada por los políticos conservadores de la época. Les metió el dedo bien en la llaga y no les gustó. Pero como siempre, si algo se prohíbe la gente más curiosidad tiene y más lo consume. Ese fue el caso de este libro, la demanda de ejemplares fue tan grande que la editorial tuvo constantes problemas para satisfacerla.
Resumiendo, un clásico contemporáneo duro de leer, realista - aunque la Iglesia, los políticos y los empresarios negaron la veracidad de los hechos relatados - pero muy recomendado.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, Murder, and Violence
annapox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The story was good. The writing was so detailed as to become boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Domestic abuse
carracarmenchu's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Some days ago, I came across a list made by a group of authors, each mentioning a book that had helped them deal with the Covid situation. I wondered what would be my pick. I didn't know at the time but now I would say The Grapes of Wrath. I understand that some would prefer some fantasy and escapism, but in some ways, I found it comforting to see how optimism, kindness, and love persist among the characters despite all the misery.
The novel places the focus on the period of the Great Depression, but it speaks also about the history of America, the relationship of men to the land, human nature, emigration, and injustice. All these serious ideas are encapsulated in a story that is entertaining as well as reflective.
It is a read that I had delayed and it was not until learning about the journal that John Steinbeck wrote parallel to the writing of this work, that I got really curious to see the outcome of the writer's struggles. And I was pleased; it is a masterpiece.
The novel places the focus on the period of the Great Depression, but it speaks also about the history of America, the relationship of men to the land, human nature, emigration, and injustice. All these serious ideas are encapsulated in a story that is entertaining as well as reflective.
It is a read that I had delayed and it was not until learning about the journal that John Steinbeck wrote parallel to the writing of this work, that I got really curious to see the outcome of the writer's struggles. And I was pleased; it is a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
sandyd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Police brutality, and Violence
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