eastofreaden 's review for:

The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

4.0

---

Most lives extend in a curve. There is a rise of ambition, a rounded peak of maturity, a gentle downward slope of disillusion and last a flattened grade of waiting for death.

This is such a brilliant little collection of interconnected stories (all taking place in a valley called, of course, The Pastures of Heaven); I am not the world's biggest fan of short story collections but Steinbeck didn't think of this book as that. He considered them tiny novels, and I think is such a perfect way to look at it.

While Cup of Gold was his first published work, this was the world's first real introduction to him. He had spent five years working on another book (To a God Unknown), put it aside, and then worked on this one. The world got to experience his insight into social issues, and his remarkable intellect regarding the fight for survival (when I read his work I often daydream about what it would have been like to be alive when he was alive and publishing work -- I think each release would have been incredibly exciting; were people even aware of how lucky they were then?).

Some of the stories/tiny novels aren't as wonderful as some of the others, but he had such a way with words and his scope on the human condition and human connection was so strong. He was only 30-years-old when this was published, and that fact alone blows my mind. When I was 30, there was no way I could have ever written such beautiful books about such beautiful people who are more often than not good and decent, but unfortunate victims of circumstance, timing, or destiny.

I never really want to be finished reading his work, but I also can't wait to get into the rest of it. I've read quite a bit already, and I am dying to explore his other books and get to know his other characters.