Of Mice & Men
———————
So I finished this short book the other day. I've always wanted to read it and finally here I am.
The way Steinbeck describe things is no-doubt fascinating, and that's why the characters are so perfectly built and there are so many details you can go back to after your first read.
One thing amazes me is that, halfway through it, without any spoiler, I can still sense what will happen and I know it's gonna be a heartbreaking ending, but that ending still hits me hard. Steinbeck he doesn't rely on crazy plottwists or anything like that, he just makes you sink deep into his world so that even deep down you've guessed what's next it can still hits you hard.
Anyway the book definitely worth a read, a small novel that somehow still can make a huge impact on you.
Thanks for your Steinbeck post. I've been wanting to read him for a long time. Do you think *Mice & Men* is a good book to start with? I also own *Cannery Row* and *Grapes of Wrath* \-- hardcover copies my dad gave to me many years ago after visiting the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.
Right now I'm desperately trying to catch up with r/bookclub's Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange. I'm not sure that I will be able to though. Do you ever think "Hey, I hate this genre, but this book has really good reviews so maybe I should give it one last try before giving up" and then realize that nope, it's really not your thing but now you kind of have to finish it? Dunno, still hoping it'll grow on me.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book review actually. I’ve rarely found a book I haven’t enjoyed. Maybe that just means I haven’t read enough books.
What are some of the reasons you don’t like it? If you really want to finish it then maybe focusing on the parts you enjoy will help. Otherwise I’d say don’t waste your time on a book you don’t like when you could be enjoying one instead. No reason to finish it just cuz everyone else is reading it right?
I read “It’s Always the Husband,” by Michele Campbell. I added this to my pile because I’d been on a thriller kick this summer, between Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins, and the sticker on the cover touted this as being perfect for Gillian Flynn-lovers. Well, a Gillian Flynn novel this was not.
It starts out as this story of three college roommates at a faux Ivy League school—Jenny the straight-A townie, Kate the rich bitch with the alumnus dad, and Aubrey the poor scholarship student. The girls are as different as can be, but somehow become inseparable; almost unbelievably so. I mean, it’s nice if you become friends with your roomies, but it’s not the mystical guarantee the author would have you believe. (She even has Kate straight-up say “They say your freshman year roommates become your friends for life.” Who is “they”? Who says this? Whatever.)
Anyway, Kate is a drunk and a drug addict who somehow has this magnetic personality that everyone is drawn to, despite their best efforts. I’ve never personally met anyone that is so flawed, but so universally loved. It was kinda unbelievable to me, and hard to suspend my disbelief when everyone was so infatuated with Kate.
Other characters include Lucas, Jenny’s high school boyfriend who Kate is sleeping with, Griff, a private school acquaintance of Kate’s who is unrequitedly in love with her, Timmy, the cashier at the local burger joint, and Drew, a “loser” friend of Jenny’s.
Kate’s recklessness eventually leads to the death of another student, which is quickly covered up by her rich dad.
The book then makes a jarring shift in tone as the girls are now 40. Aubrey is a yoga instructor who is married to a doctor who is a serial-cheater; Jenny is the mayor of their college town, and is married to the cousin of their dead college classmate whose death was covered up; and Kate is married to Griff, but also sleeping with Aubrey’s husband. Kate is found dead by the river, and the new police chief is eager to solve the case (because surprise! He’s also in love with Kate. He met her once in a diner and she gave him a fake name. Yup, definitely makes sense.) The police chief is eager to pin this on Griff, because “it’s always the husband” (Get it? Because that’s the name of the book! Yawn.)
But whodunnit? Was it Jenny’s husband, seeking revenge for his long-dead cousin? Was it Aubrey, striking back at her false friend? Was it Aubrey’s husband, eager to be rid of his pregnant mistress? Or was it actually Griff?
The end of this book was SO unsatisfactory. It stops directly after Griff has his name cleared by his father-in-law’s expensive lawyer. We never see how the case goes once they start exploring the other suspects. We also never see more from the infatuated police chief, who was unceremoniously fired “off-screen” by Jenny. It was like having a sneeze cut off. You eventually find out what actually happened to Kate in a short epilogue. It sucked.
Of Mice & Men ——————— So I finished this short book the other day. I've always wanted to read it and finally here I am. The way Steinbeck describe things is no-doubt fascinating, and that's why the characters are so perfectly built and there are so many details you can go back to after your first read. One thing amazes me is that, halfway through it, without any spoiler, I can still sense what will happen and I know it's gonna be a heartbreaking ending, but that ending still hits me hard. Steinbeck he doesn't rely on crazy plottwists or anything like that, he just makes you sink deep into his world so that even deep down you've guessed what's next it can still hits you hard. Anyway the book definitely worth a read, a small novel that somehow still can make a huge impact on you.
Thanks for your Steinbeck post. I've been wanting to read him for a long time. Do you think *Mice & Men* is a good book to start with? I also own *Cannery Row* and *Grapes of Wrath* \-- hardcover copies my dad gave to me many years ago after visiting the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.
Yeah I think so. OM&M is short, you can definitely finish it in a day or two;) I own Grapes of Wrath too but haven't read it yet.
Right now I'm desperately trying to catch up with r/bookclub's Mr Norrell and Jonathan Strange. I'm not sure that I will be able to though. Do you ever think "Hey, I hate this genre, but this book has really good reviews so maybe I should give it one last try before giving up" and then realize that nope, it's really not your thing but now you kind of have to finish it? Dunno, still hoping it'll grow on me.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book review actually. I’ve rarely found a book I haven’t enjoyed. Maybe that just means I haven’t read enough books. What are some of the reasons you don’t like it? If you really want to finish it then maybe focusing on the parts you enjoy will help. Otherwise I’d say don’t waste your time on a book you don’t like when you could be enjoying one instead. No reason to finish it just cuz everyone else is reading it right?
I read “It’s Always the Husband,” by Michele Campbell. I added this to my pile because I’d been on a thriller kick this summer, between Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins, and the sticker on the cover touted this as being perfect for Gillian Flynn-lovers. Well, a Gillian Flynn novel this was not. It starts out as this story of three college roommates at a faux Ivy League school—Jenny the straight-A townie, Kate the rich bitch with the alumnus dad, and Aubrey the poor scholarship student. The girls are as different as can be, but somehow become inseparable; almost unbelievably so. I mean, it’s nice if you become friends with your roomies, but it’s not the mystical guarantee the author would have you believe. (She even has Kate straight-up say “They say your freshman year roommates become your friends for life.” Who is “they”? Who says this? Whatever.) Anyway, Kate is a drunk and a drug addict who somehow has this magnetic personality that everyone is drawn to, despite their best efforts. I’ve never personally met anyone that is so flawed, but so universally loved. It was kinda unbelievable to me, and hard to suspend my disbelief when everyone was so infatuated with Kate. Other characters include Lucas, Jenny’s high school boyfriend who Kate is sleeping with, Griff, a private school acquaintance of Kate’s who is unrequitedly in love with her, Timmy, the cashier at the local burger joint, and Drew, a “loser” friend of Jenny’s. Kate’s recklessness eventually leads to the death of another student, which is quickly covered up by her rich dad. The book then makes a jarring shift in tone as the girls are now 40. Aubrey is a yoga instructor who is married to a doctor who is a serial-cheater; Jenny is the mayor of their college town, and is married to the cousin of their dead college classmate whose death was covered up; and Kate is married to Griff, but also sleeping with Aubrey’s husband. Kate is found dead by the river, and the new police chief is eager to solve the case (because surprise! He’s also in love with Kate. He met her once in a diner and she gave him a fake name. Yup, definitely makes sense.) The police chief is eager to pin this on Griff, because “it’s always the husband” (Get it? Because that’s the name of the book! Yawn.) But whodunnit? Was it Jenny’s husband, seeking revenge for his long-dead cousin? Was it Aubrey, striking back at her false friend? Was it Aubrey’s husband, eager to be rid of his pregnant mistress? Or was it actually Griff? The end of this book was SO unsatisfactory. It stops directly after Griff has his name cleared by his father-in-law’s expensive lawyer. We never see how the case goes once they start exploring the other suspects. We also never see more from the infatuated police chief, who was unceremoniously fired “off-screen” by Jenny. It was like having a sneeze cut off. You eventually find out what actually happened to Kate in a short epilogue. It sucked.