Thursday 9 February 2017

Book Review: Of Mice and Men




My Rating:

Have you ever picked up a short story and thought,"Well, what could 100 pages entail?" You think it will be over as soon as it will begin. I thought that too. And, it turns out Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was anything but just a short story.

This is the story of two friends- George and Lennie who are working extremely hard to realize their dream of owning a piece of land: a place where no would trouble them and they can do whatever they want. In search of work, they come to Curley's barn from where things go haywire.

The plot of the book is fairly simple yet it keeps you at the edge of your seat. The story deals with themes like racism and sexism which are woven into the plot seamlessly. In only 100 pages, Steinbeck has made all the characters alive. George, the ever-so- concerned friend trying to keep Lennie out of trouble.  The simple-minded Lennie just wants to tend rabbits. Their friendship is so heart-warming. And then there is Curley's wife who wants company. The characters are developed beautifully.  I love the author's style of writing. He described everything in so much detail yet it didn't seem superfluous, which I think is very difficult to achieve especially with a short story.

However, the ending of the book is heartbreaking. It makes you think what would you have done if you were in George's place?


In a nutshell, it is a quick read but be prepared to be emotionally drained.

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