Of Mice and Men

Rating:
Summary: a good book
Review: I am from BLA high school in the bronx and I thank my teacher MS. Solomon for giving us this book to read. This book tells the story of true friends and how hard it was during the great depression. From this book I have learned that sometimes you just got to do what is best for you and your friend. This book always has a new surprise. The author uses symbolism and foreshadowing to tell the story. As the story goes on the better it gets. I have read this book twice and I can just keep reading it over and over because it tells such good details and information. Reading this book you will feel as if you were there because the action never ends you will keep being surprised until the last sentence of the book.

Rating:
Summary: As important now as it was in 1937.
Review: This is a little book, less than 200 pages, that packs a big punch. John Steinbeck tells the story of George and Lennie who travel around the Mid-West in the 1930's working as day laborers on large farms. George is small in stature and "street smart" while Lennie is large, strong and "intellectually challenged" to be politically correct. George and Lennie depend upon each other for companionship. They are a kind of family. Lennie looks up to George as a big brother. George admires Lennie's physical size and strength. You get the impression that one would be lost without the other. George spends a lot of his time keeping Lennie out of trouble. Lennie wants rabbits to raise and George wants to be his own boss. They know where a little farm is for sale. It's just what they want. George and Lennie need six-hundred dollars to make this dream come true. For a while it looks as if the dream can become a reality. Then trouble comes in the form of a woman. The ending, while you know what is coming, is a shocker.

This John Steinbeck classic is just as powerful in it's message today as it was in 1937. George and Lennie together represent every person who has ever had a dream that they secretly knew was just out of their reach. Together they support each other and keep their dream alive.

I had not read this book since high school, some 40 years ago. I finished it in one setting.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: I thought that Of Mice and Men was a good book. I enjoyed all of the action that took place. Especially when they arrived at the ranch to work. Between all of the fights, the girls, the puppies and the work it was very interesting. I thought that it kept you wanting to read it. I also think that Linnie made the book because you never knew what he was going to do or what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the book and I hope you will too.

Rating:
Summary: Shocking, but yet exhilarating
Review: Of Mice and Men is a thrilling book which grabs your seat and makes you want to read all the way till the last page of the book. A classic John Steinbeck novel, it never ceases to excite readers with its unpredictable story. Two main characters, George and Lenny, starts off the journey with a dream but without the resources, they are left with nothing but their dreams. Of all friendships that started, George and Lenny's were the most unpredictable one. George, a small built guy with brains, and Lenny, a big built muscular guy but is no where as smart as George, were complete opposites. Throughout the book, George has no choice but to control Lenny is everyway and Lenny, being the strong man that he is, is not able to control himself without George, Lenny is lost in his world of his own which makes total chaos. To me, it is without a doubt that the best part of Steinbeck's writing is his ability to get into people's heart and able to play with their emotions. Throughout the novel, there are many wicked twists and that's what makes this novel enjoyable. As I started reading the book from the first page, the feeling of happiness was what I felt, but as it heads for the end, I felt the feeling of remorse and sadness. The novel itself, has a complex meaning behind it, a meaning which cannot be expressed by words, but can only be expressed by reading it. This is perhaps one of the classic novels. The novel was and I think still is banned from a couple of places in the world, and sometimes, it gets you thinking, why would they want to ban a book? Is it something the government of don't want to reveal to the public? Whatever it is, this is a classic novel that will always be part of America's history in literature.

Rating:
Summary: Steinbeck - Enough Said
Review: The greatest American Author in my opinion and this is his greatest work. It applied to society then, now and into the future. Excellent read, excellently written, and the kind of novel I like fiction but thought provoking.

Rating:
Summary: Of Mice and Men
Review: At age 28, I am finally reading through all of the 'classic' novels, and Steinbeck has a solid handful of "must reads." He seems to have written a lot of shorter novels that wring a lot out of you emotionally. In light of that, "Of Mice and Men" is a novel that is many things at the same time: touching, tragic, and funny.

The story revolves around a couple of characters who seem to have shown up in my chief medium of knowledge as a child, cartoons. The big, dopey gentle-hearted giant and the quick-witted smaller man who seems to begrudgingly take on the role of care-taker for the dopey giant. The thing is, the care-taker needs the dope in just as real a way as the dope needs the care-taker. That is the touching part of the story, as this truth is slowly revealed about George (the care-taker.)

The book is also tragic with liberal amounts of shocking twists and turns, including a totally unpredictable and tragic ending. I really want to see how they did that on that big-screen. Read the book and you'll see what I mean.

It's also a funny story in that Steinbeck just has a way with subtle humor, and he has a great medium to express this humor in the dopey character of Lenny. He's like the big cartoon Abominable Snowman that wants to pet nice things and be tender towards them, but ends up crushing them unintentionally. Well, I guess that could be taken as mean or cruel, too, but I take it as funny.

In all, I rate this story highly because I found myself very involved with the characters and cared how it ended, which in my mind is what a good story should do.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is an excellent novel. Excellent plot and characters. And riveting.

Rating:
Summary: Steinbeck is a Brilliant Writer!
Review: Being such an avid reader, even I found it hard to believe that I have never read this book. Based on the high esteem I hold the Grapes of Wrath in, I thought I would enjoy this book. Despite the fact that it is a short tale, it is worth the weight of many larger novels.

Of Mice and Men tells of the adventures of George and Lennie. George is the brains of the outfit, that constantly finds himself getting the duo out of the trouble Lennie has created for them. With dreams of obtaining their own land George and Lennie seek work on a new farm. This farm seems to unlock the final door to obtaining their dream property. Unfortunately, the death of a beautiful womam brings a new stain in their realtionship.

Steinbeck is a great storyteller. The one thing I did not like about the book is the ending. While the ending was not necessarily a surprise, it left me hanging on for more. While I was not really looking for a happy ending, I did not feel a real sense of closure. Still, this book is an excellent read!

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written book
Review: This is a very beautifully written book. It's the first Steinbeck book I've ever read, I started yesterday night and just couldn't put it down until I had read it. The words are vividly descriptive and the characters almost come alive in your mind. Steinbeck sort of fades in and out of scenes by describing what is happening in the surroundings, making it a very pleasant experienced to read this book. He picks you up gently in the start of a chapter and puts you down just as gently in the end.

The plot is brilliant, I love the story about this odd couple travelling together, the dilemma, a story told with a vivid and subtly humorous language.

This is absolutely a 5 star book.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: I am 17, and all I have to say is
Read this book!
For Best results read the book and watch the movie.