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The Grapes of Wrath
The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized--and sometimes outraged--millions of readers. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read A Penguin Classic First published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads--driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man's fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman's stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. At once a naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck's powerful landmark novel is perhaps the most American of American Classics. This Penguin Classics edition contains an introduction and notes by Steinbeck scholar Robert Demott. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Community Reviews
4.25 stars/5 .
The main things that I've appreciated in the book-
The main things that I've appreciated in the book-
1. the family bonding, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Joad family members had a close connection with each of them esp Ma, her support of Rosahran and Tom during the hard times,
2. the characterisation- most of the characters were not one dimensional and layered and even Rose who wasn't that noteworthy, her kindness and bravery during the last scene of the book were pretty commendable, Casy wasn't a very strict religious ex-preacher, he has his disagreements with his almighty
3. The end was pretty anti-climatic but I guess Steinbeck wanted to end it realistically without too much sadness or unnatural happiness, the migrant workers' condition is still unknown and hard, Tom probably following Casey's path and maybe he's going to die, Noah, Connie had no mention at last(although I hate him still).â¦.
I immediately broke my commitment not to read anymore Steinbeck but at least I wasn't surprised this time about how sadistic the book was. But this was is probably worth the horror and agony because of what it says about America and our history.
I know I'm against the stream on this rating. But I want to make a point. This Americana, this memory of an event that defined multiple generations... now that those people aren't around any longer, this story just doesn't quite hold the weight that it once did. Is it important? Certainly. Is it good to know human behavior? Absolutely.
But turn your eyes to Steinbeck's shorter novels for better writing, better storylines. "The Moon is Down", "The Pearl", "To A God Unknown", "Cannery Row", "The Red Pony", and then if you need a novel, pull out "The Winter of Our Discontent." If we must weigh what we read against other items to read, then Grapes and Eden can slip down on our lists. And I believe that it will be acceptable if it does.
But turn your eyes to Steinbeck's shorter novels for better writing, better storylines. "The Moon is Down", "The Pearl", "To A God Unknown", "Cannery Row", "The Red Pony", and then if you need a novel, pull out "The Winter of Our Discontent." If we must weigh what we read against other items to read, then Grapes and Eden can slip down on our lists. And I believe that it will be acceptable if it does.
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