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The Pearl
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Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Author: John Steinbeck
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Average Customer Rating:
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 Pearl Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780140177374
ISBN: 014017737X
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 96
Publication Date: 2000-04-06
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN: 9780140177374
ISBN: 014017737X
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 96
Publication Date: 2000-04-06
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Editorial Review of The Pearl
Today, nearly forty years after his death, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck remains one of America’s greatest writers and cultural figures. Over the next year, his many works published as black-spine Penguin Classics for the first time and will feature eye-catching, newly commissioned art.
Penguin Classics is proud to present these seminal works to a new generation of readers—and to the many who revisit them again and again.
Customer Reviews of The Pearl
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A lucky discovery?
Review: Kino, his wife Juana, and their baby son Coyotito, live a simple life in an ocean-side village in Mexico. Kino pearl-dives for a living. He and his family are native people of the original Aztec stock. Life for them is not perfect, indeed, the injustice of subjugation to the Spanish sometimes burns fierce in their hearts, but much of the time their existance in their small brush hut is sweet. Then one day Kino brings to the surface a huge pearl, a perfect pearl, "the Pearl of the World". This discovery promises many changes to the better, and it seems Kino's every dream will be fulfilled, but as news of the find spreads the forces of evil stir as greed and malice build.
In this novella Steinbeck uses simple language to create some of the atmosphere of a folk-tale. He has, however, combined this atmosphere with the character development and dynamism of plot expected of a modern work. At its worst this book is predictable. Virtually from the start of the story I was able to predict generally how the plot would turn out. Steinbeck's own narration, indeed, more than hints at what the future holds. But the success of this novella is in the working out of the details of the plot. Steinbeck manages to surprise us again and again with dramatic plot twists and exciting developments. I certainly cannot say I was bored by this book. It entertained me, while at the same time making a 'moral' point.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Better than I remebered
Review: We pretty much all had to read The Pearl in School. But that was a time when you really didn't want to read, especially when someone told you to. I was one of those pupils. Well, I just finished The Pearl, and I really read it this time...what a great simplistically told story about the concept of "The Root of All Evil" In a nutshell Kino (a pearl diver) finds the largest pearl in many years in his community...immediately the neighbors and shop owners show jeolously and contemp, for the peasant suddenly turned wealthy by the pearl. Everyone wants the pearl, yet everyone tells Kino it is worthless and not up to par. An obvious lie.
Similar to the long faces of the people you work with who didn't win the lottery after you just did. From this point the villigers treat him with contempt and are willing to steal the pearl if that means robbery or possibly murder? Kino is aware of this and he takes his wife and newborn son on the lamb after he is wanted by the law. (NO Spoilers here) From here we see how far a man is willing to go to keep the one thing he wants more than anything, only to lose his soul in the process. It is a nice crisp, simply told story of how money and wealth breeds contemp the of others. On another note, this story was so short and light, you can finish it in an afternoon. Steinbeck was able to take a complex idea and make it exciting and educational to the reader. I see now why it was a required reading in school. I do not know if they still offer this as a reading selection.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Steinbeck
Review: There is a reason John Steinbeck is among the classic writers. He hits home with his books and courageously tells a tale that leads one right into the lives of his characters. I have been an avid reader since childhood and after East of Eden am a true Steinbeck fan. You are in for a great ride with his books, any of them.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Timeless Tale
Review: A folktale of lower California is the basis for this narrative about Kino, a simple pearl fisherman, who finds an enormous pearl that promises to provide for all his family's needs. But Kino soon learns that this find brings nothing but misfortune. This misfortune prompts Kino to throw the large pearl back into the sea and resume his difficult way of life. As many learn, those who are greedy are never happy.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good But Short - Buy As Part of a Collection
Review: This is Steinbeck's eighth novel or more accurately a novella. The writing is exceptional and it must be ranked as average or better, 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 Pearl" is very short and 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 similar to but better than "Tortilla Flat" in my opinion - based on the writing.
It is about a young family living in a warmer climate where the couple earns their living by fishing. They have a single child who becomes ill. It is a story about greed and how it can change lives.
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 and this is another good example. 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 story is short.
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 lucky discovery?
Review: Kino, his wife Juana, and their baby son Coyotito, live a simple life in an ocean-side village in Mexico. Kino pearl-dives for a living. He and his family are native people of the original Aztec stock. Life for them is not perfect, indeed, the injustice of subjugation to the Spanish sometimes burns fierce in their hearts, but much of the time their existance in their small brush hut is sweet. Then one day Kino brings to the surface a huge pearl, a perfect pearl, "the Pearl of the World". This discovery promises many changes to the better, and it seems Kino's every dream will be fulfilled, but as news of the find spreads the forces of evil stir as greed and malice build.
In this novella Steinbeck uses simple language to create some of the atmosphere of a folk-tale. He has, however, combined this atmosphere with the character development and dynamism of plot expected of a modern work. At its worst this book is predictable. Virtually from the start of the story I was able to predict generally how the plot would turn out. Steinbeck's own narration, indeed, more than hints at what the future holds. But the success of this novella is in the working out of the details of the plot. Steinbeck manages to surprise us again and again with dramatic plot twists and exciting developments. I certainly cannot say I was bored by this book. It entertained me, while at the same time making a 'moral' point.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Better than I remebered
Review: We pretty much all had to read The Pearl in School. But that was a time when you really didn't want to read, especially when someone told you to. I was one of those pupils. Well, I just finished The Pearl, and I really read it this time...what a great simplistically told story about the concept of "The Root of All Evil" In a nutshell Kino (a pearl diver) finds the largest pearl in many years in his community...immediately the neighbors and shop owners show jeolously and contemp, for the peasant suddenly turned wealthy by the pearl. Everyone wants the pearl, yet everyone tells Kino it is worthless and not up to par. An obvious lie.
Similar to the long faces of the people you work with who didn't win the lottery after you just did. From this point the villigers treat him with contempt and are willing to steal the pearl if that means robbery or possibly murder? Kino is aware of this and he takes his wife and newborn son on the lamb after he is wanted by the law. (NO Spoilers here) From here we see how far a man is willing to go to keep the one thing he wants more than anything, only to lose his soul in the process. It is a nice crisp, simply told story of how money and wealth breeds contemp the of others. On another note, this story was so short and light, you can finish it in an afternoon. Steinbeck was able to take a complex idea and make it exciting and educational to the reader. I see now why it was a required reading in school. I do not know if they still offer this as a reading selection.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Steinbeck
Review: There is a reason John Steinbeck is among the classic writers. He hits home with his books and courageously tells a tale that leads one right into the lives of his characters. I have been an avid reader since childhood and after East of Eden am a true Steinbeck fan. You are in for a great ride with his books, any of them.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Timeless Tale
Review: A folktale of lower California is the basis for this narrative about Kino, a simple pearl fisherman, who finds an enormous pearl that promises to provide for all his family's needs. But Kino soon learns that this find brings nothing but misfortune. This misfortune prompts Kino to throw the large pearl back into the sea and resume his difficult way of life. As many learn, those who are greedy are never happy.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Good But Short - Buy As Part of a Collection
Review: This is Steinbeck's eighth novel or more accurately a novella. The writing is exceptional and it must be ranked as average or better, 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 Pearl" is very short and 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 similar to but better than "Tortilla Flat" in my opinion - based on the writing.
It is about a young family living in a warmer climate where the couple earns their living by fishing. They have a single child who becomes ill. It is a story about greed and how it can change lives.
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 and this is another good example. 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 story is short.
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.