John Steinbeck, Peter Lisca, Kevin Hearle - The Grapes of Wrath: John Steinbeck Centennial Edition (1902-2002)

Pros: Harrowingly beautiful and human.

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: Epic in scope, intimate in detail, harrowing in tone, one of the most beautifully written novels ever, and arguably the best ever written by an American.

Review: Ask which is THE single greatest American novel, and you can count on the usual meritorious suspects:

“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville is the usual favorite. Some might go for “Tom Sawyer” or “Huckleberry Finn” by Mark...

Pros: One of the greatest novels of the 20th Century

Cons: We don't learn the Joads' ultimate fate

The Bottom Line: The Grapes of Wrath is a novel about humanity and survival in the face of immense degradation and tragedy.

Review: The Plot

The Joad family, already downtrodden sharecroppers, find themselves forced off the land their family had farmed for several generations. They begin driving west to California, lured by advertisements of good jobs and their own...

Pros: Brilliant, harrowing, emotional; beautifully written!

Cons: None

Review: The Grapes of Wrath, written in 1939 by John Steinbeck (1902-1968), is considered by many literary critics to be the greatest of all American novels. This is a book about the Great Depression, and one poor sharecropper family's struggle to survive...

Pros: Vivid capture of a salient period in American history.

Cons: Can be difficult to follow-----but that's your fault.

The Bottom Line: is a-honkerin' like neva befo'.

Review: I've always viewed Steinbeck as Hemingway 2.0. Where Hemingway meanders through panorama, Steinbeck sets forth, always providing direction and purpose. His prose is slightly less conducive, but still projects enough imagery to satisfy ...

Pros: A masterpiece. A powerful account of an American heritage.

Cons: You tell me!

The Bottom Line: There is no plausible reason for anyone not to read this book. Virtually no one could be exempted from The Grapes OF Wrath. A must-read...

Review: The Guardian quoted The Grapes Of Wrath as “a terrible and indignant book; yet it is not without passages of lyrical beauty…” I have to say that I totally agree with the review, however the term “indignant” ...

Pros: educational, well written

Cons: -

The Bottom Line: You need to read this book!

Review: The Grapes of Wrath, written in 1939 by John Steinbeck (1902-1968), is considered by many literary critics to be the greatest of all American novels. This is a book about the Great Depression, and one poor sharecropper family's struggle to survive the ...

Pros: Powerful depiction of the effect of economic forces on individuals.

Cons: Depressing; sometimes long-winded.

Review: We are told that God helps those who help themselves. Had the Joad family not been so busy trying to stay alive, they might have taken exception.

The Joads, one of thousands of families forced off their land by the Dust Bowl, try to play by...

Pros: An angry and beautiful book of one family's perilous travels through hope and despair.

Cons: Its length is an encouragement to break out the Cliff Notes. Don't.

Review: Although many of his works deserve note, including Of Mice and Men and Travels with Charley, I consider The Grapes of Wrath to be the Great American Novel. Steinbeck's tale of the Joad family's travails through the Dust Bowl not only manages to evoke the...

Pros: Realistic story with wonderful characters.

Cons: Not for the faint of heart.

The Bottom Line: One of the best. A must read classic.

Review: John Steinbecks's The Grapes of Wrath is one of the most realistic novels ever written about America's depression. Written in 1939, the horror of the depression was still vivid in the hearts of people across America. This familiarity with...

Pros: It is an excellant book. A classic!

Cons: It ends without explanation of what happened to the Joad family.

The Bottom Line: I would definetly reccomend The Grapes of Wrath. This book is not only educational but its interesting and once you start reading it you can't set it down!

Review: The book "Grapes of Wrath" probably the best book I have ever read in my life. It is about a family that is traveling to California in order to find work. Of course there is more more to it then that. The book used a few different scenes. Because the...