-
The Pearl
- Narrated by: Hector Elizondo
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $16.80
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Cannery Row
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Jerry Farden
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,944
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,565
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,552
Published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is: both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. Drawing on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, Steinbeck interweaves the stories of Doc, Henri, Mack and his boys, and the other characters in this world where only the fittest survive, to create a novel that is at once one of his most humorous and most poignant works.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Five stars with a Caveat
- By Bette on 04-23-12
By: John Steinbeck
-
Of Mice and Men
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Gary Sinise
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,581
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,362
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,343
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men remains one of America's most widely read and beloved novels. Here is Steinbeck’s dramatic adaptation of his novel-as-play, which received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1937-1938 and has featured a number of actors who have played the iconic roles of George and Lennie on stage and film, including James Earl Jones, John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My First Steinbeck... I've Missed So Much!
- By Jonathan Love on 08-31-16
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Red Pony
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 284
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 244
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 245
Raised on a ranch in northern California, Jody is well-schooled in the hard work and demands of a rancher's life. He is used to the way of horses, too; but nothing has prepared him for the special connection he will forge with Gabilan, the hot-tempered pony his father gives him. With Billy Buck, the hired hand, Jody tends and trains his horse, restlessly anticipating the moment he will sit high upon Gabilan's saddle. But when Gabilan falls ill, Jody discovers there are still lessons he must learn about the ways of nature and, particularly, the ways of man.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Steinbeck maybe about his youth?
- By karen on 08-25-13
By: John Steinbeck
-
Tortilla Flat
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 879
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 762
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 766
Adopting the structure and themes of the Arthurian legend, Steinbeck created a Camelot on a shabby hillside above the town of Monterey, California, and peopled it with a colorful band of knights. At the center of the tale is Danny, whose house, like Arthur’s castle, becomes a gathering place for men looking for adventure, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging—men who fiercely resist the corrupting tide of honest toil and civil rectitude.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Good Book
- By LTCKEL on 09-06-14
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Long Valley
- By: John Steinbeck, John H. Timmerman - introduction
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 191
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 162
A Penguin Classic. First published in 1938, this volume of stories collected with the encouragement of his longtime editor Pascal Covici serves as a wonderful introduction to the work of Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck. Set in the beautiful Salinas Valley of California, where simple people farm the land and struggle to find a place for themselves in the world, these stories reflect Steinbeck’s characteristic interests: The tensions between town and country, laborers and owners, past and present.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Generally Good Stories, Some are Great
- By Michael on 06-18-13
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
The Winter of Our Discontent
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: David Aaron Baker
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,964
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,740
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,745
The final novel of one of America’s most beloved writers - a tale of degeneration, corruption, and spiritual crisis. A Penguin Classic In awarding John Steinbeck the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel committee stated that with The Winter of Our Discontent, he had “resumed his position as an independent expounder of the truth, with an unbiased instinct for what is genuinely American". Ethan Allen Hawley, the protagonist of Steinbeck’s last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Memorable characters, great narration, POOR AUDIO
- By Sam D. on 05-18-16
By: John Steinbeck
-
Cannery Row
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Jerry Farden
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,944
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,565
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,552
Published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is: both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. Drawing on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, Steinbeck interweaves the stories of Doc, Henri, Mack and his boys, and the other characters in this world where only the fittest survive, to create a novel that is at once one of his most humorous and most poignant works.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Five stars with a Caveat
- By Bette on 04-23-12
By: John Steinbeck
-
Of Mice and Men
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Gary Sinise
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,581
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,362
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,343
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men remains one of America's most widely read and beloved novels. Here is Steinbeck’s dramatic adaptation of his novel-as-play, which received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1937-1938 and has featured a number of actors who have played the iconic roles of George and Lennie on stage and film, including James Earl Jones, John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My First Steinbeck... I've Missed So Much!
- By Jonathan Love on 08-31-16
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Red Pony
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 284
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 244
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 245
Raised on a ranch in northern California, Jody is well-schooled in the hard work and demands of a rancher's life. He is used to the way of horses, too; but nothing has prepared him for the special connection he will forge with Gabilan, the hot-tempered pony his father gives him. With Billy Buck, the hired hand, Jody tends and trains his horse, restlessly anticipating the moment he will sit high upon Gabilan's saddle. But when Gabilan falls ill, Jody discovers there are still lessons he must learn about the ways of nature and, particularly, the ways of man.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Steinbeck maybe about his youth?
