Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by raisingtinybookworms
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is another book that Well Read Mom has brought to my attention that I wouldn't have found on my own, but am so glad that I read!
The Pearl is a novella about an indigenous man, Kino, who seeks a pearl to sell to pay for medical care for his infant son, who has been stung by a scorpion. To Kino's astonishment, he finds a massive pearl that should bring in enough money to not only pay for medical care, but to change the lives of Kino's whole family. Unfortunately, things don't play out so simply, as Kino faces challenges in the form of white authority figures who seek to cheat him, and others in his community who want to steal the pearl for themselves.
This was a fascinating story highlighting the critical nature of holding everything in its proper place. What is of more importance - wealth, or the well-being of our loved ones? How do we properly measure the value of wealth - will it change our lives for the better, or will it make us lose sight of what should matter most? These are some of the questions that Steinbeck explores in The Pearl. This story is brief, but efficient in its ability to convey a message to the reader.
A few years ago, we read one of Steinbeck's other works, East of Eden, with Well Read Mom, and I think these two books together really demonstrate what a masterful writer Steinbeck was. I usually struggle with novellas because it's very tricky to pack a full-fledged, impactful story into such a short format. In The Pearl, Steinbeck accomplishes this feat - he uses each word intentionally, managing to be concise yet meaningful, and he doesn't leave any room for fluff. In contrast, East of Eden is quite lengthy - the edition I read was over 600 pages long - but, again, no word is superfluous. Few authors manage to write as successfully in 80 pages as in 600+ pages. I've only read these two works by Steinbeck, but now I definitely want to read more!
The Pearl is a novella about an indigenous man, Kino, who seeks a pearl to sell to pay for medical care for his infant son, who has been stung by a scorpion. To Kino's astonishment, he finds a massive pearl that should bring in enough money to not only pay for medical care, but to change the lives of Kino's whole family. Unfortunately, things don't play out so simply, as Kino faces challenges in the form of white authority figures who seek to cheat him, and others in his community who want to steal the pearl for themselves.
This was a fascinating story highlighting the critical nature of holding everything in its proper place. What is of more importance - wealth, or the well-being of our loved ones? How do we properly measure the value of wealth - will it change our lives for the better, or will it make us lose sight of what should matter most? These are some of the questions that Steinbeck explores in The Pearl. This story is brief, but efficient in its ability to convey a message to the reader.
A few years ago, we read one of Steinbeck's other works, East of Eden, with Well Read Mom, and I think these two books together really demonstrate what a masterful writer Steinbeck was. I usually struggle with novellas because it's very tricky to pack a full-fledged, impactful story into such a short format. In The Pearl, Steinbeck accomplishes this feat - he uses each word intentionally, managing to be concise yet meaningful, and he doesn't leave any room for fluff. In contrast, East of Eden is quite lengthy - the edition I read was over 600 pages long - but, again, no word is superfluous. Few authors manage to write as successfully in 80 pages as in 600+ pages. I've only read these two works by Steinbeck, but now I definitely want to read more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism