Of Mice and Men: A Novel (original 1937; edition 1937)

I read this book far too quickly but the characters have stayed with me and this to me is a testament to the skills of the author to develop characters in a way that they creep up on you. Like some people that you meet I can't quite make up my mind how I feel about the two main protagonists. I will give it some more thought and edit my review later. ( )

I was required to read this book for school, and loved it. It was short, but very thought provoking. ( )

This book was so incredibly sad. I don't even know where to begin. The characters were wonderfully done. The story line was realistic and entertaining. The lessons to be learned - innumerable and priceless. This is a classic that really lives up to its name. A must-read for all. ( )

One of those must-reads that really lives up to its reputation. Brilliantly written, evocative, poignant and disturbing. ( )

When I was first introduced to George and Lenny I found this book really uninteresting and was confused where it was going but then it took a turn for the worse. This book really brought up an interesting moral dilemma for me: is a mercy kill more just than letting the law take matters into its own hands? This concept brought up interesting concepts we have in society today and remains applicable. Is it better to end misery if you love someone that to let it be sustained? I really liked this book for this reason. I feel like Steinbeck is really good at catching someone off guard with big social issue questions that are never going to disappear and will stand the test of time.

A classic that is short but poignant. I listened to this in the car as an audiobook. The writing is beautiful, the characters well-developed, and the storyline moving. What more could you want? ( )

Depressing, but very very good. First read it when I was doing my GCSEs, and never got to finish it, as far as I remember -- the class decided they preferred To Kill A Mockingbird, which was pretty good too, but I'd already read it. Sigh, etc. The trials of high school.

One thing I noticed reading it this time is the level of detail. It just quietly builds up such vivid pictures.

The last few pages are the biggest kick in the stomach ever.

It's quick to read, but easy? I wonder. ( )

All this time I've been thinking I didn't like John Steinbeck, because [b:The Grapes of Wrath|4395|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336195638s/4395.jpg|2931549] in high school was not my favorite reading experience. But my son insisted I read HIS John Steinbeck high school assignment because he enjoyed it so much. So glad that he was persistent... Finding out what an amazing story [b:Of Mice and Men|890|Of Mice and Men|John Steinbeck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872081s/890.jpg|40283] is has been a highlight of the Hurricane Sandy rainathon. ( )

I read it in a day, stopping to catch up my girlfriend on the plot a few times. It's not going to end well, I told her, it's really, really not going to end well. She hugged me at the end, when I cried like a big baby. ( )

A great short read. The story was infinitely better than what I thought it would be. The connection and symbolism between Candy & his Dog and George & Lennie came as quite a shock and made me view George and Lennie in a new light. The book situated around different aspects of loneliness (of how some long for company, and others long for solitude) and how sometimes ridding yourself of burdens, no matter how painful and emotional it may be, is the only way to move on. The book was very moving and I definitely recommend this to any and everyone. ( )

Absolutely fantastic. Strange that I didn't read this sooner... ( )

Wow, talk about a moving book. I am just reading this for the first time at 26 years old and I must say, I sobbed like a child at the end. Which was akward because I finished the book sitting in the middle of the Library with my collegues watching me...

I want to start with how effortlessly Steinbeck wrote the story, or at least, I was able to read it effortlessly. The characters were so real that when reading you felt that you were part of the story. It was easy to place youself in the shoes of George and worry about Lennie and how to keep him out of trouble. Likewise, it was oddly easy to understand Lennie and feel for him.

You felt like you were sitting around a small campfire warming beans with the men and sitting in Crook's room and chatting with an old friend, and you felt the despair Lennie felt when he accidently killed his little puppy, and his terror when he shook Curly's wife to death. You cried for Lennie when he ran away and cried with George when he described Lennie's heaven to him as he laid him to rest. The entire story you were rooting for the boys to finally work up enough money to buy a small patch of land that they could tend to and again cried with Candy when you realized with him that this dream would no longer happen.

The level of detail and emotion that Steinbeck was able to convey in the short 186 pages of this book is nothing short of astounding. I have added this book to my "reread" list as well as my Amazon Wishlist to purchase in the near future. ( )

I just finished. I don't think I'd had time to process how I feel about the book yet. I'm still kinda in shock over the ending. I knew it was coming when the gun went missing... and I was thinking about how how Candy said he should have shot his own dog... and suddenly I knew it was coming. But I guess I didn't expect it to ACTUALLY happen! I didn't think George had it in him, I think...

Lennie just had complete faith in George the entire book, and because of it, he gets killed.

And then there was the puppy. I kept hoping and hoping that the puppy wouldn't die. It was so sad that it did. I think that was harder for me than Curley's wife. As soon as she starts freaking about Lennie petting her hair (WHICH SHE ASKED FOR), I knew it was going to end badly. But that poor little puppy....

Anyway, I haven't decided yet. 2.5 stars--somewhere between liking it and thinking it was ok. I might change my mind tomorrow after sleeping on it... or after book club. I'm not really thinking about symbolism at all yet, after all. ( )

When approaching a classic like this, I'm always a bit apprehensive at first. I fear it won't be accessible, or that I won't "get" what makes it so timeless. With Of Mice and Men, this didn't happen. The little novella gripped me from the start. Sure, the dialect is heavy, but the rural setting, George's energies and Lenny's innocence (and sheer, abject, heartbreaking stupidity) instantly created an emotional connection for me.

I'm not sure whether or not this is a spoiler, but the end is not a happy one. A poignant, short classic I'm happy to have read.