- By karen on 08-25-13
By: John Steinbeck
-
Tortilla Flat
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 879
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 762
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 766
Adopting the structure and themes of the Arthurian legend, Steinbeck created a Camelot on a shabby hillside above the town of Monterey, California, and peopled it with a colorful band of knights. At the center of the tale is Danny, whose house, like Arthur’s castle, becomes a gathering place for men looking for adventure, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging—men who fiercely resist the corrupting tide of honest toil and civil rectitude.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Good Book
- By LTCKEL on 09-06-14
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Long Valley
- By: John Steinbeck, John H. Timmerman - introduction
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 191
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 162
A Penguin Classic. First published in 1938, this volume of stories collected with the encouragement of his longtime editor Pascal Covici serves as a wonderful introduction to the work of Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck. Set in the beautiful Salinas Valley of California, where simple people farm the land and struggle to find a place for themselves in the world, these stories reflect Steinbeck’s characteristic interests: The tensions between town and country, laborers and owners, past and present.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Generally Good Stories, Some are Great
- By Michael on 06-18-13
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
The Winter of Our Discontent
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: David Aaron Baker
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,964
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,740
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,745
The final novel of one of America’s most beloved writers - a tale of degeneration, corruption, and spiritual crisis. A Penguin Classic In awarding John Steinbeck the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel committee stated that with The Winter of Our Discontent, he had “resumed his position as an independent expounder of the truth, with an unbiased instinct for what is genuinely American". Ethan Allen Hawley, the protagonist of Steinbeck’s last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Memorable characters, great narration, POOR AUDIO
- By Sam D. on 05-18-16
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Old Man and the Sea
- By: Ernest Hemingway
- Narrated by: Donald Sutherland
- Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11,235
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,524
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,491
The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal, a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of story in a small package
- By Nothing really matters on 07-31-14
By: Ernest Hemingway
-
East of Eden
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 14,284
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 12,664
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 12,669
This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Why have I avoided this Beautiful Book???
- By Kelly on 03-25-17
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Great Gatsby
- By: F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Narrated by: Jake Gyllenhaal
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21,175
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18,783
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18,758
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gyllenhaal is an incredible narrator
- By Lauren on 04-24-13
-
Fahrenheit 451
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Tim Robbins
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28,511
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25,573
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25,532
Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Wish I Hadn't Cliff Noted This in High School
- By Joel on 03-27-17
By: Ray Bradbury
-
Travels with Charley in Search of America
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Gary Sinise
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,878
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,322
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,317
In September 1960, John Steinbeck and his poodle, Charley, embarked on a journey across America, from small towns to growing cities to glorious wilderness oases. Travels with Charley is animated by Steinbeck’s attention to the specific details of the natural world and his sense of how the lives of people are intimately connected to the rhythms of nature—to weather, geography, the cycles of the seasons. His keen ear for the transactions among people is evident, too, as he records the interests and obsessions that preoccupy the Americans he encounters along the way.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Gary Sinise is fantastic!
- By C. Wilson on 01-11-17
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Log from the Sea of Cortez
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 455
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 395
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 394
The Log from the Sea of Cortez is the exciting day-by-day account of Steinbeck's trip to the Gulf of California with biologist Ed Ricketts. Drawn from the longer Sea of Cortez, it is a wonderful combination of science, philosophy, and high-spirited adventure.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful Book
- By Stuart on 10-07-17
By: John Steinbeck
-
In Dubious Battle
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 445
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 393
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 393
This 1936 novel—set in the California apple country—portrays a strike by migrant workers that metamorphoses from principled defiance into blind fanaticism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The best story - ever ! Awesome narrator !!!!!!!!!
- By Inventing Mostly on 03-07-15
By: John Steinbeck
-
The Wayward Bus
- By: John Steinbeck, Gary Schamhorst - introduction
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 692
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 626
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 622
In his first novel to follow the publication of his enormous success, The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's vision comes wonderfully to life in this imaginative and unsentimental chronicle of a bus traveling California's back roads, transporting the lost and the lonely, the good and the greedy, the stupid and the scheming, the beautiful and the vicious away from their shattered dreams and, possibly, toward the promise of the future. This edition features an introduction by Gary Scharnhorst.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Steinbeck always touches the heart, makes you feel
- By Kelly on 05-08-17
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
The Grapes of Wrath
- By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott
- Narrated by: Dylan Baker
- Length: 21 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11,652
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10,425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10,388
Shocking and controversial when it was first published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize-winning epic The Grapes of Wrath remains his undisputed masterpiece. Set against the background of Dust Bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life, it tells of Tom Joad and his family, who, like thousands of others, are forced to travel west in search of the promised land. Their story is one of false hopes, thwarted desires, and broken dreams, yet out of their suffering Steinbeck created a drama that is intensely human, yet majestic in its scale and moral vision.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Harmonica..
