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| Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck "essentials") | 
 enlarge | Author: John Steinbeck
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £8.99
Buy Used: £1.39
You Save: £7.60 (85%)
New (36) from £3.56
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 8990
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.3
ISBN: 0140292918
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780140292916
ASIN: 0140292918
Publication Date: April 26, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: B
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| Customer Reviews:
 Fantastic but heartbreaking September 28, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read this book because my son is studying it for GCSE and is really taken with it. I can only say that I wish I had read it before - it is a fairly short book and easy to read but there is so much in it to think about - relationships, race issues, etc. I got completely engrossed and read it in one day. By the end I was crying. Loved it.
 Terrible! July 23, 2007
3 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have many times heard John Steinbeck called a literary genius, so when asked by my English teacher to read this book for my GCSE's I was both uninterested and thankful when I came to read the last sentence. The book was both mind numbingly boring and (in my mind) a pointless piece of literature. I have, however found two highlights after reading this book 1) that I do not have to go through the trouble of reading anymore of Steinbeck's works and 2) that I have discovered I will not have to do coursework on this particular book. This book did not reach the standard I had expected. When comparing Of Mice and Men to other well known books written by Austen, Dickens, Orwell, Gaskell etc. and make a comparison- though written at different times and with different plot lines, you can see the superiority in both structure and language. I know now not to waste my time reading anymore John Steinbeck when I could be reading Fanny Burney and the likes. If you enjoy a stimulating read-this book is not for you. If you enjoy interesting plots and twists- this book is not for you. However, if you enjoy feeling as if you might die of boredom- this book is for you. And if you find reading about characters with violent psychiatric disorders fascinating, then this book is definitely for you. I offer my condolences for any unfortunate GCSE student who is forced to study this book, both of the present and of the future and I feel pity for any previous student or person who has had to read this terrible book. I doubt I would even give this book 1/10!
Simply brilliant March 30, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have just finished this book and felt compelled to write a review because it is one of the most exceptional pieces of writing I have ever read. At just over 100 pages most novels only manage to get started but for an entire novel to be of this length and still to have an impact that is immense is a remarkable achievement. The characterisation is flawless and Steinbeck's skill at drawing us into the lives of farm labourers Lennie and George makes for a book that you genuinely can't put down. There are very few novels that I would count as flawless but this is most definitely one of them.
 A succint work with fantastic characterisation February 22, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is perhaps one of the most emotive novels I have read. Steinbeck's characterisation is wonderfully succint and at the same time completely successful. I challenge any reader not to feel as protective over Lennie as George does. Furthermore the novel addresses the American dream with fantastic simplicity and originality. I won't delve into plot details, but I will urge anybody who has not already done so, to lose yourself for a day in this breathtaking depiction of hardship, friendship and vain hope.
"A guy needs somebody to be near him....A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody." October 23, 2006
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
Written in 1937, when the Depression was still affecting all aspects of the farming community, this powerful novel depicts the lives of migrant workers--grim, pessimistic, and offering little hope for an improved future. Focusing on two characters who arrive in the Salinas Valley during peak season, Steinbeck creates touching scenes between Lenny, a big, severely limited worker who does not know his own strength, and George, a whippet-thin man who serves as Lenny's constant companion and protector.
Both Lenny and George have dreams of one day living on their own farm, where Lenny, who loves the feeling of soft things--even dead mice--wants to take care of rabbits. George hopes one day to benefit from his own hard work on his own farm and to create an environment where Lenny can be safe from his own impulses. As Steinbeck brings the characters on the ranch to life, he shows how every person there has dreams of a different life but few opportunities to change the lives they already have. Some are physically handicapped from accidents on farms, while others are emotionally handicapped by lack of opportunity or their own personal limitations.
Life is lonely, uncertain, and harsh but George tries to make life for Lenny more bearable by allowing him to have one of the new puppies in the barn. When Curley, the boss's son, brings his flirtatious wife to the farm, he introduces a new element which eventually leads to a tragic ending. Women are considered dangerous to the status quo, as they reinforce the need for "soft" elements in lives that otherwise offer little softness.
Giving vivid pictures of the natural surroundings while also creating vivid pictures of the interactions of these men, Steinbeck shows that even among those whose lives offer little hope, there is a desire to take advantage of each other. Crooks, the black stable hand who is forced to live alone in the barn, undermines Lenny. Carlson takes advantage of Candy's love for his old, smelly dog and causes pain to Candy. Lenny's puppy, Candy's dog, a heron capturing a water snake, and dreams of their own farm all become symbols which add to the drama of the conclusion. In this powerfully sad novel, Steinbeck offers little hope that the lives of these men will improve and even less hope that they will ever be able to control what happens to them. Mary Whipple
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