By
Flingo
Rescued Thread
megustaleer 23rd March 2006 08:30 AM
No thread so far on this book? Amazing!
I understand that it has ben ruined for many a reader by being disemboweled in class as a 'set book'. I was fortunate to encounter it for the first time when already well into middle age, so could just enjoy it for the very moving, beautifully written story that it is.
A brief synopsis for anyone who has still to experience the pleasure of discovering this book!
George and Lennie are two itinerant ranch hands, moving on because Lennie - retarded and not knowing his own strength - has 'done something bad'. George has responsibility for Lennie and they plan to save up enough money to buy a little place together, but, as the saying goes "the best laid plans...", and this time Lennie does something really bad, and George can see only one way to get him out of it...
Claire 23rd March 2006 09:18 AM
I was lucky with this one as well, I didn't read it until about a year ago, so I escaped doing it at school.
It was breathtaking and utterly shattering. I finished at about half past seven on a school morning, having woken up really early that morning, and I had to send my kids to go and play in their bedroom for a bit while Mummy got herself together enough to be able to produce clean clothes and breakfast. They were rather puzzled by the whole thing and couldn't quite work out what was wrong with me!
Wonderful.
I'd love to reread it, but I had it on loan, and had to give it back.
Grammath 23rd March 2006 01:26 PM
Steinbeck was, naturally, a major figure in the literature element of my American Studies degree. I read this about fifteen years ago but it has stayed with me, impressive for a book short enough that I probably dashed thorugh it in an afternoon.
As I've mentioned elsewhere, my younger brother is autistic so the relationship between George and Lennie had special resonance for me.
There was also a fine film adaptation a few years back with Gary Sinise as George and John Malkovich as Lennie but it wouldn't take much longer to read the book than watch the film.
megustaleer 23rd March 2006 02:02 PM
Matthew Kelly has played Lennie on stage, with George Costigan as George. I would have loved to have seen that.
minxminnie 23rd March 2006 05:21 PM
I teach this book every year, but far from disembowelling it, we share the book - one of the best moments in teaching English is reading the last chapter of "OMAM" with a class who don't yet know how it ends.
Aaaawww...
Flingo 24th March 2006 11:36 AM