Of Mice and Men

Tiny book, tiny letters
Theres a line mark on the cover

Five mind-blown stars!

When I started Of Mice and Men, I wasnt sure Id chosen the right read. The dialogue really was not what I expected and Steinbecks straightforward prose cut straight to the core of the matter. However, I stuck with it and the reward blew my mind!

Set in 1930s California, the story follows two destitute men as they roam, taking work where it could be found. George and Lennie had grown up together, and when Lennies Aunt and caretaker died, George bore the responsibility of watching over him, a man fully grown and built like a bear, but with the innocent mind of a child. Lennie, due to his ineptness, unintentionally creates situations that lead to trouble, and it was up to George to keep them both from being lynched on many occasions. George, though often frustrated with Lennie, dearly loved his friend. All they had was each other and a fanciful dream of owning their own farm. Life on the road can be desperately lonely, and to have such a good companion was a precious commodity. I was filled with respect for George who did everything in his power to take care of his dear friend.

This is not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination. While it is graced with beautiful friendships and the milk of human kindness, the book also explores the darkest aspects of humanity, and the ugly racism in the book is really hard to stomach. Steinbeck writes with a raw realism that is admirable, but his honest depiction brings the cruelty that we all know exists in the world.

The story came together with such a crescendo that my heart nearly burst from my chest. I wont spoil this for anyone who hasnt read it, but the tale touched me so profoundly that I was left staring at the last page for ages before I could bring myself to close it.

Gary Sinise is the reader, which is a nice touch. I bought this audio for use in my classroom, which saves my voice. While Sinise does a great job, there are some drawbacks for using in the classroom:
The CDs are not labeled with chapters and times. I originally thought there would be 2 chapters per cd but once chapter 2 ended, chapter 3 started, so this isn’t the case. I can’t speak for the other CDs, and perhaps this was a space issue, but a little annoying. In addition, I use the audio in different classes who are sometimes in different parts of the book, and having a Table of Contents sheet inside the box or on each CD would be great. Instead, I have to figure out what number track I have to skip to by stopping and listening if I didn’t pay attention before and write down the track or time stamp during the previous reading (this can be easily forgotten if we get sidetracked or if I have to divert my attention elsewhere, which, with over 25 kids in a class, happens all the time).
Sinise does a nice job lending voice to the different characters but some students find his narration boring (teenagers!), but that’s subjective. He maintains an calm, monotone voice throughout the reading.
Overall, if you’re buying this for personal use than I would definitely recommend it; however, if you’re a teacher than you may have the same issues I do. Not a deal breaker, but annoying that Penguin did not include something I thought was a given.

This review is a work in progress. I have the 1953 book with an introduction by Joseph Henry Jackson. I found the introduction by Mr. Jackson to be very instructive and enjoyable. However it may be for more a student than the casual reader.

My book is from The Viking Press. It contains six short novels. They are mostly chronological in the order that John Steinbeck published them. The one exception is that the first short novel in the book is “Tortilla Flat”. The second is “The Red Pony”. These were composed, I think, in the opposite order. Mr. Jackson explains this. These are followed by “Of Mice and Men”, “The Moon Is Down”, “Cannery Row”, and “The Pearl”.

I read “The Red Pony First”. There is a lot in “The Red Pony” which reminds me “Of Mice and Men”. It is episodic. The first episode is “The Gift”, which is about a child Jody, and his pony. It is beautiful, poignant, and ultimately painful. The second episode is “The Great Mountains”. It actually is about a visitor to the same ranch that is the setting for first story. Jody and his family are in this story, along with an elderly visitor. The next episode is “The Promise” which is, more or less, a sequel to the first story. It is somewhat painful. The last episode is “The Leader of The People” which is a bittersweet story about a senior citizen member of the same family at the ranch. It is my personal favorite episode.

I completely enjoyed this novella “Of Mice And Men”. It is a relatively short work. It was written in 1937, before The Grapes of Wrath. I had previously read The Grapes of Wrath. I enjoyed this book more. I have very little formal education in regard to literature. So my opinion may be very faulty. Anyway, I felt this work was a more artistic work than The Grapes of Wrath.

This work reminded me more of Ermest Hemingway. I was very impressed. As is common with many shorter works, the author leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The reader is left to speculate why certain issues develope and are resolved in certain manners. I felt all the aspects of the relationship between George and Lenny were slightly unclear. The book ended with me wishing I knew more about George. My guess is that is intentional on the part of Mr. Steinbeck.

I would like to note that I purchased this “Of Mice and Men” on Kindle and at the same time purchased the audiobook narrated by Gary Sinise. I felt Mr. Sinise was really excellent and I highly recommend the audiobook version as read by Mr. Sinise. Mr. Sinise really added to the pleasure of the reading experience with his very professional performance.

My daughter had to buy this book for her English Literature GCSE Exam and she told me it was very convenient. The pages that summarise the chapter helped her find the main points she needed to revise for her exams. They were also a useful way to go back and remember what happened without having to re-read the entire chapter.

There were questions at the end of the book that you could answer that helped her to understand the context, content, author and characters better.

My daughter tells me Of Mice and Men is a detailed and intricate story written in the 1930s by John Steinbeck. It tells the story of George and Lennie, two migrant ranch workers, sharing a dream of one day owning their own ranch and also their struggle of trying to survive due to lack of money. The book also includes the most important issues regarding society in America during the great depression which were my daughters GCSE topics for this novel such as racism, sexism, prejudice and the American Dream. It is a highly thought provoking story wherein the simplest of sentences has a profound deeper meaning.

Overall its a very good book with useful summarised pages and questions that make it easy to understand and use as a revision tool for GCSE English Literature. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who either is doing this for their GCSEs or has a teenager that is.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member