A review by dragonlilly
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

5.0

This novella really makes you feel something. The sadness it instills in me makes me want to give it four stars, but at the same time there is something about this story that felt like a sort of masterpiece in its own terrible yet touching way. Steinbeck's descriptions of scenes and people are simply gorgeous, and his skill in transitioning from beauty to the rough speech of the characters is great. This is a story about the extreme and overwhelming loneliness felt by almost every character in the story. I became attached to these characters and I hoped the story would end alright, but of course it can't because that's not always how the world works. The parallel between the beginning and the ending of the book was impactful, and once it ends you just hear Candy's words over and over in your head when he talks about how he should have dealt with his own dog. This is such a dark story with tons of unexpected deaths all around, but at the same time it fills your heart with love for characters who you wish could have been understood as you understand them.