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bernicem 's review for:
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck
I feel like I've read this for ages, but I have no regrets as it was definitely a good book. This has been hailed as the Great American Novel and rightfully so because it focuses on an important period in history; The Great Depression. The characters in this book bring to life the difficulties experienced during that period which I've heard a lot about but couldn't fully contextualize.
This is very much a political book and I believe Steinbeck was a socialist going by his writing in this book. When you read what happens to the Joad family you can't help but agree with his arguments against capitalism. It's as relevant now as it was many years ago when he wrote the book.
Steinbeck writes so well about the farmers; every single detail about farming is brought out beautifully in this book. This keen eye for detail carries on throughout the book; The Dust Bowl Scene in the first chapter (I felt like I was there with the farmers in Oklahoma), The Turtle Scene (I've never thought much about turtles but I was intrigued.)
I thought the whole book was good until I got to the end. As much as I read through what other reviewers have said about the ending and what he himself said about it, I felt it was anti-climactic for such a brilliant book.
Lastly, I'll end this review with Steinbeck's words: " I've done my damnedest to rip a reader's nerves to rags, I don't want him satisfied...I tried to write this book the way lives are being lived not the way books are written...throughout I've tried to make the reader participate in the actuality, what he takes from it will be scaled entirely on his own depth or hollowness. There are five layers in this book, a reader will find as many as he can and he won't find more than he has himself."
This is very much a political book and I believe Steinbeck was a socialist going by his writing in this book. When you read what happens to the Joad family you can't help but agree with his arguments against capitalism. It's as relevant now as it was many years ago when he wrote the book.
Steinbeck writes so well about the farmers; every single detail about farming is brought out beautifully in this book. This keen eye for detail carries on throughout the book; The Dust Bowl Scene in the first chapter (I felt like I was there with the farmers in Oklahoma), The Turtle Scene (I've never thought much about turtles but I was intrigued.)
I thought the whole book was good until I got to the end. As much as I read through what other reviewers have said about the ending and what he himself said about it, I felt it was anti-climactic for such a brilliant book.
Lastly, I'll end this review with Steinbeck's words: " I've done my damnedest to rip a reader's nerves to rags, I don't want him satisfied...I tried to write this book the way lives are being lived not the way books are written...throughout I've tried to make the reader participate in the actuality, what he takes from it will be scaled entirely on his own depth or hollowness. There are five layers in this book, a reader will find as many as he can and he won't find more than he has himself."