A review by orchidlilly
The Pearl by John Steinbeck

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.0

This is honestly the worst Steineck book I've ever had the displeasure of reading. It's nothing more than a grim sobfest poorly disguised with a moral of 'don't be greedy'. The sexism is always obvious in his works, but it's especially glaring here, and it doesn't even have the decency to be interesting like Of Mice and Men.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racism, Religious bigotry, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Child death, Death, Murder, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Colonisation