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olivehead's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
kingarooski's review against another edition
3.0
“Liberty, equality, fraternity and opportunity.” A short and light novel about the deeper meanings of society and governance.
annepw's review against another edition
3.0
I read 'Pippin IV' because a professor recommended it to my European politics class as a spot-on parody of mid-century French politics, and I suppose to some extent it is that. It's a good deal zanier than I expected, and topical enough to not age as well as much Steinbeck, in addition to being an outlier in general in the Steinbeck catalogue, but it's a strangely entertaining little romp that doesn't deserve to have been overlooked as completely as it has been.
sir_meowsalot's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dontpanic42's review against another edition
4.0
I've always been a big Steinbeck fan, ever since reading The Grapes of Wrath back in high school. The Short Reign of Pippin IV is quite different from anything else I've read by Steinbeck in many ways: most noticeably of all, it's about French politics and history and not about the Depression-era America that has inspired what I tend to think of as Steinbeck's best work. Pippin is written with the same grace and wit, though, that make Steinbeck so wonderful to read; and his imaginative satire of French politics still comes down to a reflection on how we perceive the good life for the common man. Overall, short and fun and well worth the read.
nickleby_shepherd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
4.25
Honestly I don’t know, I just REALLY enjoyed this book. Absurd and wonderful. Funny in the way only political satires can be. Hitting notes more than a half century later.
gjmaupin's review against another edition
4.0
Not your standard Steinbeck. More in the vein of Travels with Charley, at least in the comic tone mixed with mature still-angry-but-accepting-of-foibles socal/political stuff. That sounds boring when I put it in godawful litcrit terms. I'll start again.
This was a fun read, the sort of satire that I'm surprised no one has filmed or staged because it could actually be achieved, unlike East of Eden or Grapes of Wrath or the other Steinbepics that get squished into 2-3 hour adaptations. And it made good martinis.
(Yesterday I read Beckett's Company; today Steinbeck's Pippin. Unconscious of the connection when I chose them, this must be my quiet rebellion against the irritating showtune talk beneath which I was submerged in the chorus dressing room for the past month.)
This was a fun read, the sort of satire that I'm surprised no one has filmed or staged because it could actually be achieved, unlike East of Eden or Grapes of Wrath or the other Steinbepics that get squished into 2-3 hour adaptations. And it made good martinis.
(Yesterday I read Beckett's Company; today Steinbeck's Pippin. Unconscious of the connection when I chose them, this must be my quiet rebellion against the irritating showtune talk beneath which I was submerged in the chorus dressing room for the past month.)