101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion

O my gosh, I'm so sorry guys! I totally let this month get away from me. Please post your thoughts on the book here. It's a shortish one, so I won't make separate threads. What has everyone thought so far?

For those who haven't read it, it's really short, so you can probably do it in a day. Afterward, I recommend watching Ken Burns' documentary on the Dust Bowl and reading Steinbeck's longer work, The Grapes of Wrath.

Grapes of Wrath is, indeed, fantastic. I haven't seen that documentary, but anything Ken Burns does is always incredible.

Also, I remember the Of Mice and Men film with Gary Sinese being pretty good.

Did a term paper in high school on of Mice & Men, re-read it again last year and still loved it, maybe even more than the first time. Think I just appreciated how much was conveyed in suck a short book. Definitely Steinbeck did not waste a word.

yes, Of Mice and Men is a very quick read. And , to me, it is kind of like a lighter version of The Grapes of Wrath (men down on their luck, working for "the man" dreaming of having a little piece of land to call their own etc...).

John Steinbeck is one of my favourite authors. East of Eden is a masterpiece. Cannery Row is a delightful comedic read. The Winter of Our Discontent is a brilliant yet underrated novel. Steinbeck is well deserved of the Nobel Prize.

I read East of Eden not too long along and couldn't believe that I had gone this long in my life without reading any of Steinbeck's books.

I watched the movie Saturday, for me, it was just a small snippet of the book, didn't quite satisfy me enough... Can't wait to read this one.

I read this in high school and thought it was depressing. I lacked the maturity to appreciate it. I just re-read it for this thread. Wow, what apowerful book. The dialogue is amazing. It reads like a play. We are told nothing, but shown everything. The characters just walk off the page and into our lives. We can draw all our conclusions by watching them, no insider information given by some omnipotent narrator. And, each character is given such depth, even though we see so little of them. Only a genius could create such vibrant people in so few words. And, then there is the story. It is haunting. This gives self-sacrificing love an entirely new image.

Sandra wrote: "yes, Of Mice and Men is a very quick read. And , to me, it is kind of like a lighter version of The Grapes of Wrath (men down on their luck, working for "the man" dreaming of having a little piece ..."

But Of Mice and Men has the more tragic ending.

Probably depends on one's definition of "tragic," but yes, I'd probably agree there. Doesn't make one book better than the other, though, it's all about how that ending is portrayed.

Irene, well said! I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but that is so true.

Although both "Of Mice and Men" and "Grapes of Wrath" are set during the Dust Bowl among migrant farm workers, I would not describe one as a lighter version of the other. I think they are quite unique stories with different themes being explored.

Agreed, Irene. Lighter only in terms of pages. Both excellent books.

I have started with "Of Mice and Men". This is my first John Steinbeck book. I am through with few pages and It reminds me of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, don't know why?
I think I am liking it and will finish it today...

I just got my audiobook copy at the library, so as soon as I'm done with The Hobbit, hopefully I can get that one started :)

If it's the version narrated by Gary Sinise, you're in for a great experience.

♪ Kim wrote: "If it's the version narrated by Gary Sinise, you're in for a great experience."

Nope, it's Mark Hammer

My first Steinbeck story has really impressed me. I will read his other stories slowly... In Of Mice and Men, the tragedy is put in a way where it will always make the reader to remember it....

Pallavi wrote: In Of Mice and Men, the tragedy is put in a way where it will always make the reader to remember it...."

I felt emotionally drained at the end. All the while I was reading (view spoiler)[I couldn't help hoping it would end differently and that George and Lennie (and Candy) would get their little farm. I wanted it as desperately as the characters themselves (hide spoiler)].

Being able to draw that kind of reaction from the reader... for me, that's what makes the story so powerful and so memorable.

In so few pages, Steinbeck made me feel for the struggle and pain of so many characters. The conversation in the barn with the farm hand (cant' think of names right now) was so insightful. I even felt for the girl in her loneliness and sense of an empty life. Slim was a powerful figure. There are so many layers to this deceptively simple book.

♪ Kim wrote: "Pallavi wrote: In Of Mice and Men, the tragedy is put in a way where it will always make the reader to remember it...."

I felt emotionally drained at the end. All the while I was reading [spoilers..."

True Kim... If a story makes us hope good about its characters, and turn the events as we want, its the best story... It was this hope for good turn of events that made us feel tragic at the end... I agree completely with u Kim..

When I read this as a high school junior, it was simply sad. I saw the flirting of the female as cruel, the grand-standing of her husband as bullying, the accidental murder as pointlessly tragic, the final sceen as fatalistic and the entire book as a message that life was simply horrible and then we die. Reading it decades later, I saw the loneliness at the heart of each character and the desparate attempt to connect in such flawed ways. I recognized the mix of fear and longing, of dream and limitations in each character. Although the ending was sad, it did not leave me feeling hopeless as it did all those years ago. This time, I found it profoundly hopeful. That final shot did not only kill a friend, but it killed a dream. The ability to do the hardest thing for another, even when it means that we lose the light of our dream in that act, is the truest love. When that light is snuffed, a brighter fire can be seen, the fire of selfless love. And, it is that love that gives life meaning, not the hope of a place of our own. The fact that these men who are so crushed by poverty, broken dreams, prejudices, harsh labor conditions and the absence of traditional family, can continue to reach out to one another, can continue to care and trust and long for conection was an amazing testament to the human spirit. It was not that revenge or fear or cruelty had the final word, but friendship and self-sacrifice that spoke the last and the lasting word. Despite it all, we are capable of loving another and because of that, no matter how hard life may be, life is ultimately good.

Started this last night... hoping to finish tonight!!

♪ Kim wrote: "Pallavi wrote: In Of Mice and Men, the tragedy is put in a way where it will always make the reader to remember it...."

I felt emotionally drained at the end. All the while I was reading [spoilers..."

That's exactly how I felt Kim. I didn't even want to read anything else after I had finished it last night. I remember reading this in high school but that was so long ago that I didn't remember much about it and the ending surprised me. I was hoping everything would turn out okay and George, Lennie and Candy would live out their dream of owning their own piece of land, but really I knew in the back of my head what would happen. I was almost tearing up at the end when George was telling Lennie to look across the pond and picture their house with rabbits that he could care for, and he was struggling to pull the trigger.

Finished this last night! I was totally caught off guard by the ending! I knew something bad was going to happen, just NO idea how tragic it would be...

Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now, to go back and re-read the previous posts

Irene wrote: "We are told nothing, but shown everything. The characters just walk off the page and into our lives.

Beautiful Irene :)

♪ Kim wrote: "Pallavi wrote: In Of Mice and Men, the tragedy is put in a way where it will always make the reader to remember it...."

I felt emotionally drained at the end. All the while I was reading [spoilers..."

I wanted that ending too Kim!