Of Mice And Men (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)

“Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” I realised recently that I was one of only a few people who had not studied, or read, Of Mice and Men. As someone studying English Literature, this seemed like a crime, so I instantly set to rectifying that. Of course, everything I say in this review will not be discussing anything that has not already been covered on Of Mice and Men, and I will probably just be expressing myself in a less interesting manner. But, if you’re interested in reading some of the points that stuck out most to me, then go ahead :). I think this is a brilliant story, and well-deserving of its reputation. It has a very distinctive style, with unique central characters and a philosophical layer over the entirety of it which appears to act as a commentary on human nature. Being my first exposure to John Steinbeck, I imagine this is the style he is renowned for, and I look forward to engaging with it more in the future, perhaps with Grapes of Wrath in a couple months. “Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella.” This is a story that revolves around our characters, which is driven by several powerful concepts, such as the often paradoxical nature of life, that interweave and act more as a subtle intrusion more as the main focus of the story. George and Lennie are our main protagonists, with George looking after Lennie, who has a mental disability. I think that these are both crafted fantastically, with their strenuous but genuine friendship being depicted in an authentic manner that was amazing to read. We have other key characters in Of Mice and Men, but I would say that these were not as well crafted as George and Lennie. But this is no bad thing. Steinbeck obviously made a conscious decision regarding this, and as such makes George and Lennie the focus, with others, such as Curley, appearing to represent the harsh life of the working class during The Great Depression. Throughout Of Mice and Men, I felt this air of perpetual melancholia, and a sense of dread that somehow permeated from every word. As George and Lennie discuss their dream, it just felt like the whole time that they would not achieve their aspirations, and because of this, Of Mice and Men was incredibly impactful, and a tense reading experience throughout which I have rarely felt before. To do this, John Steinbeck was obviously a master of his craft. “Guys like us got nothing to look ahead to.” Of Mice and Men is of course a brilliant read, with memorable characters, fantastic prose and also a read that allows for a philosophical reading that you can return and build on a long time after reading. I have not nearly covered the interesting aspects of this canonical story, nor could I if I tried, but these are just a few reasons you should read Of Mice and Men. For its size, it offers so much, and as a reader you can have the freedom of just enjoying a read, or engaging with with the concepts Steinbeck discusses. This was a good read, with unique central characters and a very distinctive, page-turning prose. Throughout the entirety of the read, there was an air of melancholy and sadness that was leading to the ending that I suspected would occur, but dreaded throughout.

Old classic ,students revision/ study for exams. Pleasant read to compare with film adaptation.

The film, `Of Mice and Men,' - 1992 version, will always be one of my favourites. It encouraged me read this book. Firstly, I was amazed at just how short the book is at 150 pages! It's a book you can read in day with time to spare! The story though, still comes across as just fine and is never less than interesting and engaging with many topical points to dwell on. This particular book is also written for GCSE study, which I don't intend to comment on, as many have already done so. For me the main player here, and centre of attention, is Lennie. He is intellectually disabled, with a childlike imagination. A comparison to some degree would be Forest Gump or `Karl' from `Sling Blade.' He drifts during the Great Depression, and looks for work under Roosevelt's 'New Deal' , with his best and only friend George, who continually mothers him and keeps him out of mischief. They are like chalk and cheese but need each other? They follow the American dream of one day owning their own bit of land - it eventually transpires that they are not the only ones? Eventually they end up on a farm in California and this is where we meet several different characters and the story unfolds. Steinbeck's writing style describes them all perfectly well and this is a feature of his writing. It is also quite clear that he is very knowledgeable about farm life and also the countryside that surrounds it. Whilst I'd seen the film first, I still found the book totally engaging, even though it was very similar to the film. The characters (including the leads) do leave a lasting impression and stir the old grey matter! They are all so different - even though the tale is so brief. They raise questions of: loyalty, pity, vulnerability, sadness, anger & inferiority, loneliness / isolation and of course, from that period - racism. Finally, what helps to make this book such an interesting read is the dialogue and slang used - the book's glossary is very helpful.

It's a book. Arrived on time and looks good.

Item came as described

The ink of the front of the book comes off, leaving the white marks on my hands

Very good

I love the way Steinbeck plays with the language – flowery descriptions of sceneries and situations are in contrast with the way how the characters, un-educated man of the time speak. The story is brilliant, captivating, sad and beautiful.

Of Mice and Men hat mich sowohl sprachlich als auch inhaltlich sehr positiv überrascht. Der Roman ist relativ kurz und daher auch schnell zu lesen – trotzdem hat er eine emotionale Tiefe und moralische Aussage, die lange nachwirkt. Die Geschichte ist schnörkellos, direkt und sehr bildhaft erzählt. Was mir besonders gefallen hat, ist, wie Steinbeck es schafft, große Themen wie Freundschaft, Einsamkeit, Hoffnung und Enttäuschung in einer einfachen, aber kraftvollen Erzählung zu bündeln. Man muss sich beim Lesen etwas an die authentische Sprachwiedergabe des ländlichen amerikanischen Englisch der 1930er-Jahre gewöhnen – insbesondere an den umgangssprachlich geprägten Dialogstil der Figuren. Das ist stilistisch gewollt und verleiht der Geschichte viel Realismus, kann anfangs aber etwas ungewohnt wirken. In der Summe ist Of Mice and Men ein zeitloses Werk, das sowohl literarisch als auch gesellschaftlich relevant bleibt – und das man durchaus auch mehrfach lesen kann, um immer wieder neue Nuancen zu entdecken. Klare Empfehlung für alle, die klassische Literatur mögen, die bewegt – ohne überladen zu sein.

I have not read this Steinbeck for years. It is such a powerful short novel that I will want to read it again soon. The friendship between two men in California in the depression era leads to some very difficult dilemmas for the man with the stronger personality. He cares for his friend who is intellectually slow. They share a dream to own their own farm. Reality gets in the way! The different personalities of all the cast are beautifully written in the minimum words. The only female in the tale is so sensitively written that even as she causes problems for all the men, I felt sympathy for her. Steinbeck's talent to create a whole world in a few short sentences has been a source of pleasure to me over my reading history. I think I first read him in the mid 1960s and have reread most of hid books since. I don't know why I hadn't read Of Mice and Men more often.