Rating: 3/5 vaseline-filled gloves
Author: John Steinbeck
Amazon Link:
referral program on hold :(
Steinbeck's classic short story follows (or maybe helps to refine) all the rules for a well rounded narrative, but is ultimately too concerned with being adaptable to both theater and the written page to make for a great book or play, and ends up being a mediocre experience for each of these formats.
The characters, dialogue, and scenery sculpts an image of American culture that is warm and detailed but somewhat encumbered by the social norms of the time and place it was conceived. Images of early America are thin and visual, but end up lacking that narrative third dimension when scrutinized as a reader. The characters are instantly familiar but almost too shallow to support the kind of depth that is required of a great american novel.
Of Mice and Men was written as a sort of play in book form and the restrictions which allow the story to transfer to the stage also constrain the story in it's written form. The arcs and sweeping movements of the characters and their actions would surely be appreciated by a theater audience, but as a reader, I want to hear the inner thoughts of the characters as they consider the abstract, non-physical components which drive their motivations. Perhaps this is why Steinbeck chose the simple characters that he did for the story, but I feel that this cheapens the characters in a way that takes satisfaction away from the book audience in favor of the hybrid experiment.
Overall a great read and a critical component of American narrative culture, but not the classic novel that I wanted to dive into and take apart.