Of Mice and Men

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding book for mature readers
Review: When reading through reviews of this book left by other readers, it is obvious that many of the high school students assigned Of Mice and Men are clearly not mature enough to understand this outstanding work. [e-mail] complained that Steinbeck rushed the ending of this book, which leaves me to wonder how [e-mail] would have improved upon the ending. Several readers such as the ones from Kingston, Ontario, and London, England, describe this book as boring. These same kids would find The Old Man and The Sea, or To Kill a Mockingbird boring. A young reader from North Carolina suggested that Of Mice and Men be renamed, Retard on a Ranch. Perhaps the title of his summary should be renamed, Retard from North Carolina. I'm certain that these kids resented being pulled away from their video games, and MTV, and being forced to read. I suggest that they stick to reviewing something they can understand such as comic books, and leave classic works such as Of Mice and Men to serious readers.

Rating:
Summary: a terrific book every high school student should read
Review: i was looking for short and easy book to read for a school report and i was looking in the libary and i found this one. it was short, big letters, and easy to understand language. it was such a great novel that i read it in two days, which was good. it is such a easy novel to understand, making it good for high school students to read, making it a favorite among my classmates. friends asked me what would be a good fast novel to read and is understandable, he used it and was very glad that i referred him to it. i recommend this novel to anybody especially teenagers. thanks for writing such a good book steinbeck. justin blake

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: Does this book really need explaining

Rating:
Summary: "...time awakened again and moved sluggishly on."
Review: This is Steinbeck's classic novelette about two itinerate farm workers in central California, George Milton and Lennie Small. George serves as the "guide" or father-figure for the simpleminded, large, and strong Lennie. Both have dreams of having their own place and farm; but, tragedy stops them. As they reach for their dream, they are denied ("The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft a gley," Robert Burns, 1785). George finds that he is so attached to Lennie that he can't let the mob get to him. He discovers that it is his terrible task to free Lennie by the only means available to him. Steinbeck gained national prominance with this work with its beautiful use of language and its realistic portrayal of itinerate farm workers in the 1930s. He was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. It is one of the major works of literature of the twentieth century.

Rating:
Summary: "OUTSTANDING"
Review: Steinbeck presents so many kinds of different people with the same emotional setback: lonliness. He portrays many themes throughout this book: companionship, intelligence, lonliness, etc. This is an absoutely wonderful book. You must read it!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest works i've ever read!!
Review: John Steinbeck captures the sensitive relationship of two close men very well. His portrayel of both men leave space to form your own opinion. Steinbeck's works are not so pulled tightly together that you can't take time to figure out the story, but he does like to mess around with words, which makes his writing so interesting! A perfect piece for any articulate reader!

Rating:
Summary: A simple story with much deeper undertones
Review: When this book begins, it seems to be a simple, realistic view of two farmhands during the early part of the century. However, it is soon evident that through these people and thier lives so unlike ours, something about the human character, and even ourselves, is revealed. Even though he kills the girl, I feel that there is something about Lenny that makes you feel for him and want to shelter him from anyone who means harm. I enjoyed this book immensely, but I warn you--after reading this book, you will feel sad and depressed. Even now, I feel terrible for Lenny, the fictitious character that I've never met.

Rating:
Summary: John Steinbeck at his best!
Review: As I read other's reviews, it gave me the chills as I saw how badly others had interpreted Steinbeck's sensitive and yet descriptive writing. They thought the ending was terrible because they only saw the literal meaning, not the secondary meaning behind it's symbolism. To call this book boring is to call the bible unholy. You will be gripped by the unexplained phrases and sentences left to your own thoughts and feelings for interpretation, and though it is a novella, you will find you read it slowly to get the meanings. I loved this book and my only complaint was that I wish it were longer.

Rating:
Summary: This is a good book for anyone old enough for the content
Review: I liked this book, Of Mice and Men, more than any book I've read in a while. This book was a fast paced easy to understand book that was great for a person like me who doesn't like books all that much. It was a great plot that didn't make me want to go to sleep and had a very unexpected ending that left you with plenty to think about after it was all said and done. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes to read or hates to read, I don't think that it matters. Anyway fantastic book!

Rating:
Summary: The opinions of others.
Review: I gave this book 5 stars because I thought it was excellent. I think the key (well, one of the keys) to a great novel is memorable characters. I guarantee you will never forget George and Lennie, they have survived through history (you know all those cartoons with a large, bumbly character saying "Duh, George?" to a smaller, smarter character?) But I digress. The point I want to make is that I respect other people's reviews, no matter how many/little stars there may be. But the only condition is that their points have to be well thought-out, and have clear reasons why they did or didn't appreciate the book. I cannot stand to see people putting one star and then making a comment such as "It sucked" or "Don't read it". Now I wouldn't mind it at all if they had given mature reasons for disliking it. The point is, put a little oomph behind your opinions :-)