Of Mice and Men
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didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing

Of Mice and Men

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75  ·  rating details  ·  746,921 ratings  ·  10,853 reviews
The tragic story of the complex bond between two migrant laborers in Central California. They are George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is a very large, simple-minded man, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength.
Paperback, 107 pages
Published January 8th 2002 by Penguin Books (first published January 1st 1937)
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Nataliya
Nataliya rated it 3 of 5 stars false
Shelves: 2012-reads
Well, somehow I've managed to read close to 800 books by now, and none of those had been Of Mice and Men. That has been remedied now, and I'm feeling emotionally drained by it. So yeah.

I suppose pretty much everyone knows the heartbreaking story of Lennie and George. I was relatively 'unspoiled' and still knew what happened in the end. I just did not know how or why, but figured out those pretty quickly into the book. And still that did not help the sense of impending doom that was like one prot...more
Mariel
Mariel rated it 5 of 5 stars false
Recommends it for: loners
Recommended to Mariel by: probably my mother
[Reading other goodreads reviews of this brings home to me that I really was in the classes for kids they'd given up on. I never read Of Mice and Men as required reading assignment.]

Tell us how it's gonna be...

I've never wanted a book to spontaneously change endings so badly. I yearn for that little place as much as they do. I wanted them to have it desperately. Proof the incredibly sad ending isn't hopeless is that on a reread I could still hope it would end differently. Oh, it does happen, lon...more
Tanu Das
“Trouble with mice is you always kill 'em. ”

Breathtaking prose, touching characters and a heart breaking ending. Who said only lengthy novel can make an impact?
Becky
"Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella. Seems to me sometimes it jus' works the other way around. Take a real smart guy and he ain't hardly ever a nice fella." - Of Mice And Men

I really think I love John Steinbeck, which is surprising to me, because I never would have thought of myself as a Steinbeck reader. There's just something about the way he writes that cuts through all the bullshit and pretense and just tells it like it is, and I find that really refreshing. Sometimes they aren't eas...more
Lavinia
A piece of jewelery. Set in sunny California - Salinas, during the Great Depression, "Of Mice and Men" is a story of friendship, dreams and loneliness. I have a long history with it. First I saw the film (excellent, btw), more than 10 years ago, then, a few years later, while writing an essay on Burns, I discovered the connection between "To a Mouse" and "Of Mice...". I was determined to write my final paper based on this, but I eventually gave up.

I felt like re-reading it yesterday and I feel a...more
Andy
It's the way Steinbeck describes things that gets me.

"Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn. On one side of the little room there was a square four-paned window, and on the other, a narrow plank door leading into the barn. Crooks' bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung. On the wall by the window there were pegs on which hung broken harness in process of being mended; strips of new leath...more
Nathan
Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars false  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: I'm so ronery, so ronery, so ronery and sadry arone.
Shelves: fiction
"A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. It don't make no difference who the guy is, long as he's with ya'. I tell ya', a guy gets too lonely, and he gets sick." I first read Of Mice and Men at an age when I was learning to read. Not phonetically, but critically. This novel taught me what good literature could be, and it is one of a handful of novels that I measure all other novels by. As a result, I have turned into someone who can read five to ten nonfiction books in a month but read only one...more
Embraced_evils
Embraced_evils rated it 4 of 5 stars false
Recommends it for: Yes
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jemidar

This was at least my third reading of this excellent novella, and I found my love for Steinbeck's clear, crisp prose remained undiminished as did my awe for the way this heartrending tragedy unfolds. However, I found the story had less overall impact on me this time around, it seemed like too much was packed into too short a space in both time and pages which left me with unanswered questions, and overall I think I cared a lot less about the subject matter than I had on previous readings. I susp...more
Kim

Steinbeck's original title for this small gem was Something that Happened. His idea was to write a play in novella form and to simply describe the action, rather than explain it. In my view, Steinbeck succeeded admirably in this task. I've not seen any of the film adaptations of the work (no reason why not, just never got around to it). Nor have I seen the play based on the book. However, I can easily see how the narrative would work as a piece of theatre. The book has a strong theatricality: in...more
Shovelmonkey1
Shovelmonkey1 rated it 4 of 5 stars false
Recommends it for: people after a literary snackette
Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list and sfogs
So, a lot of Goodreads readers gave this five stars. And a lot of other Goodreads readers said aargh someone took a copy of the Grapes of Wrath/ East of Eden/ Tortilla Flat (delete as applicable) and then tried to jam it, raw and unseasoned, sideways down their throats while they were in high school. This is the unfortunate effect that formalised analysis of actually pretty quality literature can have on people. Luckily, I escaped a Steinbeck-flavoured literary force feeding as a youth, which le...more
Kirsty (Blatant Biblioholic)
**Re-read 24/09/09**

I enjoyed this book just as much when re-reading as I did the first time around. I flew through the book and wish it had gone on longer. Steinbecks description is so vivid I just wanted to become lost in the story and didn't want it to end. I really need to read more of his work.

