Of Mice and Men

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Summary: I'm speechless! Best book a school could recommend.
Review: Of Mice and Men was required reading in my senior year of high school. I'm now more then 20 years out of school, and have yet to read a book more satisfying. I was so touched by Of Mice and Men. The men were so bonded in life. It makes the ending shocking, but understood. A grown strong masculine man, with any feeling would get emotional reading, Of Mice and Men. Totally captivating. Valerie George ([e-mail])

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Summary: Ok, once someone explained the meaning to me
Review: I don't see the reason for the ending, but the plot and the setting were pretty good

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Summary: A book on loyalty and love that we can all learn from.
Review: A book of two men that travel around together and stay together even when time s get tough and they get in trouble. We can all learn from George's patience and love towards Lennie the slow but lovable character. A heart-wrenching tail of love trust and loyalty

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Summary: OF MICE AND MEN READ THIS!!!!!
Review: This book was the greatest book I ever read. It tells about two friends sticking together, working together to a dream, and it was very heart warming

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Summary: It's a book that really makes you value what you have.
Review: I think the views' that Mr. Steinbeck does show in this book are very much thought provoking and intrigueing. It really makes you value what you do have in life. It is a wonderful book and should be read by everyone.

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Summary: A great book.
Review: This book was the definite favorite of all the required reading books at our school. Most of our class liked it better than Jurassic Park. (That's really saying something when it's 9th graders reading it!)The story was one of the most touching plots I've ever read. Lennie can just break your heart. This book made me and everyone else think more than a freshman class normally would. How John Steinbeck could tell such a splendid and sad story in so few words (it's a small book; quick read) is beyond my abilities.The end makes you wonder: Could I do what George did? The questions of friendship and loyalty are important ones for everyone to answer at sometime, although many of us would prefer not to have to answer them the way George does. I recommend

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Summary: Of Mice and Men Review
Review: Of Mice and Men is a story about a man named George and his mentally disabled friend Lennie. Lennie gets into trouble because he loves to pet soft things, but he doesn't know his own strength, and George has to bail him out all the time. Lennie causes harm but he honestly and truly doesn't mean to harm anything, but in the end it costs him a lot.
I can relate to George in a way. I have had to resume responsibility for a family member. She was younger than me, and we were close, so I felt like I had a responsibility to act in her best interest. This is the same way George feels about Lennie. He feels responsible for Lennie's actions.
What I like most about this book is how there are different types of conflicts. For instance, Crooks had conflicts with the other men because he was black; meanwhile, George has conflicts with himself; he was faced with different problems that only he can solve. For instance, he has to decide for himself how to deal with Lennie. No one can help George with Lennie because they don't know how to handle Lennie. They don't understand him like George. If I could change something about this book I would add more details when major things are happening. For example, I would add more details to the incident that happened with Curley's wife. The author says "she struggled violently under his hands. I would have used a metaphor like, "she struggled like a mouse trying to escape the grasp of a lion" to make the piece more colorful and exciting. I would have used more similes and metaphors to make it more visual and powerful.
I recommend people read this book. It has a lot of good conflicts, foreshadowing, and morals. If you are a person who likes stories about friendships, dilemmas, and morals, you will like Of Mice and Men.

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Summary: Compelling
Review: Of Mice and men is one of the most beautiful stories about friendship. The story is about two Americans. The thoughts and actions of the two southern are made open for the reader to enjoy and judge.

The favorite character in the book is Lenny. He came out in the story as and was innocent person with a mental defect. It reminded me somehow of Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT. The amazing thing about this book is that not a lot of books are based on such unique characters. Another attractive aspect of Lenny is his physical strength and hardworking nature. Yet, despite his meek nature, he was dangerous in the sense that he even killed a woman out of fear.

Steinbeck successfully created a philosophical twist to life through this story by bringing to life strong but vulnerable characters that we all can relate to.

Also recommended is DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, THE UNION KOUJIK, THE USURPER AND OTHERS

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Summary: A compelling parable of the poor and deprived
Review: George and Lennie, poor wretches traveling the country in search of work, dream of owning their own piece of land, their own piece of liberty. Never having to depend on someone else, never having to listen to what their bosses tell them to do, seems to be their ultimate goal. It all seems unachievable when they start to beg for work on yet another ranch in California. But then suddenly it all seems like a miracle is about to happen. In the face of their final redemption, they cannot help but start to plan their new life. But if they do not watch out, they might get in trouble again. Serious trouble.

Like his other works John Steinbeck gives in Of Mice and Men voice to the lonely and deprived people struggling to survive in the American society at the time of the Great Depression. Although the setting of the story is quite sober and the characters do not have a lot of room to develop within the few pages this novella counts, the message is all the more convincing. The strong friendship between two men, linked together by fate, is heart-warming and honest, which contrasts even more with the violence of their surroundings. The controversial conclusion of the book reads almost as an invitation to reflect upon the true values of life.

Is this book a historical illustration of the past (Great Depression) or a prophetical vision of the future? Many different opinions can be voiced, but isn't the American Dream still floating through our lives? Maybe our modern world is full of people like George and Lennie?

The kind of critique voiced by Steinbeck is not always well received in the land of the Brave and the Free. It is quite sad that even today this book is banned from some schools and public libraries in America.

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Summary: Steinbeck is a national treasure--treasure this book
Review: Steinbeck was known for writing thick books, however, Of Mice and Men was one of the thinnest of his great works and one of the best. An unlikely friendship between two men, a small, intelligent man and a powerfully built mentally handicapped man sets the scene for a drama that includes several conflicts: man against man, especially as the two friends find themselves unaccepted by the society they live in from day to day & man against himself. The story is fast paced and filled with physical and emotional details that allow you to see why the story ended so dramatically. I think the ending is one of the most poignant parts of the book. Also recommended: Grapes of Wrath and The Children's Corner by Jackson McCrae.