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The Red Pony (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
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Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Author: John Steinbeck
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Our Price: $9.00
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Author: John Steinbeck
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Average Customer Rating:
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The Red Pony (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) Description
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780140177367
ISBN: 0140177361
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 112
Publication Date: 1993-02-01
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780140177367
ISBN: 0140177361
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 112
Publication Date: 1993-02-01
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Editorial Review of The Red Pony (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
Customer Reviews of The Red Pony (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Captivating Classic
Review: THE RED PONY is a beautiful and simple classic by John Steinbeck, the great American novelist whose heart always goes out to the oppressed, the misfits, and the distressed.
This story is about a young boy, but it provides reading pleasure for adults as well. It is composed of four distinct parts. Part I, "The Gift," is the story of Jody and his horse Gabilan. Jody's father is a harsh man, who has difficulty communicating with the boy. In characteristic Steinbeck fashion, the story is filled with tragedy and suffering.
Part II, "The Great Mountains," relates another episode in the maturation process of Jody. He has an encounter with a old Mexican man passing through his father's farm. Jody is brooding and coming of age. There is an event in this part that takes on special significance for him. The story is rich with symbolism involving nature and animals.
Part III, "The Promise," is a story of the way a farm boy learned a lesson about reproductive biology. Again there is poignant tragedy.
Part IV,"The Leader of the People," is a separate story only loosely connected in plot to the other parts, but well-connected in the character development of Jody.
When I read THE RED PONY, I found myself despising and pitying Jody's father at the same time. The reader sees the father the way Jody sees him. What really happens in the novella is the emotional and moral maturation of a ten-year-od boy.
One of the greatest traits of Steibeck's writing is the way he makes every word carry its way and every turn of the plot count.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: all the hate must be from high schoolers...
Review: While there are other, greater works by Steinbeck, this one combines his disarmingly simple prose style with a number of concepts from his work in the 30s and early 40s. Mainly, the strange and ultimately destructive drive of humans in industrial society (as shown in the 4th story). The rest is a fascinating portrait of a boy's coming-of-age and alienation from his father. maybe people are tired of coming-of-age stories. but that doesn't mean Steinbeck's version isn't well-done.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Well written but no interconnecting plot
Review: These four stories are well written but their is absolutely no flow between the four stories. If this was submitted as four short stories I think that it would be easier to swallow. The first three stories interconnect but then you are left hanging as to whatever happens to the newborn colt. The fourth story doesn't really fit as a final chapter either. In the end I would have to say that this is a sorry waste of time to read for entertainment.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Coming of age in Salinas County California An admirable work which teaches important values
Review: This is considered one of Steinbeck's finest works.
The story of young Jody and his life on the family ranch is one in which he meets many tough, harsh realities and learns how to deal with them. The reader might expect something simple and easy here but that is not what is given. Steinbeck's descriptions of character and landscape of life- situation are complex, original and interesting. He gives a picture of a tough, pioneering American world. And in fact the ethic behind the book seems light - years away from much of what we see in our world today.
For among the values Jody has to learn are patience, and persistence, and humility before those older and wiser than himself. He understands that there are people who know much more than him and whom he learns from. He shows respect to them. He too in the way he cares for the Red Pony, shows a devotion and enthusiasm which are admirable.
He is forced to meet challenges from nature and the world which most young people today do not know anything of.
This is an admirable work in which much can be learned from.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good Example of Steinbeck's Writing - But Buy In a Collection
Review: This is Steinbeck's ninth novel or more accurately a novella. The writing is exceptional and it must be ranked among his best, but it is short and cannot be compared with his best known novel "Grapes of Wrath." It is almost as good as his other famous novella "Of Mice and Men," which was his first novel. However, "The Red Pony" lacks a cohesive story so some might not like it. I have read most of his works including the present, which is an interesting and a must read for Steinbeck fans. It has interesting prose and good drama, and it is very well written. I would rank it just below "Cannery Row" and "The Moon is Down." It is better than "The Pearl" or "Tortilla Flat" in my opinion - based on the writing.
It is set in northern and rural California and it is about a young boy living on a farm. It describes his relationship with his father, the hired hand, and his mother. The plot centers on various animals and the boy including a red pony.
John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968) was among the best known American writers of the 20th century. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature. His 1939 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Grapes of Wrath" has over ten million copies in print.
Steinbeck was born in rural California, went to Stanford, and spent most of his life in California. He has been associated with the plight of farm workers and others. His books have been very popular and many were made into movies and stage productions. He won an Academy Award nomination for best story in 1944.
I have read a number of his novels and am still surprised with the quality of his work - especially his short stories and short novels. The present work is short and probably ranks among the middle of his 17 novels and novellas. Readers will appreciate the clarity of the prose even if the plot is not strong.
It is not a heavy read and takes one evenings to read. I liked the book and give it a positive recommendation, and it would be high on my list of Steinbeck novels.
