The Grapes of Wrath

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Summary: The Grapes of Wrath
Review: After being assigned a novel project in Language Arts, I decided to read The Grapes of Wrath. This book is about a family, the Joads. They get kicked off their land and set out to California to look for a job. During this book you follow the Joads journey to California. They have to go through many obstacles on their way to California. As you read this book you will learn about the things that they have to go through. They have determination, and are very brave people. This book was a good book but sad because of all the thing that the Joads had to go through, and how hard that it would have been to live back then in the Great Depression. If you are looking for a good book to read about the past I recommend The Grapes of Wrath.

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Summary: Breathtaking...
Review: The scope of this work far exceeds any novel I've ever read. In this magnum opus by John Steinbeck, he covers theology, philosophy, history, sociology, class struggle, and an awesome breadth of the topics of man. His attention to detail gives the strangest sensation that I am actually there in the wagon with the Joads, giving a personal feel to the novel that is untouchable by any other writer out there. Certain images are absolutely unforgettable: Pa's last stand, Rose's lasting image, the spell-binding oratories of Tom, Ma, and Jim.

On the other hand, John Steinbeck knows this is magnum opus, but he sets out on a course to prove it to the reader. He can be pedantic, didactic, and overbearing in his writing. He is so absolutely blatant in his symbolism (particularly his religious symbolism) so as to leave a bitter feeling in the reader that the author thinks him a fool. Steinbeck can seem a times as if he's WORKING to create a great work, utterly unnatural.

Looking past these misgivings though, this book is an excellent exploration into the 1930s as well as human nature in general. The characters are spellbinding, their dialogue excellent. The intercleary chapters are for the most part excellent snapshots of time, with the exception of those that involve absolutely blatant symbolism. While the progress of the book can be a tad on the slow side, I find that it gives the book an excellent feel of rambunctous wandering and exploring a la Ruthie, physically, and a la Jim Casy, spiritually. The status of this novel as a classic is wholly deserved, and it is also deserved of several readings to capture the full breadth of the novel.

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Summary: The Grapes of Wrath
Review: In The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, the Joad family fled their Oklahoma dwelling, in search of fictional California jobs. Scarred by the Great Depression and the seemingly everlasting Dust Bowl, the Joads futilely traveled to California, a land they dreamed was filled with opportunity, countless jobs, and acres of fruit that one could pick right off the tree and eat. With a large family plagued with hunger, sickness, death, and a pregnancy, the Joads struggled daily to survive among the thousands of other refugees from drought and famine. Steinbeck writes with startling bluntness. Nothing he writes is "candy coated" or semi-truthful. He tells accurately of the troubled times the Joads faced and tells us exactly what they would have said. He uses the words, the grammar, and the thoughts that such "Okies" would have expressed; as shown in this passage: "Danny in the back seat wants a cup of water. Have to wait. Got no water here. Listen - that the rear-end? Can't tell.

There goes a gasket. Got to go on. Listen to her whistle. Find a nice place to camp an' I'll jerk the head off. But, God Almighty, the food's gettin' low, the money's gettin' low. When we can't buy no more gas - what then? Danny in the back seat wants a cup of water. Little fella's thirsty. Listen to that gasket whistle." I liked the honesty and truth that John Steinbeck writes with and thought it was interesting how he would shift gears every chapter and, instead of focusing on the Joad family, would show the reader a bigger picture. He stops focusing on one particular family, and illustrates the daily routines that every "Okie" family dealt with. I recommend this book to anyone interested in an awe-inspiring and shockingly true book.

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Summary: A book that will change your attitude towards life
Review: I was assigned this book in English to write an essay on, and I saw the length and was a bit dismayed to see the least. But, as I read through it the plot developed into something a reader can appreciate and understand. Steinbeck's small 'metaphorical' chapters (that occur seemingly in every other chapter) enhance the message of the book. When I finished this novel 600 or so pages later, I realized my attitude towards life had changed. You come out for better or worse, a little different after reading this book.

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Summary: "...and the anger fermented..."
Review: This was a great book! Like all classics you have to bring your own experiences into the story and have some understanding of motifs and themes to understand the underlying meaning of the story.

