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booksandabackpack's review against another edition
4.0
A retelling of an older Mexican folk tale and Steinbeck does a brilliant job of bringing it to life. In the original folk tale, the diver doesn't return from the ocean but in Steinbeck's version, he returns to land and his pursuant life is cursed.
holmesstorybooks's review against another edition
4.0
8 minutes in, and I already love Juana, the protagonist's wife. Juana made of iron. Juana who can be patient and cheerful and can arch her back in childbirth without so much as a cry.
Hector Elizondo reads as a narrator and his voice has a gravel texture but has a smoothness to it, like waves crashing on the shore. I'd never listened to a Steinbeck book before but I felt more than ever, how he uses repetition in his work so skilfully.
This story is about a pearl diver, and how he finds a pearl so big, and so beautiful that in it, he can see the future of his family. A wedding. A sailor suit for his son. His son going to school.
And then, as with all Steinbeck books, ruin is inevitable, and I find myself being pulled down a slope I'm unable to return from, along with all the characters.
I forgot that Steinbeck does this thing where he makes me care about characters and then he wrecks them and ruins their lives and then I cry.
Damn you, Steinbeck. I'm supposed to return to normal life after this?
Hector Elizondo reads as a narrator and his voice has a gravel texture but has a smoothness to it, like waves crashing on the shore. I'd never listened to a Steinbeck book before but I felt more than ever, how he uses repetition in his work so skilfully.
This story is about a pearl diver, and how he finds a pearl so big, and so beautiful that in it, he can see the future of his family. A wedding. A sailor suit for his son. His son going to school.
And then, as with all Steinbeck books, ruin is inevitable, and I find myself being pulled down a slope I'm unable to return from, along with all the characters.
I forgot that Steinbeck does this thing where he makes me care about characters and then he wrecks them and ruins their lives and then I cry.
Damn you, Steinbeck. I'm supposed to return to normal life after this?
kaysal's review against another edition
3.0
Steinbeck's writing is beautiful, as always, but the moral is one done far too many times.
n0velgirl's review against another edition
4.0
The ending broke my heart but I loved it still. I love the way Steinbeck writes so much. He's so good at character development and rising to the climax and everything. Ugh he's just the bomb you know.
befuddledpanda's review against another edition
2.0
3 stars I admit, I'm not the biggest Steinbeck fan. It's probably because he's too depressing. I, however, do appreciate how much he was able to pack in such a short story. Poverty, social oppression, what it means to be a man, the meaning of family and community, greed, what makes a good woman...I didn't hate the book. I just didn't love it. But I really appreciated the imagery of song - that was pretty cool. In short, I didn't love this book because I was so frustrated by the situations and limitations but did not have anything good to hold on to. I didn't really like the characters - the closest was Juana, the wife. But her character seemed inconsistent - one moment strong, one moment meek without believable reason.
thebookishbabbler's review against another edition
4.0
As always Steinbeck's writing and characters were faultless and brilliant but unfortunately this story frustrated me so much that it hindered my enjoyment a bit. Why couldn't those people just let Kino and Juana go about their business? I wanted to fight ninety percent of the people in this book. That aside the writing was captivating and, as always, Steinbeck is a joy to read.
averagereader's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book for my English class. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. After learning about it for months I’m sort of sick of some of the characters, and the overall plot. John Steinbeck is a really good writer though.
vunderdrug's review against another edition
this was my first steinbeck, and given that it's so short it shouldn't have taken me this long but the prose was weirdly awkward at points which made it hard to want to read at all.
questionable stylistic choices aside, this little novella is also packed with questionable moral choices/monetary decisions and i did find that i have some contention with what i guess would be the main 'moral' of the story? but that's also a problem that i run into with nearly every classic i read, hence the lack of star rating. regardless, i think this was an interesting little peek into steinbeck and i'll be curious to see if my impression changes as i read more of him.
questionable stylistic choices aside, this little novella is also packed with questionable moral choices/monetary decisions and i did find that i have some contention with what i guess would be the main 'moral' of the story? but that's also a problem that i run into with nearly every classic i read, hence the lack of star rating. regardless, i think this was an interesting little peek into steinbeck and i'll be curious to see if my impression changes as i read more of him.
tatidengo's review against another edition
5.0
UGH. So painful, but you definitely see it coming. It's Steinbeck though, so guaranteed to be good. Lots to mull over.
thecaffeinatedreader's review against another edition
3.0
I, unfortunately, just am not a fan of Steinbeck but I appreciate his prowess as an Author.