- By Danielle on 09-22-18
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
To a God Unknown
- By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott - introduction
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 457
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 402
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 397
Set in familiar Steinbeck territory, To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man's attempt to control the forces of nature and, ultimately, to understand the ways of God.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My Favorite Steinbeck; Terrible and Beautiful
- By Michael on 04-28-13
By: John Steinbeck, and others
-
The Moon Is Down
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 451
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 396
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 392
"Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat." This compelling, dignified and moving novel was inspired by and based upon the Nazi invasion of neutral Norway. Set in an imaginary European mining town, it shows what happens when a ruthless totalitarian power is up against an occupied democracy with an overwhelming desire to be free.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I like it a lot!
- By chrehn on 08-08-20
By: John Steinbeck
-
Les Misérables: Translated by Julie Rose
- By: Victor Hugo, Julie Rose - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 60 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,381
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,026
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,038
One of the great classics of world literature and the inspiration for the most beloved stage musical of all time, Les Misérables is legendary author Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. This extraordinary English version by renowned translator Julie Rose captures all the majesty and brilliance of Hugo’s work. Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Book that Made Me a Better Person
- By Jeff Diamond on 03-29-13
By: Victor Hugo, and others
Publisher's Summary
In this short book illuminated by a deep understanding and love of humanity, John Steinbeck retells an old Mexican folk tale: the story of the great pearl, how it was found, and how it was lost. For the diver Kino, finding a magnificent pearl means the promise of a better life for his impoverished family. His dream blinds him to the greed and suspicions the pearl arouses in him and his neighbors, and even his loving wife cannot temper his obsession or stem the events leading to the tragedy.
For Steinbeck, Kino and his wife illustrate the fall from innocence of people who believe that wealth erases all problems. Originally published in 1947, The Pearl shows why Steinbeck’s style has made him one of the most beloved American writers: it is a simple story of simple people, recounted with the warmth and sincerity and unrivaled craftsmanship Steinbeck brings to his writing. It is tragedy in the great tradition, beautifully conveying not despair but hope for mankind.
Critic Reviews
"[The Pearl] has the distinction and sincerity that are evident in everything he writes." (The New Yorker)
"Form is the most important thing about him. It is at its best in this work." (Commonweal)
"[Steinbeck has] long trained his prose style for such a task as this: that supple unstrained, muscular power, responsive to the slightest pull of the reins." (Chicago Sunday Times)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Pearl
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chris Baldwin
- 05-16-14
Extremely poignant; incredible listen.
Where does The Pearl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
In my top 5.
What other book might you compare The Pearl to and why?
Comparable to "Of Mice and Men" in length... but faster, more intense, more gripping.
What about Hector Elizondo’s performance did you like?
Perfect voice & narration for this story -- low and under-produced, yet mysterious, quick, and forceful... great complement to The Pearl.
Any additional comments?
I generally like to get a lot of audio hours for my credit... so I wasn't sure it'd be worth it to purchase a book that was 2 hours and change. I was wrong. Gripping book... listens much like a thriller. Classic Steinbeck. The same way "East of Eden" navigates the unspoken rhythms of brothers and fathers, "The Pearl" spotlights the same between husbands and wives... though in a more succinct, more frenetic manner. Riveting listen.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- karen
- 08-25-13
Steinbeck.
Would you consider the audio edition of The Pearl to be better than the print version?
Not really
Who was your favorite character and why?
This book is so not about a favourite character. It is about needs and choices.
Have you listened to any of Hector Elizondo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have not heard Hector before. His reading here is perfect
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Sure. Not a long book
Any additional comments?
Beautiful description of the characters and the dilemmas they face. So Steinbeck
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- t. Wayne Williams
- 08-08-16
sad
Really sad and depressing. Good story though. I would recommend to people who don't mind a sad story.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dan Harlow
- 11-29-15
The exploited poor
Any additional comments?
