Rating: 
Summary: The Lesson to be Emphasized
Review: Even though this book doesn't really involves much of a dramatic plot, it give us a very descriptive and valuable theme.
Rating: 
Summary: A very special book: The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Review: It's not just a story about good and evil, it's a marvelous tale wich uncovers the virtues and miserys of the human condition, because Kino, the pearl fisher, is a sensitive man, one who is able to hear certain music associated to emotions and, despite of his illiteracy, that gift allows him to predict good or bad things, but when greed touches his heart he forgets everything he knows and the awesome pearl he finds, perhaps the solution of all of his problems, leads him to a path of tragedy and suffering. For kids it would be a great starting point to read good literature, to adults a story to remind us how all the treasures a man could long for are inside our hearts. And everyone will always remember Steinbeck's ability to write about the most sad and tragic things with a magnificent poetic language
Rating: 
Summary: Very Poor
Review: The book was okay untill the ending, I don't think a more unlikley stiuation could have been created.
Rating: 
Summary: Great discription; weak character development
Review: This book, as always, had those long detailed description to things. But really, there is no characteristic for each character, and not much development for each person. It was a short novel, if you really can't find something to read, maybe you can TRY read this one
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I read this book and would say it is very worth your time to read. In the begining it is a bit slow but once you get started you will really enjoy it. Prepare for tissues. John Stienbeck's words paint a picture in your head
Rating:
Summary: The Worst Book I Have Ever Read (And I Read a Lot of Books)
Review: I know it seems impossible to dislike a book where the moral is "try to better your position in life, and you will have to bring home your dead baby in a bloody sack," but somehow, through Steinbeck's writing, this story turned out to be the worst I have ever read.The dialogue between the characters struck me as very awkward and forced. It was even hard to read because it was so unnaturally written. I found myself needing to read sections over again in order to get the point they were trying to convey. While the writing is tedious and unenjoyable, the story itself is also unpleasant. As I said before, the moral doesn't make much sense, yet it is beaten into the reader from line one. I hate to say it like this, because I know I won't be taken seriously, but this is really a stupid book. I would never suggest it to anyone (I would actually warn people to stay away from it). Don't waste your time. You'll regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Bak Middle School of the Arts
Review:
John Steinbeck's The Pearl focuses on the theme of good
versus evil. The main character Kino, a poor fisherman, and his
wife Juana, hope to find a life of comfort and happiness through
the great pearl that Kino finds at the bottom of the sea. This
dream is shattered after the tragic death of his son. This book
focuses on man's dreams and hopes that can be destroyed by the
greed and evil within the world. When the town discovers that
Kino has found the greatest pearl in the world, the townspeople
yearn to posses it, regardless of the price they have to pay and
the destruction that they will cause along the way.
This book brought out the conflicting feelings in me. At
times, I felt anger, revenge and disgust, and other times, I
experienced sorrow, pain and loss of words. The author reveals
the two opposing sides in man that can be aroused when greed
takes over. I admire Kino and his wife for standing up to the
evil people, and for not giving up even after Kino is attacked,
stabbed and later, faces the burning down of his home. I also
felt that Juana's support and love for her husband is very
powerful. She respects and obeys him throughout the entire story
and vice versa. They love each other in spite of the tragic
events in their lives.
The Pearl made me think of the real dangers in life and how
careful we have to be with people.Sometimes, people who appear
close to us, like the doctor does wit Kino, can be our greatest
enemies. Fortunately, Kino gains the insight to outwit him and
his desires to rob him of the pearl. Also, the pearl buyers are
sneaky thieves that want to cheat him. We meet similar people in
our world today that try to take advantage of the poor and
uneducated in order to make profit.
Often, people are taken advantage of because they are
illiterate like Kino and Juana who hope to give "their son an
education and to buy a rifle and have a wedding in
church."(p.24) I can recall a poor Mexican family that once
stood in front of me at Publix. I felt bad for them because they
could not read or write English. I wondered if their children
were getting the health care that Kino's son needed, but
couldn't get because they were poor. They reminded me of Kino's
family hoping to find a better life.
If you enjoy reading adventure stories filled with drama
and suspense, then, you will love The Pearl. Steinbeck's simple
writing style makes this book easy to read and understand for
people of all ages. This book teaches the theme of good versus
evil and the greed in man. There are many morals in this book
that help us to understand our world today. One lesson that I
learned was if we could truly help one another than people like
Kino and Juana would no longer exist.
Rating:
Summary: The Song of the Family
Review: The novella, midway in length between the novel and the short story, was a popular literary form in 19th-century Germany, where the writer and critic Paul Heyse put forward what he called the "Falkentheorie", or "falcon theory". Heyse's idea was that each novella should be distinguishable from others through a specific image, a physical object that not only played an important role in the story but which also had a symbolic meaning. (The name is taken from a story by Boccaccio which features a falcon). Steinbeck's "The Pearl" is a good English-language example of a novella in Heyse's sense.
