Reading List Completists discussion

Discuss the Lots of Lists Poll winner for July 2015 here!

Grapes of Wrath begins today - enjoy another classic!

Such an amazing book! Steinbeck is brilliant. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Whenever I start a new ebook, I convert it into an editable file and remove all the curse words. When I replace something, it says, "XXX words replaced". This book has the record so far out of all the books I've read for the most words replaced. No f-bombs, but a whole buttload of J.C. Just an interesting fun fact.

I'm probably in the minority, but I really cringe when people swear, so being able to edit ebooks has opened up a whole new world for what I can read and enjoy. (BTW, if you're interested in knowing how it's done, you can message me)

Can't wait to start! I've seen a movie version, so I hope it doesn't skew my perceptions of the book. I'm excited!

You should try that with Catcher in The Rye. Half the book would be "replaced." :-O

How are people doing with The Grapes of Wrath? It was one of my favorites back in high school (yes, it was required reading I actually enjoyed! ;). Because of other reading commitments I am not re-reading, but I am interested in seeing what others think.

Finally getting to this, I might finish before the end of the month. There is an intro section in the version I'm reading where they REALLY talk up this book like its basically the best book ever written...and Steinbeck is a genius, and all the wonderful literary techniques and on and on. I had no idea it was the best book in existence :)

I read this 25 years ago. Devoured it. Won't be re-reading it for the group but will follow the discussion. I read East of Eden within the last two years. It's more complex than any of the other Steinbeck's I've read. I devoured it, too.

If anyone reading GoW is interested in a good nonfiction read about the dustbowl I'd like to suggest Timothy Egan's "The Worst Hard Time". (Sorry. Can't link from phone app.) He discusses the causes of the dust storms, follows several families who stayed and covers the public policies and actions taken in regard to the dustbowl.

In my memory GoW misses a lot of what Egan covers and focuses mostly on the exodus. Not a criticism, just saying that GoW is just one piece of the dustbowl story.

This can't be the best book in existence if East of Eden is better. And that's not the best book ever either. But what is???

This is definitely gritty. Steinbeck was trying to singe our nerves. He just gets down to the bare emotion really well. I'm picking up on the alternating short and long chapters - you follow the narrative of Tom & co. and then a short chapter. You see a turtle crossing the road or a mechanic who knows how to screw people or the way you feel when you have to pack up your very soul when you move to a new place (short chapters), and then the fun dialog and narrative chapters. You know, with the kind of dialog with phonetic spelling, where figure becomes figger. I don't know if there's a "plot" yet or if it's just, "will they make it to California?", but definitely some good writing.

Hands down Steinbeck is can write! It's hard to pick his "greatest" book. Of Mice and Men has also been mentioned as one of the greatest. East if Eden, in my mind, is the most complex/mature. But Grapes of Wrath is a quintessential American migration tale.

The turtle crossing the road is possibly one of the most infamous scenes in American literature. People who dislike the book always bring up that scene as an example as to their reason why.

Steinbeck is in my top 5 favourite authors. For me, his best book is To a God Unknown. I reread it once a year. It breaks my heart every time. :)

Kristin, How did I ever miss that one? A must read.

Ran across this quote, where they are just getting on the road, and Al asks his ma about the future.

“Ain’t you thinkin’ what’s it gonna be like when we get there? Ain’t you scared it won’t be nice like we thought?’’

“No,’’ she said quickly. “No, I ain’t. You can’t do that. I can’t do that. It’s too much—livin’ too many lives. Up ahead they’s a thousan’ lives we might live, but when it comes, it’ll on’y be one. If I go ahead on all of ’em, it’s too much. You got to live ahead ’cause you’re so young, but—it’s jus’ the road goin’ by for me. An’ it’s jus’ how soon they gonna wanta eat some more pork bones.’’

I was gonna leave off the pork bones sentence, but it adds a certain something to it.


And while reading I find myself humming Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" with an aching in my heart...

She's such an amazing character. That quote feels so genuine. How did he capture her voice so perfectly? Amazing. : )

Kirstin wrote: "She's such an amazing character. That quote feels so genuine. How did he capture her voice so perfectly? Amazing. : )"

Some books make me say to myself, "I see how they did that...maybe I could be an author!" and then I read other books, and I say, "How in the world did they do that!? You see--this is why I could never be an author."

He is definitely the latter of the two--you can tell he lived it and that he felt it.

Can I confess something? I totally confused Grapes of Wrath with Of Mice and Men. When I said I had seen a movie version, I was thinking of Of Mice and Men with Gary Sinise. The first couple of chapters, I was asking myself, "Where is that big dumb guy that I remember?"

So now I'm going in blind, and I get blindsided. This book is so full of that yearning angst that was borne throughout the Depression era. Steinbeck covers both sides--the banks and landholders are depicted as unthinking machine-like entities that grind the poor, while the poor class is depicted as pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps gritty and noble yet flawed. And I'm just wondering the whole time, "When are they gonna catch a break?" and as they inch closer to California they realize more and more that they might not get the white house surrounded by orange trees. And when they get there! Ugh my heart breaks for them. The dream clouds disperse to an ugly reality.

I remember watching my grandma (who grew up in the Depression) eat an apple one time. When I thought she was done and would toss it out, she just kept going. She ate the bottom of the core, ate the top, and then I hear her crunching on the seeds! When she's done I see her with the tiny stem between her fingers, which she finally throws away. I was kinda floored. Reading a book like this, where there is such extreme hunger and inequality and lack of opportunity, I can see where my grandma got that kind of habit. And I am just so dang grateful for how things are now. But I also ask myself if I'm lazy and if my work ethic is not as good as it could be. You know, in comparison.

This book is both moving and depressing, but eye-opening and a great piece of literature.

Love yhe apple story. My parents generation (rural midwest) were also influenced by the Great Depression. Their frugality rubbed off on me. I still use things until they give up me or donate what is still of use. My mother often mentioned living by the railroad tracks and having hobos sleep in the barn in exchange for a day's work. She said not everyone did that. It always made me proud of them.

It really is heart-breaking when the Joads get to California just to face more poverty and injustice.

Loved the reading and the discussion here! Thanks for your insights!

I just finished, and I hated this book as much as I loved it. (That is I hated the subject matter, while I loved the story.)

The wretchedness of the poor is really made plain, and by the time I hit the closing scene I was begging for it to end. I asked myself, "Will they ever catch a break?" and the answer ended up a strong, "No."

I thought it was interesting that the narration of the story begins with Tom, but when he leaves, the story stays with the family. [I had heard that quote, "Wherever there's a cop beating up on a guy, I'll be there." before from some movie or another as sort of the quintessential line a good actor should be able to deliver. I didn't realize it was from this book.] I guess Tom, when he leaves, is one ray of hope--he's off to represent the oppressed somewhere--but even that is a weak hope at best. I mean, sheesh, how many people do we lose in this book?!

Another thing that this book did was to really make me disgusted at those with power and money, who use their power and money to oppress the poor in order to keep the status quo. I know it happens today, but hopefully there are less truly hungry people in the world.

This book hits you in the guts, and doesn't help you back up or dust you off. But, yeah--loved it.

Daniel - your apple story reminded me of my grandfather. He ate the whole apple. Also, if we went out to eat he drank the little creamer cups. Nothing would go to waste.

I am in the middle of Some Luck right now and they are facing the dust bowl, too. Also, earlier in the year I read Mitchner's Centennial and they had a devotion covering the dust bowl/depression. It's definitely tough reading, but it is very interesting to learn about.

I read Some Luck also. Thought Smiley was spot on describing the Midwest farm and how it changed during the 30s-50s.