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thatokiebird's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
The Grapes of Wrath is the story of the Joad family wrapped in tragedy, and most importantly to note is the story of this fictional family is actually the real-life history of unimaginably numerous families in the 1930's America. This is the third book of John Steinbeck's I have read, and I enjoyed this one just as well. All of his books seem to be full of heartbreak and little joy, and yet his writing is just so good. There's nothing flowery about it. No hidden intentions that must be interpreted by the reader. Just straight-forward storytelling with a mix of character and plot moving the story right along. And yet the pace is slow, and the dialogue can occasionally go round and round and be repetitive. But honestly, that can be quite accurate and true to life.
For the most part, I didn't particularly like any of the characters in the book. They're all flawed and make poor decisions, and interact with each other in ways where you feel a bit bad for the opposite character. And yet, these facts didn't take away from the book like I would expect. It made it almost more believable in a way. Because you don't necessarily have to like a person to empathize with their situation and hope for a better outcome for them.
Reading The Grapes of Wrath was actually a bit of a relief for me - I haven't liked the majority of the classic novels I've read in the last year and I was beginning to fear I simply don't like that genre any more. But I did enjoy this one, and will certainly continue reading John Steinbeck's other books.
For the most part, I didn't particularly like any of the characters in the book. They're all flawed and make poor decisions, and interact with each other in ways where you feel a bit bad for the opposite character. And yet, these facts didn't take away from the book like I would expect. It made it almost more believable in a way. Because you don't necessarily have to like a person to empathize with their situation and hope for a better outcome for them.
Reading The Grapes of Wrath was actually a bit of a relief for me - I haven't liked the majority of the classic novels I've read in the last year and I was beginning to fear I simply don't like that genre any more. But I did enjoy this one, and will certainly continue reading John Steinbeck's other books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child death, Murder, and Miscarriage
nisha_27's review against another edition
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, and Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage
amehlia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
“How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?”
I picked up Steinbeck’s Pulitzer-prize winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath, in a Waterstones in Surrey several years ago and just a few minutes after purchasing had the ending spoiled for me immediately. I didn’t pick it up to read for a long time, but I am so glad I did.
This novel is brilliant and heart-wrenching, it carries you on an immense journey through Dust Bowl America during the Great Depression, beautifully and tragically capturing the plight of the migrant labourers in California in both his extended chapters dedicated to the Joad family and also the alternate shorter chapters that do a fantastic job of contextualising their situation and setting the wider scene. Steinbeck does a fantastic job of hooking you in and committing the reader to the Joads and their story. It took me a long time to finish because I didn’t want the story to be over
The slow pace of this book meant it took a couple of chapters to get me hooked, but when it did I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’m not sure what to do with myself now that I’ve finished it. Any book that has this sort of effect on a reader is, in my opinion, an epic novel. It makes for a bold social commentary not just in its own time, but is relevant today with negative attitudes towards migrants, and natural disasters and conflict displacing many more families that will undertake a journey similar to that of the Joads. My only qualms with this book are the occasional racist passages which is not a surprise but not something I will ignore in a book, and the ending felt a little underwhelming.
Overall, one of my new all-time favourites although I don’t think this will become a re-read. I’m not sure I can put myself through it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, Child death, Death, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
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