Scan barcode
A review by edwardian_girl_next_door
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Alright, I didn't make it through this book, but it was bound to happen for two reasons: a crappy English teacher and I don't much enjoy American literature. I feel like this endeavour was doomed from the first; and looking back I'm surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did. I hate leaving a book unfinished, especially when it wasn't necessarily at fault, so the most I can do is leave an explanation. Here it goes.
To take first, my crappy English teacher. I go to a private school, so I'm aware this may be nothing compared to some of y'all's crazy teachers, but for my school, this lady was pretty off the wall. To give you a vague picture, she practically made us write all of our papers from the feminist point of view, and she would cry about her messy divorce and alcoholic dad in class (none of which was adding to the discussion at the time). I tried to enjoy the books we read despite her, but by the end of the year, when we read this book, I was pretty done with her. I wasn't encouraged to continue with the material because I basically received no class insight or analysis and I was too busy to research it on my own. Maybe I'll be more available in the future and can do more research into the time period, author, text, &c. to better appreciate the book.
Secondly, I'm not the biggest fan of American literature, so I didn't particularly take to this book. Pretty self-explanatory. I also discovered Steinbeck isn't my cup of tea. I can appreciate it as literature, but I'd rather read something else. Nothing specific I can pinpoint (besides the often disturbing and violent turns his narratives take), I just don't like it.
One thing I did like about The Grapes of Wrath was Jim Casey. I am endlessly fascinated by priest/clergy characters and their various tropes, and Casey both fit into a priest trope but also maintained nuanced elements to his character. I enjoyed his kindly, loyal, honest nature and his talks with Tom Joad.Actually, I was planning on independently continuing to read (we only read a portion of the novel in class), but I looked ahead a bit and read the section where Casey gets killed. That was the deal-breaker for me. My favourite characters always get killed, and although I did (reluctantly) sign up for the breastfeeding scene at the end, I did NOT sign up for another character death.
Final verdict: a slow, gritty book about hillbilly drama with twinges of violence and vernacular. 2.5 stars; might pick it up again in the future just to say I've read it.
To take first, my crappy English teacher. I go to a private school, so I'm aware this may be nothing compared to some of y'all's crazy teachers, but for my school, this lady was pretty off the wall. To give you a vague picture, she practically made us write all of our papers from the feminist point of view, and she would cry about her messy divorce and alcoholic dad in class (none of which was adding to the discussion at the time). I tried to enjoy the books we read despite her, but by the end of the year, when we read this book, I was pretty done with her. I wasn't encouraged to continue with the material because I basically received no class insight or analysis and I was too busy to research it on my own. Maybe I'll be more available in the future and can do more research into the time period, author, text, &c. to better appreciate the book.
Secondly, I'm not the biggest fan of American literature, so I didn't particularly take to this book. Pretty self-explanatory. I also discovered Steinbeck isn't my cup of tea. I can appreciate it as literature, but I'd rather read something else. Nothing specific I can pinpoint (besides the often disturbing and violent turns his narratives take), I just don't like it.
One thing I did like about The Grapes of Wrath was Jim Casey. I am endlessly fascinated by priest/clergy characters and their various tropes, and Casey both fit into a priest trope but also maintained nuanced elements to his character. I enjoyed his kindly, loyal, honest nature and his talks with Tom Joad.
Final verdict: a slow, gritty book about hillbilly drama with twinges of violence and vernacular. 2.5 stars; might pick it up again in the future just to say I've read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child death