**Original Review**

We read this book for GSCE English Lit, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it was helped due to the fact that my English Teacher was amazing and loved what she did - she had accen...more
Odalis Torres
"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place...With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."


From past experience, I try to stay long with the class on our assigned book Of Mice and Men....more
Lou
Oustanding short heart warming story

Some facts about the book, author and the movies..
Of Mice and Men was adapted for the screen three times, the first in 1939, two years after the publication of the novel. This adaptation of Of Mice and Men stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie, Burgess Meredith as George, and was directed by Lewis Milestone.It was nominated for four Oscars.[16]

In 1981 it was made into a TV movie, starring Randy Quaid as Lennie, and Robert Blake as George, and was directed by Reza Bad
...more
K.D. Absolutely
K.D. Absolutely rated it 4 of 5 stars false  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to K.D. by: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die & American Library Asso
Shelves: 1001-core, nobel
This is my 2nd novel by John Steinbeck and I am not disappointed. I normally first read the said known masterpiece of an certain author before reading his or her other works. I got disappointed twice already: Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse which I enjoyed tremendously but when I read her Mrs. Dalloway, it was just not the same. Few years back, that also happened with Sebastian Faulks and his Birdsong. His other novels are just not at par with his masterpiece.

With Mr. Steinbeck, Of Mice and M...more
Andrew Kubasek
There are few books which reduce me to emotional breakdown, but this is one of them. Revealing the darker side of compassion, Steinbeck tells the story of two friends and what happens when one of them "does a bad thing."

Has this novel become over-taught in high schools? Definitely - and people's perception of the novel suffers because of it. People have to want to read this book because nobody wants such a harsh, violent story placed upon them as an obligation to read.

This is a very different "...more
Stela
Well, I finally read it - I don't know why it took me so long (actually, I know, I am not a big fan of Steinbeck even if I admit he is a very gifted writer). I bought it a long time ago but I avoided it 'till my daughter read it and asked me about the meaning of the end and I had to admit I had never read it - shame on me!
The language, the atmosphere, the friendship theme, the loneliness motive, all is beautifully built in this novel "in nuce" where everybody and no one is truly innocent or guil...more
Devlin Scott
Such a great, sad and humbling book.

It is perhaps one of the most emotional works I've ever read. It moves from darkness to night with little hope of a dawn. It took me days to become comfortable with it. But, I did grow as a person.


One of my favorites and should be read by everyone at least once in their lifetime.




Devlin
Uncommon Sellsword
5 Stars

I love classics, I love personal stories and I love John Steinbeck; How could this book go wrong? Of Mice and Men is the story of two different characters. One is a relatively tall, mentally handicapped character named Lennie and the other is George; a man who epitomizes tough love with his relationship with Lenny. And to add to that foil, the story is set in the American depression.

I really enjoyed this novel as a piece of story telling. I didn't really at all care for trying to discern...more
Carlotta*
La seconda di copertina della mia bellissima Steinbeck Centennial Edition condensa "Of mice and men" in 4 concetti:
commitment, loneliness, hope and loss.

Tutto questo (a saperlo!) viene già preannunciato dal titolo del libro, che di per sé è tutto un programma... Viene dalla poesia "To a mouse" del poeta scozzese Robert Burns, più precisamente dal seguente verso:
"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley."
(The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.)
[I piani architettati...more
Douglas
Douglas rated it 3 of 5 stars false
Recommends it for: just about anyone, but with a warning of the terrible message
Recommended to Douglas by: Frank Bass
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Dot
Dot rated it 5 of 5 stars false  ·  review of another edition
Recommends it for: people who haven't read it already
This is one of my favorites. It's not my favorite, because I had completely forgotten about it until I saw someone else had put it in their list, but it's definitely in my top five. Wait. Top ten; I haven't read it in nearly ten years. But I assume I still like it as much as I did.

