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_kaylee_m_'s review against another edition
4.0
Steinbeck sure knows how to write for English teachers. The entire book leads up to the last few pages where he uses his strongest symbolism to promote his thesis. Throughout the book the Okies situation is compared to slavery. At the end, the dead baby floating down the flood waters in a make-shift Moses basket will do nothing to deliver them but be one less mouth to feed. Yet despite all the depressing imagery, hope is not entirely lost. Men have been reduced to being as helpless as infants, but there is still hope that they can get by if "someone",no matter how poor their circumstance, can do "something" .
drjenndorr's review against another edition
5.0
I don't care how whiny my students are about this wonderful American classic. I love it. It's so sad and hopeful at the same time, and I get something new and more powerful out of it every single time I read it.
#52bookclub Prompt #35: Title matches the lyrics to a song
#52bookclub Prompt #35: Title matches the lyrics to a song
sescheitler's review against another edition
5.0
This book reconnected me to humanity. No, not humanity, but... to people. I was reconnected to the people. It is such an important commentary. It said in 455 pages that which took me four years to understand. It took me months to get through, but somehow I was still astounded and riveted by the last page. Heartbreaking, inspiring, mobilizing. All of you who hated it just weren't thinking hard enough.
coffeewithcut's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I mean. I tried. I really, really tried to read this novel and give it five stars without hesitation. I loved the thought behind it, I am aware of the theme's (and the novel's) importance both within world literature and American history. But getting towards the end cost me a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Perhaps in ten years, I will revisit this novel and find the genius in it, but I suppose my current mental state went against me this time.
nina_mk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Blood, and Colonisation
chickenpox_oreo's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
one of the most poinient and relevant works of fiction I've read in the last 5 years. will have to come back to it with a pencil in hand to mark it up so I don't lose all of the really insightful observations and critique made in this book.
kraelwake's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Just finished this novel last night, and it was heavy. Completely different than East of Eden, which is one of my all time favorite novels, but extremely powerful. Piqued my curiosity about the time period it was written about. And I found myself going to sleep a much more thankful person, after reading about such utter poverty. The Grapes of Wrath doesn't make it to my favorites, but I give it 5 stars for impact.
**********************************************
Oh, how I love Steinbeck. In the first chapter alone, I am reminded of how much I love his style.
"After a while the faces of the watching men lost their bemused perplexity and became hard and angry and resistant. Then the women knew that they were safe and that there was no break. They they asked, What'll we do? And then men replied, I don't know. But it was all right. The women knew it was all right and the watching children knew it was all right. Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole."
**********************************************
Oh, how I love Steinbeck. In the first chapter alone, I am reminded of how much I love his style.
"After a while the faces of the watching men lost their bemused perplexity and became hard and angry and resistant. Then the women knew that they were safe and that there was no break. They they asked, What'll we do? And then men replied, I don't know. But it was all right. The women knew it was all right and the watching children knew it was all right. Women and children knew deep in themselves that no misfortune was too great to bear if their men were whole."
genre_fiction_is_literature's review against another edition
5.0
Steinbeck shoots a nuke through a prism to capture infinite shades of human nature in this thrilling, devastating classic.
Eerily dystopian but hyper-realistic, Grapes of Wrath is set in the midst of actual events. It's the American mid-west in the 1930's, and we meet a family right before they are pushed from their farm, forced to sell all they own. They decide to head toward California, not for sexy reasons like gold but seeking decent paying work. Optimism trickles upward and eventually the family is discussing houses they intend to buy and bursting grapes they will gorge upon. But lines like, ‘I'm just pain covered in skin,' creep into the story, and we learn they aren't alone in their plan.
From small child to limping grandparent, each character is authentic and leaves us wanting to know them better. The main story is interposed with sweeping historical narratives and it blends into a perfect journey. It’s fortunate we start with a large cast...while the Joad's don't meet the fate of the Donner party, they splinter and often for existential reasons.
If Grapes feels like a second cousin to The Road or Blood Meridian (but with more florid writing), know that the Cormac was influenced by this book more than any other. Steinbeck's brilliant writing is inviting and this is a story you read with starving eyes. The finale squeezed my soul. If McCarthy is a titan, Steinbeck was Zeus.
Eerily dystopian but hyper-realistic, Grapes of Wrath is set in the midst of actual events. It's the American mid-west in the 1930's, and we meet a family right before they are pushed from their farm, forced to sell all they own. They decide to head toward California, not for sexy reasons like gold but seeking decent paying work. Optimism trickles upward and eventually the family is discussing houses they intend to buy and bursting grapes they will gorge upon. But lines like, ‘I'm just pain covered in skin,' creep into the story, and we learn they aren't alone in their plan.
From small child to limping grandparent, each character is authentic and leaves us wanting to know them better. The main story is interposed with sweeping historical narratives and it blends into a perfect journey. It’s fortunate we start with a large cast...while the Joad's don't meet the fate of the Donner party, they splinter and often for existential reasons.
If Grapes feels like a second cousin to The Road or Blood Meridian (but with more florid writing), know that the Cormac was influenced by this book more than any other. Steinbeck's brilliant writing is inviting and this is a story you read with starving eyes. The finale squeezed my soul. If McCarthy is a titan, Steinbeck was Zeus.
mmartoscano's review against another edition
5.0
Te deja el cuerpo malito. Es una lectura imprescindible. Qué pedazo de narrador.