Steinbeck's original title for this small gem was Something that Happened. His idea was to write a play in novella form and to simply describe the action, rather than explain it. In my view, Steinbeck succeeded admirably in this task. I've not seen any of the film adaptations of the work (no reason why not, just never got around to it). Nor have I seen the play based on the book. However, I can easily see how the narrative would work as a piece of theatre. The book has a strong theatricality: in the characters, the dialogue, the themes and the way in which dramatic tension is built from the opening paragraphs to the final scene. As I read, I could see the action taking place on a stage. I could even visualise the set and the way the stage was lit. Suffice to say, I love what Steinbeck achieved. He told a heart-wrenching story and created unforgettable characters in just a little over one hundred pages. I cried at the end. George and Lennie's dreams and the way in which they are shattered will remain with me for a long time.

Over the past few months, I've fallen in love with John Steinbeck's writing. I kick myself that it took me so long to get around to reading his work. On the other hand, Steinbeck may be one of those writers whom I would have appreciated less had I read him when I was young. I'd give this five stars, but that would be saying the work is equal in stature to [b:The Grapes of Wrath|4395|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336195638s/4395.jpg|2931549], which I don't think it is. So 4-1/2 stars will have to do. ( )

It just was a sad story. A person may be sad because he's poor, has no family, has no clear future, or has a troubled family/friend. Candy, his old dog, George and Lennie... The story tells me well of the sadness of those poor people who work at a ranch without family or a real friend. And life, its worth & its end. ( )

"Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella." - Of Mice And Men

I really think I love John Steinbeck, which is surprising to me, because I never would have thought of myself as a Steinbeck reader. There's just something about the way he writes that cuts through all the bullshit and pretense and just tells it like it is, and I find that really refreshing. Sometimes they aren't easy, and sometimes they hurt, but it's the kind of hurt that, hopefully, makes us want to be better. At least it makes me feel that way.

I know it'll be hard for those of you reading this to believe, but I can sometimes be a bit of a bitch. I can be demanding, irrational, impatient and moody, and sometimes my annoyance and irritation is taken out on unsuspecting innocents, or at least people who don't really deserve the hell I serve up on a platter. So, this book resonated with me. George resonated with me, and I felt myself willing him to be patient, to just try to understand Lennie's perspective, all while my face is flushing red from the knowledge that I don't always practice what I was preaching. I'm a damn hypocrite.



I really felt this book, as seems to be the case with the Steinbeck books I've read lately. I could identify with all of the characters in some way, and I love that. In such a short book, it's easy to get the characters very wrong... either they are caricatures, or they are cliches or they just plain stink and are boring. I really felt like I understood these characters, even if I didn't like them. At the end of the book, when Lennie asks George to yell at him, isn't he going to hit him, isn't he going to tell him he'd be better off without him, I found that just heartbreaking... that Lennie's sense of normalcy stems from George's frustration with him. I felt for George too. He only wants to take care of Lennie, but sometimes it's so hard. He can't be everywhere at once, and has had to make so many sacrifices in order to keep Lennie out of the kind of trouble that just comes from not knowing any better.

This story is just a smidge over 100 pages long, so it won't take you long to read at all, and I highly recommend it. Or you could take about 3 1/2 hours and let Gary Sinise read it to you, which is what I did. I wasn't sure about Gary at first, but he grew on me really quickly. I've never seen the movie, so I didn't know that he'd starred in the remake. Gary Sinise has a very recognizable voice, at least I think so, and it's kinda the opposite of my "preferred reader", but I thought he did a wonderful job reading this. The voices and the characters were all just right, and I'm not normally a "voice" fan when it comes to audio... I want the story to speak for itself.

This one definitely did that. This is the kind of story that will stick with me for a long time. As I was listening, I kept writing notes about thoughts that struck me, feelings that I had, concepts and themes in the book, and all sorts of interesting stuff that I don't really know how to express without spoiling this wonderful little story.

"The best laid schemes of mice and men oft' go astray." -- Robert Burns ( )

Wow. Gut-wrenching, suspense-building, heart-breaking and all in under 100 pages. Genius. ( )

A thin book that packs a punch. I couldn't help but get caught up in George and Lennie's dream and was rooting for them to make it. And although it's quite obvious from the get-go what's going to happen, when it does, it's still powerful and moving. ( )

Own this edition now. ( )

Of Mice and Men is probably one of these stories everyone is familiar with, so when I read the novella, there was nothing special about it, I know what was happening and I was hoping for more from the story. It is a good story and well written, just too familiar to enjoy fully. ( )

I really enjoyed this one and think it might deserve a 5th star once I've had some time to reflect on it. It's a really short and simple story but told amazingly well and in a manner that made it impossible for me to look away. Lennie and George are two excellently developed characters and I loved all their reactions. The book is both witty and sad and extremely powerful. The ending wasn't what I expected and came as a shock. Overall it's a well told story that is sure to stick with me for a long time. ( )

I loved Of Mice and Men. On the other hand, I hated it, too. How can such a tiny book be so utterly heartbreaking?

My complete review is on my blog, Book to the Future: http://booktothefuture.com.au/?p=1576 ( )

It's not a bad book on the whole, but I never could stand to read Steinbeck's style. Too dry for me. I own it because I studied it in high school, and that's about it. ( )

I did not like the language. Most of the main characters kept taking the Lord's name in vain and it is not for me, no matter how famous an author is. ( )