Monday, July 12, 2010

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck



















Title: The Red Pony
Series: None
Author(s): John Steinbeck
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Bantam
Received: Received from Paperback Swap
Release Date: First published 1933
Finished: July 2010
Pages: 120
Challenges: None
Rating: 
 

 







My Thoughts: Jody and his family live on a farm where Jody helps take care of the chickens, cows and other things. His father decides that he is old enough to take care of his own horse, and gets him a red pony named Gabilan. After months of taking care of the pony and becoming attached to it, Gabilan becomes ill, and the emotional impact of that effects everything about Jody's view of life and how he deals with loss.

I decided to read this because this book, like many of Steinbeck's other books, was mention in the young adult book Steinbeck's Ghost by Lewis Buzbee. I had never read anything by him before, but knew the basics about some of his big ones (East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and Grapes of Wrath).

The Red Pony was very different from any book I have read.  A little less than half way through, the pony is no longer in the story and basically we see how Jody deals with his emotions after losing the pony.  Then some random life events come into the story, and I am not sure what their point was, except maybe that life goes on.

I did enjoy this book because it was different and I didn't know what to expect. I would be interested in reading more Steinbeck because I still don't understand his greatness or what makes his books classics.

About the Author: John Steinbeck wrote over 30 books and received the Noble Prize for literature in 1962.  He passed away in 1968.
 

 

1 comment:

Serena said...

I read this book years ago and I remember it fondly.