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The Moon Is Down

John Steinbeck

Start date: May 1, 2023

Finish date: May 31, 2023

Discussion: Current Group Reads

Why we're reading this: May 2023 Short Story/Novella Read
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What Members Thought

May 16, 2023 RJ - Slayer of Trolls rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“A man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong—acting the part of a good man or of a bad.” - The Apology of Socrates by Plato

Written to be adapted to the theatre (and of course there was a movie version), this short novel tells the story of a small town's resistance to an invading force - just feel free to plug in "Norway" and "Germany" as needed, and there's no need to expla ...more

21 likes · Like · see review

Dec 29, 2014 Brad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ethics, fascinating, exceeded-my-expectations, political, impulsive-bookstore-pick, wwii-era-lit, where-have-you-been-all-my-life

I went through most of my life not knowing that The Moon is Down even existed. I haven't been the most fervent fan of John Steinbeck, so that could be the explanation, but in all the classes I've been in, in all the discussions of Steinbeck's work or dicussions of stories of WWII, I've never heard of this book.

When I stumbled upon it in my local used book shop I couldn't help wondering why it was new to me. I figured it must just be a terrible book, unworthy of attention, a rare Steinbeck failu I went through most of my life not knowing that The Moon is Down even existed. I haven't been the most fervent fan of John Steinbeck, so that could be the explanation, but in all the classes I've been in, in all the discussions of Steinbeck's work or dicussions of stories of WWII, I've never heard of this book.

When I stumbled upon it in my local used book shop I couldn't help wondering why it was new to me. I figured it must just be a terrible book, unworthy of attention, a rare Steinbeck failure, but I went ahead and bought it anyway (it was only a buck and a quarter). Then it sat on my shelf for a couple of years.

I dragged it along with me to the Caribbean (where we're staying for 2014-2015), determined to give it a crack on the beach sometime. That time was over the Christmas break, and within about twenty pages I was trying to figure out the real reason for my ignorance of this book because it isn't a failure on the part of Steinbeck.

The Moon is Down is sparing, as are all of Steinbeck's novellas, and there is a beauty in his chosen simplicity. The cast of scantily drawn characters seems to be a deliberate part of that simplicity. It is as though Steinbeck wants us to find ourselves in any or all of the men and women who inhabit this little world of Conquerors and (Un-)Conquered, Vanquished and (Un-)Vanquished, so he spares us too much detail that could get in the way of our ability to relate. And herein may lie the reason why The Moon is Down has been pushed to the fringes of Steinbeck's work, because the characters (at least two thirds of them) that Steinbeck wants us to relate to are Nazis inhabiting a town in the midst of WWII.

We all know the discomfort that comes with being able to empathize with or relate to Nazi characters, but that discomfort can only be intensified by the fact that Steinbeck himself never gives his occupiers the name Nazi. The only place the word Nazi appears on my book, in fact, is on the back cover. I imagine anyone reading this book when it was released, or even folks who might read the book now without a back cover-spoiler, would be angered when they realized that the Nazis of Steinbeck's novella are not so different from they themselves or from their troops that might this very second be occupying another place somewhere in the world. Occupiers as hated by the Occupied as Steinbeck's Nazis in The Moon is Down.

I'd be willing to wager a pay cheque (don't get excited, that's practically nothing these days), that Steinbeck's book has been quietly set aside because of that very discomfort, which is a shame because it is telling an important story that I am better for having read. ...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, hf-world-war-ii, fiction-20th-century, kindle, norway, american-fiction, humour, mtbr-challenge-2014, viciados-em-livros

Another masterpiece written by John Steinbeck.

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May 08, 2017 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics

This year I determined to read the classics -- and that gave me the gift of reading John Steinbeck! Now I am on a mission to read everything he has written. I will tell you right up front -- I love Steinbeck. This is my 8th book of his that I have read in less than two months. I like the attention he gives to every detail when describing his characters and settings. I love the simplicity with which he writes. I love that he can describe the worst of life but make it a beautiful exploration of so ...more

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Nov 05, 2017 Jeff Koeppen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2017-read, author-steinbeck, war, historical-fiction

This is a Steinbeck WWII short novel in which an unnamed invading force (Nazis) occupies a small mining town in an unnamed country (Netherlands). At first the conquerors and conquered have a seemingly innocent and uneventful, although uneasy, relationship but as the occupying army starts tightening the noose and establishing a totalitarian regime over the peaceful, hard-working citizens the plot turns dark and events go from being uneasy to ugly and sad. The winter setting adds to the cold and d ...more

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Aug 15, 2009 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, novellas

I read through this book quickly and found it very gripping. I can see how it would have been very effective as a propaganda book in WWII. It's easy to fall in love with the mayor and the townspeople. ...more

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