s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all]’s review of The Pearl > Likes and Comments

This was one of my favorite books in high school … excellent review!

Abyssdancer wrote: "This was one of my favorite books in high school … excellent review!"

Oh that is awesome! It’s so good. We read a couple Steinbeck between high school and middle school, Of Mice And Men as well.

Great review, Steve! Yes: Steinbeck is quite the master of short prose, is he not? I always wonder at how he does it.

Great review i loved this book as well

©hrissie ❁ Wor(l)ds*Of*Wonders [on semi-hiatus] wrote: "Great review, Steve! Yes: Steinbeck is quite the master of short prose, is he not? I always wonder at how he does it."

He really is! Which I find interesting that he’s most known for his two longest novels. I’ve been breezing through all his short novellas again and they’ve been kind of great comfort reads despite also being quite sad. I think it’s that right tone of sadness though, like the feel good sads haha

Barb wrote: "Great review i loved this book as well"

Thank you so much! So glad you loved this one :)

I need to reread this one. I think we had to read it in middle school so its been a long time

Megan wrote: "I need to reread this one. I think we had to read it in middle school so its been a long time"

SAME. It really held up, probably sadder this round too.

Fantastic review. I so understand this: I love short Steinbeck novels. They tend towards brevity while being profuse in beauty, often written in idyllic tones that contrast with the darkness inside them. This is exactly how I feel about Hemingway ~~ I've always felt he is at his best in short form.

Time to check out some shorter Steinbeck.

Kenny wrote: "Fantastic review. I so understand this:
I love short Steinbeck novels. They tend towards brevity while being profuse in beauty, often written in idyllic tones that contrast with the darkness ins..."

I perhaps am just convincing myself of this because I’m lazy and like short books so I appreciate the validation haha
Tortilla Flat is a great short one, ive been considering rereading it as well.

s.penkevich wrote: "I perhaps am just convincing myself of this because I’m lazy and like short books so I appreciate the validation haha"

Nope, I totally agree with this observation. The truly great novelists master short form fiction ~~ Tolstoy, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Twain, Dickens, Capote, King, Murakami, Bolaño, Faulkner, Nabokov, Porter ... and so many more

Kenny wrote: "s.penkevich wrote: "I perhaps am just convincing myself of this because I’m lazy and like short books so I appreciate the validation haha"

Nope, I totally agree with this observation. The truly gr..."

Definitely. I like the succinctness and making every word count. Bolaño for sure too, which is funny because in 2666 he talks shit about some dude who only reads the short novels and never the big epics.

s.penkevich wrote: "Bolaño for sure too, which is funny because in 2666 he talks shit about some dude who only reads the short novels and never the big epics."

Bolaño was foreshadowing your love of him ...

Kenny wrote: "s.penkevich wrote: "Bolaño for sure too, which is funny because in 2666 he talks shit about some dude who only reads the short novels and never the big epics."

Bolaño was foreshadowing your love o..."

Haha that’s it!

I appreciate the nudge, going to read this now.

Jonfaith wrote: "I appreciate the nudge, going to read this now."

Yay! Hope you enjoy!

Steinbeck is awesome! I bought a second hand copy of Cannery row, published in 1981, it's kinda falling apart but the yellow paper looks and smells so good. I haven't read it yet though but will do it as soon as I finish some of the books I'm reading. Thanks for this beautiful review, I'm adding the book

Phenomenal review, s. You would have been an amazing facilitator for my library book group - particularly this book!

Deviant Sam wrote: "Steinbeck is awesome! I bought a second hand copy of Cannery row, published in 1981, it's kinda falling apart but the yellow paper looks and smells so good. I haven't read it yet though but will do..."

Oh excellent, I kind of love having cool old used copies of “classics” like that. Cannery Row is one of my favorites by him, I hope you enjoy. It’s pretty funny and just really feel-good. And thank you!

Karen wrote: "Phenomenal review, s. You would have been an amazing facilitator for my library book group - particularly this book!"

Ha thank you! I bet this was a fun one to discuss, so much symbolism and social theory for a tiny allegory!

I will never forgive nor forget my tenth-grade English teacher who assigned this book over Christmas break and then got upset when no one read it. He proceeded to read it to us as though we were in kindergarten and write long essays about it, despite it only being 100 pages long. I will never re-read The Pearl because of that experience, and that's a shame because I adore Steinbeck's prose and storytelling ability.

Your reviews are so enjoyable. You’re a very thoughtful reader and your comments remind me why I much prefer Steinbeck over Hemingway. EH chased wars and bullfights while trying to curry favor with Gertrude Stein and the wealthy set. While Steinbeck was with Rickets or the Dust Bowl migrants. And same goes for Faulkner vs Fitzgerald. I’d rather read about human nature than fantasies about the rich and glamorous crowd.

han wrote: "I will never forgive nor forget my tenth-grade English teacher who assigned this book over Christmas break and then got upset when no one read it. He proceeded to read it to us as though we were in..."

Ha FAIR, I mean, honestly, who reads over christmas break (well, the assigned reading, theres nothing I loved more than spending all my time reading something other than what was assigned haha). But yeaaaa I think that is also sort of the dilemma of school assignments is so many books that would have been good can be ground down into something that feels like labor and shame. Alas

What a perfect way to describe this book and many other Steinbeck works. Brevity but with profuse beauty. I'm stealing that phrase next time I have to explain why I like this book and Steinbeck.

excellent review.