Product Description

Tragic tale of a retarded man and the friend who loves and tries to protect him. With illustrations from the movie starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2276 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-08
• Released on: 2002-01-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Review
Steinbeck refuses to allow himself to be pigeonholed. This is as completely different from Tortilla Flat and In Dubious Battle as they are from each other. Only in his complete understanding of the proletarian mentality does he sustain a connecting link - though this is assuredly not a "proletarian novel". It is oddly absorbing - this picture of the strange friendship between the strong man and the giant with the mind of a not-quite-bright child. Driven from job to job by the failure of the giant child to fit into the social pattern, they finally find - in a ranch - what they feel their chance to achieve a homely dream they have built. But once again, society defeats them. There's a simplicity, a directness, a poignancy in the story that gives it a singular power, difficult to define. Steinbeck is a genius - and an original. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author
No writer is more quintessentially American than John Steinbeck. Born in 1902 in Salinas, California, Steinbeck attended Stanford University before working at a series of mostly blue-collar jobs and embarking on his literary career. Profoundly committed to social progress, he used his writing to raise issues of labor exploitation and the plight of the common man, penning some of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century and winning such prestigious awards as the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He received the Nobel Prize in 1962, "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception." Today, more than thirty years after his death, he remains one of America's greatest writers and cultural figures.

From AudioFile
Gary Sinise's reading of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is nothing short of magnificent. Moving effortlessly from an eloquent, understated narrative voice to each character's quite particular presence, Sinise demonstrates a true command of the medium. At times, Sinise is so convincing that one is hard-pressed to believe that a single reader could be responsible for so many varied characterizations. Thanks to such a skilled reading, this audio edition captures every nuance of Steinbeck's austere prose and the full power of the novel's tragic denouement. Top to bottom, it's a masterful retelling of an American classic. R.W.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

too sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read this book and OMG it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I HATE IT WHEN GEORGE SHOOTS LENNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would rate this book ages 12+.
there are lots of cuss words like damn, hell and bitch!
its too violent and inappropriate for you if you are young!
(DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
(CAUTION If YOU DON'T LIKE SAD ENDINGS DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

too sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I read this book and OMG it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I HATE IT WHEN GEORGE SHOOTS LENNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would rate this book ages 12+.
there are lots of cuss words like damn, hell and bitch!
its too violent and inappropriate for you if you are young!
(DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
(CAUTION If YOU DON'T LIKE SAD ENDINGS DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

One of the classics of literature
This is the first book by Steinbeck that I ever read and like many other people, it was required reading in my language arts class. It was so moving that some of the girls in the class were crying at the end.
George and Lennie are two workers that move from job to job. George is small and clearly fairly intelligent while Lennie is huge, powerful and has the mind of a child. After some difficulty at a previous job, they arrive at a farm and begin working. They have been together a long time, after Lennie's last surviving relative died and George made a promise he would look after Lennie. However, it is clear that George is growing tired of the responsibility; he wants to be able to act like other men rather than as a perpetual chaperone.
There is a crew of workers at the farm as well as the boss's son and his wife Candy. Candy is unhappy with her lot and flirts with every man around, including Lennie. There are other problems that arise and finally Lennie gets into serious trouble. George then "solves" the problem in the only way he knows how.
This is a sad story and you feel a great deal for George and Lennie. Lennie is all he can ever be and George has done all he can for him. There really is no place for Lennie in the world and all available paths lead to his violent death. Modern readers also have to understand that the story was written in 1937, when the terminology used to describe people was quite different. Therefore, it is necessary for you to be somewhat insensitive in the politically correct sense when you read it.