Of Mice and Men

Rating:
Summary: Poignant and brief.
Review: On the surface this allegorical tale is a short and simple story about the fate two friends encounter when they hire on in a new ranch to ‚buck barley'. As Lennie and George are two poor wandering labourers their friendship is based purely on their companionship. The friendship is sustained by its complexity which has evolved as a result of the the influencing factors of the relationship. What makes this friendship very poignant is their awareness that this is their unique asset and that this sets them apart them from the mass of other casual labourers who are sad loners as a rule. George looks after Lennie who is retarded, but also big and awesomely powerful. Lennie doesn't mean any harm but he gets into situations where he becomes confused and he invariably panics. Consequently, the calamitous potential of his physical power looms constantly. One of the first things they witness in the bunkhouse is that an old dog, the time-honoured companion of the disabled old Candy, is shot by one of the other men with the declared purpose of putting him out of his misery. The dog's owner Candy is against this but gets no support from the others and has to endure the ordeal in a state of crushed acquiescence. They wanted to get rid of him anyway because he caused a smell in the bunkhouse which, of course, puts a question mark over the purity of the asserted altruism (the old story of pragmatism first and principles later). George and Lennie have their own modest version of the American Dream in the shape of a little ten-acre farm they dream about buying. But the 'bindle bum's' existence is a repeating short cycle of earning a little and then frittering it away on short-term whims to make life bearable. When Candy hears about the little farm he informs them of his savings and asks to be part of it. The sudden and very unexpected feeling that the realisation of the dream is within their grasp causes a sort of incredulous euphoria and the mantras are repeated more often and more zealously. But catastrophe is always looming and when it happens, George saves Lennie from a terrifying ordeal by taking Lennie's life at that moment when Lennie is in a state of bliss, induced by George, dreaming of the farm. This novella is written in a very concise manner. In spite of the brevity, the story and the characters are plausible. The themes seem to me to definitely have a universal aspect but they are also unique to the setting.

Rating:
Summary: A Fourteen Year Old Reader's Review
Review: The author paints a story of two unlikely friends, Lenny who is very much like a child but huge and as strong as a bare and often runs into trouble with out knowing it. Bad tempered but somewhat kind George has to get Lenny out of trouble sometimes losing his job. They both share a dream together of having their own farm and just when it seems close to coming true things go absolutely wrong. I read this book and it left me breathless at the end and touched me deeply because of how it reflected the harsh times then and now and of how society deals with different minded people. The writing is beautiful filled with heavy metaphors. I think if you've read John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" you should read this too, or if you are interested in something heavy and thought provoking or if you want to read a good book that's bin banned before :)

Rating:
Summary: The Ugly side of true friendship
Review: Steinbeck is the master of targeting the deepest emotions that we can experience each and every day. In Grapes of Wrath it was poverty. In Of Mice and Men it is the depth of friendship. How far are you willing to go to honor the bond that you have forged with your best friend? This classic is short, three or four hours worth of powerful dialouge that will leave you breathless. Skip the Sunday matinee' this weekend and read a true winner.

Rating:
Summary: Of Mice and Men
Review: Of mice and men is a nice and short book. This book is about two men George Milton and Lennie Small. Throughout the book, George and Lennie have many conflicts with each other and other characters. This book as about survival of the fittest, the weak die off and only the strong and capable survive. The conflicts George and Lennie encounter are all people with unique traits. In a sense this is also a book about a conflict between different people with different traits. I enjoyed this book because it's a simple book about common men. Almost anyone can relate to the characters in this book, which gives this book worthwhile to read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for book that they can really relate to themselves.

Rating:
Summary: Of Mice and Men
Review: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
This story is about two men, Lenny and George, trying to make a living on their own. Smart and witty George finds them jobs, while slightly retarded Lenny helps accomplish the work with his ox-body structure. When tragedy hits this motivated duo, Lenny goes into hiding. The book ends in a terribly sad game of cat and mouse.
This book was slow-paced at first, but the tables turn as you get further into the story. The characters were well portrayed and the conflicts of the story are exciting and keep you on the edge of your seat. The plot thickens after a while and forces you to keep reading; its hard to put this book down! Of you like classics with twists, turns and devestating disaster, this book is for you. I hope you enjoy this novel!

Rating:
Summary: UNABRIDGED!!!!!
Review: This is an UNABRIDGED reading of the Steinbeck classic, and it is wonderful. My juniors loved it, and so did I. Can't wait until next year when I teach this book again! Gary Sinise does an amazing job making distinct all the characters in this novel. One would think other people are reading these characters, but it is all Gary. The movie that Mr. Sinise directed and starred in is also wonderful. We all loved it!

Rating:
Summary: well I didn't HATE it.........
Review: But I do hate Steinbeck's style. Simple, short, too to the point, and lacking description. The story, a touching one of friendship. The writing style, simplistic, almost the "once upon a time..." fairy tales. Yes, he does describe tons of scenery, but he does it in a simple fashion. This book is very to the point. He doesn't show off his vocabulary, and he's wording isn't so eloquent as many other authors. He uses a limited variety of words, and a limited usage of language. The reader gets to know and understand charters by dialog alone. An author like this should be able to use vocabulary above that of a fourth grader ... it limits the writing. The larger the vocabulary the more you understand it. The story line was great, the characters touching, but really, the language ... simple and uneloquent.

Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Story
Review: Between the haunting characterization and the brilliant story-telling, Steinbeck created a novella that captures the human experience with an eerie certainty. Like Hemingway, the few words used create more power than other authors who can be sometimes accused of over-stating their point.

Rating:
Summary: A simple tale for the ages
Review: An outstanding, chilling, and thought provoking book that helped to shape my thought processes as an adolescent when I read the book for the first time, Of Mice and Men is Steinbeck's most succinct piece. A delicacy I enjoyed again this past summer, its messages change, its characters evolve, and its definitions are redefined with a readers age and experience.

Regardless, this book is a classic and a staple for any fan of literature.

Rating:
Summary: It's Wierd
Review: This book is wierd because in the end the main character shoots his mentally challenged frined in the back of the head, and hes tellin him a story abot his happiness