You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Great novel about Depression-era economic insecurity, the ~American dream~, and working class solidarity. Maybe not for you if you don't like long lyrical descriptions of hills and valleys (though some of those are really nice!). I didn't read this when it was assigned in high school, but probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much at the time even if I had.
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
It may be hard to read through and give your undivided attention but it is worth it! Trust me, you will love the ending or at least be blown away by it. There is amazing character development and the plot is intense. Of this is a classic! I absolutely love it.
“No work till spring. No work.
And if no work—no money, no food.
Fella had a team of horses, had to use 'em to plow an' cultivate an' mow, wouldn' think a turnin' em out to starve when they wasn't workin.
Them's horses-we're men.”
by such an insane degree the most radical art i’ve ever consumed. and i’m a one piece fan. the fact the messaging still holds extremely true TO THIS DATE!!! so unreal.
“There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success.” about huge-scale farmers needing to soil their excess food in order to maintain the facade of scarcity & prevent millions of starving people from fishing the excess out of the rivers they’d otherwise be dumped in
the exposition between chapters, just so beautiful. It just has to be the best thing i’ve ever read. I know there isn’t much competition, but jesus christ. so amazing wtf
And if no work—no money, no food.
Fella had a team of horses, had to use 'em to plow an' cultivate an' mow, wouldn' think a turnin' em out to starve when they wasn't workin.
Them's horses-we're men.”
by such an insane degree the most radical art i’ve ever consumed. and i’m a one piece fan. the fact the messaging still holds extremely true TO THIS DATE!!! so unreal.
“There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success.” about huge-scale farmers needing to soil their excess food in order to maintain the facade of scarcity & prevent millions of starving people from fishing the excess out of the rivers they’d otherwise be dumped in
the exposition between chapters, just so beautiful. It just has to be the best thing i’ve ever read. I know there isn’t much competition, but jesus christ. so amazing wtf
I picked this up because I read/listened to The Four Winds and saw many reviewers commenting over the similarity between the two books. Indeed, there are a lot of parallels once the main characters get to California. What I'm most impressed by is that Steinbeck wrote TGoW so soon after he spent time with the migrants. He was able to capture their experiences and make commentary on the situation in almost real-time. It holds up 84 years later! I had trouble getting into it, but once I understood the alternating pattern of the chapters between exposition and story, it made more sense.
This book deserves its classic status. It portrayed the time period's unfair employment practices and described the banking system's significant role in the depression. Prior to this book, I thought it was was the farming method used, but now I see that farmers were forced to use farming practices that they knew were bad because of loans to the bank. I also have a greater understanding how businesses that control both production and distribution can control whole sections of the market. My family has experienced this with the cattle market.
The character of Ruthi was PERFECT! She was an incredibly realistic girl who was heavily influenced by the need to survive and get by. Her responses and reactions showed how adaptable kids can be in terrible circumstances, and these adaptations may not be flattering.
I did pick a terrible time to pick up this book because there were at least 3 instances of baby's dying, and I recently had a baby. I seem to make bad book choices after having babies. I had anticipated this book to be about the dust bowl and farming, but its pages were very far reaching.
Anyway, this is a classic that really does deserve its status and a read if you're interested in learning different roles different people and industry take in times of depression.
The character of Ruthi was PERFECT! She was an incredibly realistic girl who was heavily influenced by the need to survive and get by. Her responses and reactions showed how adaptable kids can be in terrible circumstances, and these adaptations may not be flattering.
I did pick a terrible time to pick up this book because there were at least 3 instances of baby's dying, and I recently had a baby. I seem to make bad book choices after having babies. I had anticipated this book to be about the dust bowl and farming, but its pages were very far reaching.
Anyway, this is a classic that really does deserve its status and a read if you're interested in learning different roles different people and industry take in times of depression.
If art could save the world this book would've saved it.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes