Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition)

by Penguin

$13.00
buy from amazon.com
Average Rating: * * * * half star
Sales Rank:372 (lower is better)
Price Used:$6.58
Shipping:Free Shipping on most orders over $25*
Availability:Usually ships in 24 hours
Release Date:2002-01-03
Label:Penguin
Pages:112
Binding:Paperback
Publication Date:2002-01-08
Published By:Penguin
ASIN:0142000671
Category:Book

Authors

Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions

Book Description

MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independ ent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions. MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers.

Customer Reviews

love this novella and all of its' film adaptations - Reviewed on 2008-09-01
* * * * *

there's really not much more i wish to add , except i think this should be requied reading in all our schools in the nation . a beautifully heartbreaking story of humanity . timeless and true .
A Sad Story - Reviewed on 2008-07-29
* * *

In my opinion I thought this book was extremely sad and unpleasant. First, almost every other word was a swear word. Yes, I realize that a lot of the population swears, but I don't understand why novels have to have so much of it. Second, I was very appalled at all of the deaths. The death of one of the worker's dogs, the death of Curley's wife, and finally the death of Lennie. Lennie happened to be my favorite character, so obviously I was sad to read that his companion, George, shot him. I was also sad that Lennie didn't get to tend to his furry rabbits.
easy, short, to the point - Reviewed on 2008-07-23
* * * * *

steinbeck is awesome for pulling this through.....he was able to pack so much information in this short book.....that is some REAL talent right there!
Great book! One of my favorites. - Reviewed on 2008-06-24
* * * * *

I love this book. This was my first Steinbeck novel, and I thought it was great
I Was Not Left Speechless; In Fact, I Have a Lot to Say - Reviewed on 2008-06-04
*
3 customers found this review helpful, 17 did not.

Before I begin my criticisms, I will mention that my focus of this review is not on my personal preferences regarding characterizations, settings, themes, authors, etc. I understand that I cannot expect all authors to write a story that I personally enjoy and can relate to. Even if the subject matter of Of Mice and Men had interested me, I still would have given the novel a one star rating because of my criticism that I will explain in this review.

I am giving this novel a one star rating because it has a lot of vulgar dialogue. There is an average of about 4 profanities per page.

Secondly, even if I were to set aside my moral views of this novel, I still would choose to give this novel a one star rating. In my opinion, the plot structure is not all that good. The climax and resolution could have followed directly after the first 1/3 of the novel. There are too many conversations that seem to fill up space with unnecessary dialogue which describes the backgrounds of characters and personalities that do not play a significant role (if even a role at all) in the outcome of the story.

Furthermore, Of Mice and Men has too many characters for its very simple plot. In my opinion, the advantage to having a lot of characters is to create intricate subplots which play a significant role in the outcome of the story

I do not insist on reading action-packed stories. In fact, I sometimes prefer stories that are mainly comprised of dialogue. However, I do always want to see that there is a CLEAR DIRECTION in the conversations that progressively leads to the climax. In my opinion, the dialogue in Of Mice and Men did not meet these criteria. In fact, mid-way through the novel, I really felt as though the story was approaching a dead-end, and I think that John Steinbeck probably felt the same way. Therefore, he made the climax take a sharp turn off course just so the plot would not slam into a wall.

Due to the offensive content and weak plot structure, I do not recommend Of Mice and Men.


Read More Customer Reviews »
Go To Amazon Product Page

* - See Amazon Product Page for shipping and pricing details.


Book Subjects