The story is set in the Mexican city of La Paz in southern Baja California, once famous for pearl fishing. A poor fisherman, Kino, finds a huge and valuable pearl, and dreams that it will bring him a better life. The town's pearl buyers, however, are part of a corrupt cartel, and will only offer him a price much less than its true value. A gang attempts to rob Kino of the pearl, and he is forced to kill a man in self-defence. Kino and his wife Juana flee into the mountains, hoping to make their way to Mexico City, but they are followed by those who would steal the pearl from them, and their story ends in tragedy. It ends with a disillusioned Kino throwing the pearl back into the sea.
The pearl is not only the object at the centre of the story, but is also a symbolic image. Its symbolism is twofold. On the one hand, it represents the aspirations of Kino and Juana towards a better life. Their hopes are comparatively modest- they do not dream of a life of luxury, but rather of new clothes, a hunting rifle, a church wedding (the local church denies the sacrament of marriage to those unable to pay for it) and, most importantly, an education for their young son Coyotito. Kino, significantly named after the great philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas, may be illiterate, but he has a great respect for learning.
On the other hand, the pearl also represents evil in the world, symbolising the sins of envy and avarice. Kino hopes that the pearl will change his life for the better, but it changes it for the worse. Wealth is not an unqualified benefit; riches are likely to provoke greed and jealousy in others, and may also corrupt the character of those who possess them. The wealthy characters in the story are all shown in an unflattering light- the pearl buyers, the hypocritical and mercenary doctor, who refuses to treat Coyotito for a scorpion-sting while the family are poor but is happy to do so when he believes they have become rich, and the priest, who cares more for the financial welfare of the church than he does for the spiritual welfare of his parishioners. The men who pursue Kino and try to rob him are vague, shadowy figures, but Steinbeck leaves us in little doubt that they are in the pay of the rich of the city. It is not his poor neighbours who resent Kino's good fortune, but rather the rich, European-descended citizens. These men despise him for two reasons, because he is poor and because he is an Indian, and cannot bear the idea that a stroke of fortune might bring him wealth. Even Kino himself becomes stubborn, and insists on keeping the pearl when Juana wishes to get rid of it for fear that it will bring further misfortune.
A frequent image in the book is that of music. Kino experiences the world in terms of songs- not those written by others, but what Steinbeck calls "personal songs" in his head. When he is content with his life with Juana and Coyotito, he hears what is referred to as "the song of the family". When, however, the family unit is threatened, by the scorpion or by the robbers, he hears another song, "the song of the enemy". There is a third melody running through the book, the "song of the pearl", which may harmonise with either the song of the family or with that of the enemy, depending upon whether the pearl is seen as a blessing or a curse.
Contrary to what some have stated, the book is not set in Mexico's distant, colonial past, but in the twentieth century. (This is made clear by references to the four centuries since the Spanish conquest, which occurred in the 1520s). Whether or not it is actually based upon a folk-tale, it is certainly reminiscent of one in style- unsurprisingly, as Steinbeck was deliberately aiming for this effect. The story is told simply, in a limpid prose with relatively short sentences. Although it is a short book of less than a hundred pages, it is not simply a terse recounting of the story; Steinbeck still finds space for some fine, poetic passages of descriptive writing, capturing the vivid colours and hazy light of the coastal landscapes of the Gulf of California. "The Pearl" is both the particular, and deeply moving, story of two young people and a symbolic fable with a wider human significance. Writing about this book, the English writer Richard Church stated that Steinbeck showed "that simplicity of spirit which is the most distinguished feature of a true poet".
Rating:
Summary: A good, short read
Review: In The Pearl, John Steinbeck keeps the story very short. He doesn't waste words with filler, yet he provides thrilling images, complete details included. The concise, almost perfect word choices keeps the reader hanging on every word, no matter how near or far the plot is from the climax.
The short-story, full of twists, turns, and heart-stopping suspense, is about a three-member family led by a poor pearl diver, Kino, in a Mexican community. After the young couple's baby child is bitten by a poisonous scorpion, the two do whatever they can to save the infant's life. A tale of struggle, surprises, and social discrimination takes the reader through the changing lives of this Mexican family. A great, easy read.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: John Steinbeck did a really good job on The Pearl. He usually writes nine-hundred to one-thousand page books but this one is exactly ninty pages long. I don't own this copy but the one with the blue cover (I think that is the newer version). This is about a man named Kino and his wife Juana and his baby son Coyotito. It starts off as his son, Coyotito, gets stung by a scorpion. Kino and Juana try to get him cured by the doctor but the doctor is too ignorant and wouldn't serve poor Indian people. Then Kino goes oyster fishing for big pearls. He finds the Pearl Of The World. Soon the doctor serves to him in exchange for his pearl. But Kino doesn't quite want to give up his pearl yet. Will the doctor steal it? Or will he persuade Kino to give it to him? You really got to read this book to find out!
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