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emileeandherbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
BAHAHAHAHA that ending!!!!!!!!!!! I could probably go on about how the ending has a deeper meaning, but instead you get my raw reaction haha.
Anyway. Screw the 1%! Eat the rich!
Anyway pt. 2. I found this book to be very slow and often times very boring, but when it was good it was really good - and it got me thinking about rich vs. poor, which I’m always thinking about.
I think the whole message is that we can all choose to be kind, have humanity, and become ‘one’ (hi, communism!!❤️). If we all chose to take care of one another, there wouldn’t be these massive economic gaps that are crippling for the lesser end. I noticed that both rich vs. poor during this book would break ‘societal rules’ / the law but if crime was done by a starving, impoverished person who had trial after trial, I felt it was justified; like stealing or even violent reactions sometimes (how could you not get violent/angry when you’re literally dying alongside your family?) Whereas the rich would shoot people off their property, attack them in the night or call the cops on them. Which is DISGUSTING behavior. Completely uncalled for. I don’t know if what I’m trying to say here makes sense.
America clearly has an issue with poverty and always has. Which is extremely disheartening. I don’t want to give up though because no matter what, I can help someone somehow. Once we give up, it really will crumble. WE ARE THE MANY! STAND TOGETHER 4EVER!
Lastly, these migrants had it ROUGH! If you want a real, painful look into the Dust Bowl years then read on! If you want a happy book then seriously, go find another read. 9/10 times something bad is happening.
Anyway. Screw the 1%! Eat the rich!
Anyway pt. 2. I found this book to be very slow and often times very boring, but when it was good it was really good - and it got me thinking about rich vs. poor, which I’m always thinking about.
I think the whole message is that we can all choose to be kind, have humanity, and become ‘one’ (hi, communism!!❤️). If we all chose to take care of one another, there wouldn’t be these massive economic gaps that are crippling for the lesser end. I noticed that both rich vs. poor during this book would break ‘societal rules’ / the law but if crime was done by a starving, impoverished person who had trial after trial, I felt it was justified; like stealing or even violent reactions sometimes (how could you not get violent/angry when you’re literally dying alongside your family?) Whereas the rich would shoot people off their property, attack them in the night or call the cops on them. Which is DISGUSTING behavior. Completely uncalled for. I don’t know if what I’m trying to say here makes sense.
America clearly has an issue with poverty and always has. Which is extremely disheartening. I don’t want to give up though because no matter what, I can help someone somehow. Once we give up, it really will crumble. WE ARE THE MANY! STAND TOGETHER 4EVER!
Lastly, these migrants had it ROUGH! If you want a real, painful look into the Dust Bowl years then read on! If you want a happy book then seriously, go find another read. 9/10 times something bad is happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death and Racial slurs
paddyj's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
I read this many many years ago, but wanted to read it again because many of the plot elements have circled around again in America, namely poverty, migrants searching for a better life, hostility and xenophobia, and a monied class all to eager to exploit them.
GoW is approx 80 years old and it remains current and valuable if for no other reason to show how far we have come and what we are in danger of going back to.
The Joad family is forced off their farm by the banks, they travel to California with the promise of work, but find their new home unwelcoming to the extreme.
1930s America has no social safety nets: no unemployment, no social security, no welfare of any sort, no minimum wage, and no labor unions. You worked or you starved. And the owners exploited this desperation, by paying as little as they could.
It's really an astounding indictment of America, and doubly astounding that there are some who wish to go back there.
Tom Joad gets all the praise, but Ma Joad is the really driving force here. With absolutely nothing - and I mean nothing - she always looked for ways to help people in need.
GoW is approx 80 years old and it remains current and valuable if for no other reason to show how far we have come and what we are in danger of going back to.
The Joad family is forced off their farm by the banks, they travel to California with the promise of work, but find their new home unwelcoming to the extreme.
1930s America has no social safety nets: no unemployment, no social security, no welfare of any sort, no minimum wage, and no labor unions. You worked or you starved. And the owners exploited this desperation, by paying as little as they could.
It's really an astounding indictment of America, and doubly astounding that there are some who wish to go back there.
Tom Joad gets all the praise, but Ma Joad is the really driving force here. With absolutely nothing - and I mean nothing - she always looked for ways to help people in need.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, and Murder
duarshe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I would like to thank my parents, for always cheering me on to do my best. Thank you to my brother for having my back always. Thank you also to my boyfriend for supporting my hopes and dreams and to my best friend for never leaving my side. I felt fit thanking my people after reaching the long awaited end of this book after 3 long days of forcing myself to finish it. Steinbeck really had A WHOLE LOT to say about the Great Depression and, honestly, fair. But God am I tired... And because I am trying to be less biased in my opinion of books with respect to how long they are I am giving this 4 stars. The Grapes of Wrath is a great book, it made me understand a lot of the things families had to go through much better than a history textbook would be able to. All the characters were great, and you can find things in each one of them that make them distinguishable from the others, even when the book praises community over individualism. Moreover, it was beautifully written and the descriptions helped me picture everything better. Overall, this book narrates a very honest, tough, and hopeful story representative of so many during the 1930s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Racial slurs
megantyler's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs
aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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: Violence and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
khgp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Police brutality, Grief, and Deportation
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, and Colonisation
rustedtrains's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Like all Steinbeck novels, the technical skill cannot be questioned - it is wonderful in that sense. His descriptive ability is second to none, no one is arguing otherwise - at least not to me. However, given that Steinbeck took the notes for this book from Sanora Babb’s Whose Names Are Unknown, it changes the whole tone for me from that of an earnest attempt at portraying an issue he cares a lot about - which, I am sure, given the foreword that he did, to an extent, care! - to something a little… I don’t know. The fact that he never once mentions her even before he dies is upsetting. He used her lived experience to write this book because he felt the ends justified the means of getting it out there, and sure. To some extent I agree. But didn’t she deserve a chance to do that, too, in her own words first? It just doesn’t feel right, and takes away from the whole experience for me. I plan on reading her book as well, because I’ve heard comparatively The Grapes of Wrath reads rather stale because of the lack of having lived it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Police brutality
Minor: Racial slurs
sundayfever's review against another edition
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: Animal death, Death, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racial slurs
hannahsutherland's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This is a piece of history. You can tell that the social issues portrayed in the book were really close to Steinbeck's heart. His passion comes through very clearly. Alternating chapters between the main narrative and more informative chapters made this book very informative.
At first I found the book slow and it took me a little while to connect with the characters, but once I did, I was sucked in.
At first I felt like the book ended quite suddenly, but the more I think about it, the more the ending makes sense.
At first I found the book slow and it took me a little while to connect with the characters, but once I did, I was sucked in.
At first I felt like the book ended quite suddenly, but the more I think about it, the more the ending makes sense.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Racial slurs
Minor: Racism
kristiniad's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent