
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Hi, I am Advik. I love to read, write, bike, swim, and watch TV.
The Grapes of Wrath is an award-winning historical fiction novel that captures the human struggle of the Dust Bowl. It is considered a historical classic, but I did not enjoy it. The book was slow-paced, used outdated language, had too much description, and didn’t have any action to keep the reader interested.
Set during the Great Depression, John Steinbeck’s story follows the thirteen-person Joad family as they travel to California in one small truck in pursuit of jobs. The book shows the exploitation of tenant farmers during the Great Depression.
I didn’t like the book because it wasn’t very exciting and didn’t have many thrilling parts. Most of the book shows the Joads traveling and trying to survive. These themes are essential, but they made the book feel slow and hard to read. Another reason I didn’t enjoy this book was that there are many intercalary chapters that don’t move the plot forward at all; they just are there to focus on random people and events.
Last but not least, the book is slow-paced, description-heavy, and full of small details that aren’t necessary. Sometimes, the author spends a whole paragraph describing the weather or the surrounding land. While this writing may sound articulate, it slows the book down tremendously and makes it boring. In the end, The Grapes of Wrath may be essential and a good read for some readers, but it is a tough go in terms of enjoyment, especially for modern readers.