As a suggestion, do not buy the book alone, but rather would buy it as part of a collection such as Steinbeck's book: "The Short Novels of John Steinbeck," from Viking Press in 1953, and updated versions of that book.
Review Summary: A Captivating Classic
Review: THE RED PONY is a beautiful and simple classic by John Steinbeck, the great American novelist whose heart always goes out to the oppressed, the misfits, and the distressed.
This story is about a young boy, but it provides reading pleasure for adults as well. It is composed of four distinct parts. Part I, "The Gift," is the story of Jody and his horse Gabilan. Jody's father is a harsh man, who has difficulty communicating with the boy. In characteristic Steinbeck fashion, the story is filled with tragedy and suffering.
Part II, "The Great Mountains," relates another episode in the maturation process of Jody. He has an encounter with a old Mexican man passing through his father's farm. Jody is brooding and coming of age. There is an event in this part that takes on special significance for him. The story is rich with symbolism involving nature and animals.
Part III, "The Promise," is a story of the way a farm boy learned a lesson about reproductive biology. Again there is poignant tragedy.
Part IV,"The Leader of the People," is a separate story only loosely connected in plot to the other parts, but well-connected in the character development of Jody.
When I read THE RED PONY, I found myself despising and pitying Jody's father at the same time. The reader sees the father the way Jody sees him. What really happens in the novella is the emotional and moral maturation of a ten-year-od boy.
One of the greatest traits of Steibeck's writing is the way he makes every word carry its way and every turn of the plot count.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: all the hate must be from high schoolers...
Review: While there are other, greater works by Steinbeck, this one combines his disarmingly simple prose style with a number of concepts from his work in the 30s and early 40s. Mainly, the strange and ultimately destructive drive of humans in industrial society (as shown in the 4th story). The rest is a fascinating portrait of a boy's coming-of-age and alienation from his father. maybe people are tired of coming-of-age stories. but that doesn't mean Steinbeck's version isn't well-done.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Well written but no interconnecting plot
Review: These four stories are well written but their is absolutely no flow between the four stories. If this was submitted as four short stories I think that it would be easier to swallow. The first three stories interconnect but then you are left hanging as to whatever happens to the newborn colt. The fourth story doesn't really fit as a final chapter either. In the end I would have to say that this is a sorry waste of time to read for entertainment.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Coming of age in Salinas County California An admirable work which teaches important values
Review: This is considered one of Steinbeck's finest works.
The story of young Jody and his life on the family ranch is one in which he meets many tough, harsh realities and learns how to deal with them. The reader might expect something simple and easy here but that is not what is given. Steinbeck's descriptions of character and landscape of life- situation are complex, original and interesting. He gives a picture of a tough, pioneering American world. And in fact the ethic behind the book seems light - years away from much of what we see in our world today.
For among the values Jody has to learn are patience, and persistence, and humility before those older and wiser than himself. He understands that there are people who know much more than him and whom he learns from. He shows respect to them. He too in the way he cares for the Red Pony, shows a devotion and enthusiasm which are admirable.
He is forced to meet challenges from nature and the world which most young people today do not know anything of.
This is an admirable work in which much can be learned from.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good Example of Steinbeck's Writing - But Buy In a Collection
Review: This is Steinbeck's ninth novel or more accurately a novella. The writing is exceptional and it must be ranked among his best, but it is short and cannot be compared with his best known novel "Grapes of Wrath." It is almost as good as his other famous novella "Of Mice and Men," which was his first novel. However, "The Red Pony" lacks a cohesive story so some might not like it. I have read most of his works including the present, which is an interesting and a must read for Steinbeck fans. It has interesting prose and good drama, and it is very well written. I would rank it just below "Cannery Row" and "The Moon is Down." It is better than "The Pearl" or "Tortilla Flat" in my opinion - based on the writing.
It is set in northern and rural California and it is about a young boy living on a farm. It describes his relationship with his father, the hired hand, and his mother. The plot centers on various animals and the boy including a red pony.
John Steinbeck (1902 - 1968) was among the best known American writers of the 20th century. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature. His 1939 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Grapes of Wrath" has over ten million copies in print.
Steinbeck was born in rural California, went to Stanford, and spent most of his life in California. He has been associated with the plight of farm workers and others. His books have been very popular and many were made into movies and stage productions. He won an Academy Award nomination for best story in 1944.
I have read a number of his novels and am still surprised with the quality of his work - especially his short stories and short novels. The present work is short and probably ranks among the middle of his 17 novels and novellas. Readers will appreciate the clarity of the prose even if the plot is not strong.
It is not a heavy read and takes one evenings to read. I liked the book and give it a positive recommendation, and it would be high on my list of Steinbeck novels.
As a suggestion, do not buy the book alone, but rather would buy it as part of a collection such as Steinbeck's book: "The Short Novels of John Steinbeck," from Viking Press in 1953, and updated versions of that book.