Everybody knows the story by now, so I won't recap it. But I will say that the best part of the book is when you find out that the glove Curley wears all the time is filled with vaseline to "keep [his] hand soft" for h...more
Mike (the Paladin)
I know...classic, movies, been around for years, greatly respected author, etc., etc., etc. But, nihilism leaves me cold...

Enjoy if it's you...but (and I've used this quote before) this book typifies "life is hard and then you die". Who cares how well the story is written that gets you there.

The very quality of the writing here made the experience worse for me. It has been brought to my attention of late that Steinbeck was a gifted writer. It's true he was, and the message in the story he relate...more
Michelle
This short novel is written by the 20th century author and is set during the Great Depression. It is about two men, George and Lennie who travel around looking for jobs because Lennie keeps getting them into trouble. Lennie has mental issues and behaves like a kid, while George has to be the adult and take care of the both of them.

This story gives you a feel for how women are taken for granted during that time and how men were always so lonely. It also gives you an insight on the violence of pe...more
Shannon
i hated this book.
steinbeck is crap.
children should not be forced to read it.

ok, i really just don't like steinbeck's aesthetic. i dislike the killing of innocent animals, the dehumanization of the mentally retarded--and don't try to tell me that lenny isn't marginalized here. the book is depressing and directionless, and not in the ironic waiting-for-godot sort of way. the descriptions are flat, emotionless, and dessicated.

however, curly's wife is awesome. she's just so bizarre and pathetic, so...more
Pragya
Pragya rated it 4 of 5 stars false
Recommends it for: Tanu
Shelves: 2012, classics
Find my full review here- http://reviewingshelf.wordpress.com/2...


This is the first Classic that I have read that has such simple language that you don't have to read every line twice or read a non-classic to be able to come back to it. It is a book you finish in one go.

The characters are really well developed, as is seen in all Classics. I fell in love with Lenny, he is very cute, innocent and adorable. Except for the fact that he ends up killing mice and pups. I don't like that, I love animal...more
Daniel Kirijenko
Must be my favorite book next to "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian". This book left me with amazing and intense read. When i was introduced to this book in 7th grade i did not realize how big of a deal this was. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck made me feel like not any book i read has, since everything that i was expecting did not happen. At the end of the book something happens that you will never want to see or hear, but it leaves you with many thoughts and questions. This i...more
Jason
Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars false
Steinbeck is quickly becoming one my favorite authors and a large part of that has to do with his very intimate, honest and simple, yet thematically rich stories filled with such memorable characters. There is a reason George and Lennie are iconic American literary figures. By "simple" I do not mean to say his writing is prosaic. Steinbeck does not strive for pretentious stylistic flourishes a la Faulkner but rather employs economic prose that is accessible in its brevity without sacrificing art...more
Abdulrahman
It was a really nice book. I couldn't stop reading it till I ended it. A brilliant, must read book for all ages. Highly recommended by me. Even though it ended by a weird way, but still nice to read.
Dessi
Dessi rated it 4 of 5 stars false
BOOK REVIEW: OF MICE AND MEN
I read “Of mice and men” by John Steinbeck in the holidays, as you can see it is a short book with only 100 or so pages, however despite its length, I cried twice in it. The whole story line is sorrowful, and the ending is just heartbreakingly tragic. It is named after the poem “of mice and men” by Robert Burns, and the themes in each are quite similar.
The poem is written in old English and some parts are quite difficult to understand, but the meaning of it is signifi...more
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Curley's Wife--How Much Sympathy Does She Deserve? 24 304 07. Februar, 04:49 Uhr  
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Curley's Wife--Why No Name? 17 312 28. Januar, 13:44 Uhr  
Book vs. Movie 62 315 24. Januar, 12:03 Uhr  
Compass 9: George 47 60 08. Januar, 18:42 Uhr  
Compass 9: Ending of Novel 21 56 03. Januar, 08:16 Uhr  
Of Mice and Men (Paperback)
Of Mice and Men (Mass Market Paperback)
Of Mice and Men (Paperback)
Of Mice and Men (Paperback)
Of Mice and Men (Paperback)

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John Steinbeck III was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937. In all, he wrote twenty-five books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories.

In 1962 Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Steinbeck grew up in the Salinas Valley...more
More about John Steinbeck...
The Grapes of Wrath East of Eden The Pearl Cannery Row (Cannery Row Series, #1) Travels with Charley: In Search of America

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