Steinbeck's greatest achievement was to give voice to the poor. Steinbeck's critics could say he romanticized his subjects by making them all good souls who always had the high moral ground and earthy common sense, but so many of his subjects had been marginalized their whole lives that they were nearly invisible and so, I believe, deserving of a champion.
Yet many of Steinbeck's stories end badly for the main characters, they are almost always defeated by the forces they hoped to struggle free from. For a time each character in a Steinbeck has hope for the future only to succumb to the cold reality that the rich and the powerful will remain rich and powerful and the poor will remain poor and exploited.
Yet still he gave a voice to the poor and he showed his audience how difficult it was for the less fortunate to rise out of their situation, how desperate they could be to change their lives, and how terrible it was for them to fail. Steinbeck imparts on the reader a great empathy for his characters because it is vital for us to feel the pain of these people. This is why, I believe, Steinbeck's characters are almost always "good, honest people" because we believe ourselves to be people like his characters. And so when we see these characters struggle and fail we also struggle and fail and for a moment we empathize with these people.
Had Steinbeck's characters been more like Tolstoy's, full of faults and failings and hubris, he would have been less successful to get us to actually feel the pain of poverty and hopelessness because we would have had an excuse to blame the characters for their failings. Yet when the characters are a sketch, when we see only the good and watch how the bad washes over them, we understand, if only a little, the plight of people who cannot escape from their situations.
This was Steinbeck's greatest achievement: he got us to actually care about people we might otherwise never even notice. Steinbeck didn't need to create realistic characters like Tolstoy's because he knew his readers were full of faults and prejudices; his job was to get those very people to not be selfish for a few hundred pages and show them how our insensitivity to the less fortunate could be devastating.
This story, like almost all of Steinbeck's stories could easily be updated to our own times with very few changes. Replace the pearl of the world with a lottery ticket, move the setting to an inner city or desperate country, and the truths would still be the same: the poor will be taken advantage of by the powerful and any resistance on the part of the poor will be dealt harshly by the law, no matter the justification.
And so when we ask ourselves "Why did Steinbeck never offer any solution to these problems", then we should look in the mirror because he was actually asking us that question, he only gave us the tools to recognize there was even a problem to begin with.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jeff
- 08-28-13
OVER-RATED
Why is this little story rated so high? for me it was a predictable reasonably written little story. Unfortunately that's all I can say about it.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- FanB14
- 10-26-13
Greed or Hope?
After reading in the 80s and now again to help my daughter with her homework, I view this book differently. I appreciate Steinbeck's straightforward, succinct writing style using the man versus nature theme here and everywhere.
Kino and Juana search desperatly for a way to save their child and the pearl seems like a benevolent gift from nature. The townspeople, doctor, and traders become envious and attempt to cheat and/or steal from Kino as he seeks to obtain a fair price and better his family's situation.
Artfully written, "The Pearl" set the precedent for many stories and movie plots to follow (watch, "A Simple Plan" if you enjoyed this book). My current take sides with Kino's hope to improve his station in life and I don't believe he's greedy to do so. If you haven't read this classic, the ending is tragic and satisfying provoking you to question your and others' motives. Could listen to this one again and again and probably will.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 03-07-17
good narrator just didn't like story sorry for
the comment I'm so sorry but narrator he was great loved him hate the book
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Dan Means
- 08-07-16
to simple and predictable a parable..
I generally love Steinbeck but this is just a little to native. it doesn't feel visual and personal like say the grapes of wrath.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Michael Murdock
- 07-20-16
Typing through a yawn
I love the author, but hadn't heard of the title. This was so bland that I'm neither impressed or disappointed. It's like seeing a movie full of eye rolling moments to cancel out everything you loved about the show.
I'm glad I heard it, and I enjoyed the performance, but that's all. If I listen again it will be years down the line. If.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jim "The Impatient"
- 10-31-11
Stay poor
I am a fan of JS, but not of this book. I like JS style of writing and how he writes about the down trodden of society. In this story we have a couple who are so poor, they live in a straw hut, often go hungry and can't afford medicine for there child. In the beginning their child gets stung by a scorpion, but the doctor will not help, because they do not have money. The same day they find a pearl the size of a goose egg. It should be worth lots of money, but collecting the money is not that easy. The pearl brings them an unimaginable amount of bad luck. The story is extremely depressing and irritating. JS's message seems to be that if you are dirt poor, you should stay that way and not try to better yourself. If you have not read JS, I would suggest you start with Cannery Row.
20 people found this helpful
