David, glad that you found something in Steinbeck's collection of works that you could connect with. He is an interesting writer for sure and this one definitely had more mysticism than some of his other stuff.
Susan - thanks for the kind words. I as "introduced" to him in high school but didn't really get it at the time. It wasn't until a couple years ago when I read East of Eden that I became fascinated by his writing. It has been interesting reading through some of his earlier, lesser known works.
Although I have not read any of these books, I think I could handle them after your reviews. They are very well written, as well as informative. I look forward to your posts, Matthew!
MOM! My mom is on Substack! Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate all your support and encouragement. Stay tuned for my regular post this Saturday! I think you are going to love it.
Thank you for the summaries, I have not read these, but I seem to remember my mother reading “The Red Pony” to us when we were younger. Thank you for the great review!
You are welcome Jenn, glad that you enjoyed it. I had never read any of these previously. I particularly like The Pastures of Heaven but they were all quite good.
A great review! I have not read any of the books, just observed them in the distance. However, they seem less intimidating now and I will put them on my list!
I didn't know about this Steinbeck novel. Thank you for telling us about it. I purchased it on Audible. If his book is a wonderfully written as your review, I'm in for a treat.
Thanks for the kind words, I sincerely appreciate it. I haven't listened to any of his works on audiobook yet. I imagine they would be good with the right narrator.
Have read several of Steinbeck books as required in school but never explored on my own. Your piece has inspired me to begin reading some of his other works.
Linda - thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me. I am glad my writing had an impact and I hope that you enjoy whatever you decide to pick up. My favorite is East of Eden but that is pretty lengthy. Of Mice and Men is a short read that is good. The Pastures of Heaven is a bunch of short stories so you can dip in a bit here and there as you like.
Thanks for doing this, Matthew. I’m interested in ecology in literature, and Steinbeck is certainly relevant there. By the way, Aaron Copland wrote a wonderful “Red Pony Suite” as incidental music for (I think?) a related film. It’s well worth a listen.
Thanks John. This has certainly been an interesting exercise for me as I am not trained in literary analysis in any way. I sometimes worry that my lack of experience will show through. However, I am reading and writing and attempting to connect themes and ideas as I see them. I am learning through the process!
As I am reading through Steinbeck's works I find two dominant areas of focus - people and land. He is very interested in exploring the stories of groups of people which fed into his theories on bionomics or his "Phalanx" philosophy of how groups act. Most of this was focused on migrant workers or the disenfranchised. He also spends a lot of time on ecology, especially how land and people are connected. What I find particularly interesting is that the majority of Steinbeck's writing was done before the environmentalist movement started so he was somewhat ahead of his time. Once I complete reading through all of the books I am going to go back and do some essays on his major themes in more detail.
Thanks for the recommendation of the Copland music. I am listening to it as I write this. It is pretty good. It seems that it was originally written for the movie version of this book but the movie was somewhat of a flop so Copland repurposed it for an orchestral presentation.
Don’t worry about lack of literary training. Sometimes being self-trained gives attentive, intelligent readers a fresh perspective. If you focus on the text and pay attention to what is there, then that’s the basis for good literary criticism.
David, glad that you found something in Steinbeck's collection of works that you could connect with. He is an interesting writer for sure and this one definitely had more mysticism than some of his other stuff.
Three excellent, often overlooked books.
Robert - yes, I enjoyed all three of them. I especially like The Pastures of Heaven but they were all quite good.
So enjoying your reviews. I came to Steinbeck later in life and appreciate your thoughtful writing
Susan - thanks for the kind words. I as "introduced" to him in high school but didn't really get it at the time. It wasn't until a couple years ago when I read East of Eden that I became fascinated by his writing. It has been interesting reading through some of his earlier, lesser known works.
This was a really informative way to see how events from Steinbeck’s life influenced his writing. Great review as always, Matthew!
Macy - thank you for reading an for your kind words. I really appreciate it and glad that you enjoyed this. It is a labor of love for sure.
Although I have not read any of these books, I think I could handle them after your reviews. They are very well written, as well as informative. I look forward to your posts, Matthew!
MOM! My mom is on Substack! Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate all your support and encouragement. Stay tuned for my regular post this Saturday! I think you are going to love it.
The Red Pony was my first Steinbeck and he's been a favorite author ever since.
Kailani - this was the first time I read it and I really enjoyed it. I had no real idea what to expect but it did not disappoint.
Thank you for the summaries, I have not read these, but I seem to remember my mother reading “The Red Pony” to us when we were younger. Thank you for the great review!
You are welcome Jenn, glad that you enjoyed it. I had never read any of these previously. I particularly like The Pastures of Heaven but they were all quite good.
A great review! I have not read any of the books, just observed them in the distance. However, they seem less intimidating now and I will put them on my list!
Truly appreciate your kind words. These were all first time reads for me as well and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed them.
I didn't know about this Steinbeck novel. Thank you for telling us about it. I purchased it on Audible. If his book is a wonderfully written as your review, I'm in for a treat.
Thanks for the kind words, I sincerely appreciate it. I haven't listened to any of his works on audiobook yet. I imagine they would be good with the right narrator.
Have read several of Steinbeck books as required in school but never explored on my own. Your piece has inspired me to begin reading some of his other works.
Linda - thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. It means a lot to me. I am glad my writing had an impact and I hope that you enjoy whatever you decide to pick up. My favorite is East of Eden but that is pretty lengthy. Of Mice and Men is a short read that is good. The Pastures of Heaven is a bunch of short stories so you can dip in a bit here and there as you like.
Thanks for doing this, Matthew. I’m interested in ecology in literature, and Steinbeck is certainly relevant there. By the way, Aaron Copland wrote a wonderful “Red Pony Suite” as incidental music for (I think?) a related film. It’s well worth a listen.
Thanks John. This has certainly been an interesting exercise for me as I am not trained in literary analysis in any way. I sometimes worry that my lack of experience will show through. However, I am reading and writing and attempting to connect themes and ideas as I see them. I am learning through the process!
As I am reading through Steinbeck's works I find two dominant areas of focus - people and land. He is very interested in exploring the stories of groups of people which fed into his theories on bionomics or his "Phalanx" philosophy of how groups act. Most of this was focused on migrant workers or the disenfranchised. He also spends a lot of time on ecology, especially how land and people are connected. What I find particularly interesting is that the majority of Steinbeck's writing was done before the environmentalist movement started so he was somewhat ahead of his time. Once I complete reading through all of the books I am going to go back and do some essays on his major themes in more detail.
Thanks for the recommendation of the Copland music. I am listening to it as I write this. It is pretty good. It seems that it was originally written for the movie version of this book but the movie was somewhat of a flop so Copland repurposed it for an orchestral presentation.
Don’t worry about lack of literary training. Sometimes being self-trained gives attentive, intelligent readers a fresh perspective. If you focus on the text and pay attention to what is there, then that’s the basis for good literary criticism.