It's also a great book to just read. It's amusing and sad.

It centers on the Joad family during the Great Depression. With them, we experience their plights, their fears and hopes for a better life and future.

Times are hard, but as long as you had your family, you can make. But we are also human, the fear of separation is eminent in a land where you can disappear and no one would care. A completely different wilderness to a land that was so well known.

They traveled west, the Golden City, only to find death, sadness, separation and loss. But through their sadness and loss, they learn to cope, to accept, to belong to the family of man and to remain human when you are not.

This is a great book to read. The only downside is that the ending is anticlimactic. A surprise, but a let down. It ended completely when it should have continued for at least one more chapter.

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Summary: do NOT miss this one!
Review: This is my new favorite book! I think it should be required reading for everyone who calls himself an American. At first, I'll admit I was intimidated by its size, but I wanted to read it because of its "classic" status. It earns its honored position from the start. One can compare the trials of the Joads to those of Holocaust victims or Civil War participants. I am not saying their experiences are as horrible as those of the Jews and soldiers, but it is amazing that we (as a country at the time) could care so little for our own brothers. These people were not leeches before the Bank takes over the land. They made an honest living and worked very hard for it. Then they have to force themselves to rely on the kindness of strangers when they move West. Pride is broken sometimes, but it is ultimately restored, as the "reds" realize they must take care of each other to survive. Also, I have never been so moved as I was by the ending. If you've read this before, you know what I'm talking about. If you have yet to be so blessed, you'll find out soon enough. Do NOT miss this awesome novel!

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Summary: Haunting. Powerful.
Review: This book is a "must own."

When you think that your own life is unfair or when you feel that you're doing more giving than taking and that the American Dream has passed you by, read this book.

I also recommend Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (the name of the main character) as background music while and even long after you read this ...

(from the CD): ..."Tom said, 'Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy; Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries; Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air; Look for me Mom and I'll be there ...

Where there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand; A decent job or a helping hand; Where there's somebody strugglin' to be free; Look in their eyes Mom ... and YOU'LL SEE ME'".

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Summary: One of the most predictable, boring novels I have ever read.
Review: The first book on my summer AP English reading list came highly recommended, and I was excited about reading it. However, as I read more and more, I grew tired of fate's relentless assault on the Joad family.

The book contains oodles of sex imagery, to the point I worry about Steinbeck's sanity while he wrote the book. An example of imagery run wild is given in chapter 5, where tractors and farm equipment are described as "raping the ground methodically" and many other sexual references. It's a TRACTOR for God's sake!!!! Continually Steinbeck dwells on sex whenever he can draw a metaphor.

Another problem I have with the book is the constant bad luck of the Joad family. Murphy's law is proved countless times as every possiblility of good fortune is systematically destroyed. I believe if the book were three chapters longer, there would be no surviving Joads to write about.

In short, while I agree the plot is rather solid, the book is a depressing saga of a family's misfortune in a time when countless other families were experiencing hardships. I recognize the historical importance and the statement this novel makes, but if I had had the choice I would not have read this book. It took me a week to get over the depression and disgust of the human race that The Grapes Of Wrath instilled in me.

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Summary: Surprisingly Good
Review: The word "classic" doesn't always mean a good book. But in this case, The Grapes of Wrath deserves the label. Being forced to read this book through an assignment, I started off with a bad outlook. After finishing the book, I found that my opinion had changed. TGOW has a great mixture of history and plot while being written skillfully and wonderfully. I would suggest it to anyone who enjoys the history of the Great Depression or Dust Bowl era; or to anyone researching biblical illusions in literature.

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Summary: Where is the rest of it?
Review: This is a great book. I could hardly put it down.

I was supposed to read it in college but somehow couldn't get into it back then. I was looking through some boxes and found the book. I read it every free moment I had. It was hard to get into it at first but after the third chapter I started to get it, then I was hooked. I felt very connected to the Joad family.

I was pleased with the book up until the last page. I understood the message but was disapointed in lack of closure with the characters. I truly wanted to know what happened to them.

Although it was long I would have been more than happy to read another 600 pages if I thought there would be character closure.

I guess the author felt that if people during that time would lose track of their own family members we could sit back and wonder what happened to this family.