This short, but powerful Steinbeck novella is packed with emotion and many topics for a great bookclub discussion. Greed, violence, and evildoers progress along to a very sad and tragic ending that shocked me.

So, John Steinbeck and his editor walk into a bar. . . (disclaimer: I'm making this up) and John's editor says, "John, it's so bor-ing being your editor. I mean, you've written the Great American novel, you've won the Pulitzer, you've fought for the poor man, you've made your fiction read like non-fiction and your non-fiction read like fiction."

John lights a smoke, takes a slug of beer, grunts. Reports from the war hum from a radio at the bar and his editor finds the courage to continue.

"Well. So, maybe, you know, it would be funny (ha ha ha), if you could take a story, a legend you know, and make it real. Take a legend, maybe from an ancient people, and make it a vehicle for the entire human condition. Throw in all of the good stuff: light versus dark, good versus evil, man versus man, man versus God. Add a few archetypes, some symbolism, a few more themes. Keep your characters limited AND, oh, yeah, here's the real kicker. . . keep it under 100 pages."

John looks up from his beer, wonders if he can hear a score on the game. He looks over briefly at the editor.

"Yeah. I'll do her. Got any more cigarettes?"

Still can't break the barrier of Steinbeck's longer and (some say) more complex works, but there is nothing wrong with being direct, especially about truths we all recognize. The system remains against the poor, even when it finds the most beautiful pearl in the world.

It was a big mistake I made 3 days ago, I was going to start 'Charlotte's Web' but instead I started 'The Pearl' thinking it was written before ‘Of Mice and Men’ and on just finishing I found it was written much later. All I remember is my decision to read books in sequence they were published. Anyway it can’t be undone.

n  The Review:n

“In the town they tell the story of the great pearl” how it was found and how it was lost again. They tell of Kino, the fisherman, and of his wife, Juana, and of the baby, Coyotito. And because the story has been told so often, it has taken root in every man’s mind. And, as with all retold tales that are in people’s hearts, there are only good and bad things and black and white things and good and evil things and no in-between anywhere.

“If this story is a parable, perhaps everyone takes his own meaning from it and reads his own life into it. In any case, they say in the town that…”

This small prologue tells very much of all that is in the book. From the very first page, the moment the pearl is found and on every other page one knows that pearl will be lost. But I read with the bleakest of hope that the pearl would not be lost, the pearl that has became Kino’s life and whose music, the music of pearl, played above all. Or did I read just to confirm for myself that pearl was really lost, lost to the world that comprised of pearl dealers (with hope that someone will replace the one, under whom they worked), doctor (who dreamed of going to Paris), Priest (remembering those part of church that were in need of repair) and to the city of concrete.

And in midst of all this we see a stubborn husband’s struggle to save his family from all the evil that came along with the pearl. A calm wife and at the same time a mother, making futile attempt to get rid of pearl as it has laid curse upon her family.

n  What’s interestingn is the vivid description of landscape. You just do not read a story but you live the story. You see and feel everything, even that which is not perceptible to our eyes in day to day life. I remember only one book that had stark description of setting and backdrop even more vibrant ‘The Inheritance of Loss’

There is nothing much to remember from the story, nevertheless a nice story. It just feels that I am yet to read the best of John Steinbeck.

i have had this sitting on my bookshelf for a while now (about 5 years! what?!) so i finally decided to read it. and, although i didnt enjoy it as much as some of his other novels, i appreciated the cautionary message of the story and the classic steinbeck writing style.

n  3 starsn

A layered story and I really like the writing, but found it a little predictable and it didn't feel that impactful to me.

Rating: 4* of five

A beautiful fable of life's central issue: greed. How awful it felt to write that sentence.

Particularly important to read in this horrendous passage in American history.

Before reading (actually listened by Hoopla audiobook) The Pearl, I had mistakenly thought that it was John Steinbeck’s second book solely inspired by the pages of The Bible. Although much of the theme has similarities to parables, I read that this book’s was also based on an old Mexican folk tale. Like Of Mice and Men, this book is a small one. It is simple in its surface only, deceivingly deep with meaning. I really like that sort of book, the ones that leave me pondering.

It tells the story of an impoverished pearl diver, named Kino and his family, who one day finds a rare, impossibly large pearl. After recently experiencing hardship, the pearl seems to have been brought to Kino by fate. This find does change their lives, but instead of being their reversal in fortune and hardship, it brings something else.

The book is big in scope - it caused me to reflect beyond its pages. The story reminds those who read it that wealth may not bring happiness (who doesn’t want to give that one a shot?), and it perfectly reveals how a possession can change ourselves and those around us.

And they began this day with hope."
John Steinbeck, The Pearl

چقدر حال و هواش شبیه تنگسیر بود
اما اشتاین بک دیگه واقعا دیگه شورشو درآورده آنقدر عالیه

3.75

از دوزخ درد گذشته و از آن سوی آن بیرون آمده بود و زرهی از افسون گرد خود داشتند.

داستان بسیار تلخی بود، این‌قدر تلخ که حتی توصیفات زیبای نویسنده هم از تلخی اون کم نمی‌کنه. من این تلخی رو البته دوست دارم. من پایان تلخ رو به پایان های سرخوشانه در ادبیات و سینما همیشه ترجیح میدم، به این علت که به زندگی شبیه‌تره و زندگی هم همینقدر تلخ و بی‌رحمه.گاهی نمیشه که نمیشه. کینو که شخصیت اصلی داستان بود و غرق در فقر و نداری. غرق در بدبختی و بی عدالتی.فقر درگیر شده کینو و خوآنا و فرزندشون یه فقر معمولی نیست.فقری است به گستردگی و بی رحمی و خانه خراب کنی که حتی پول دوا درمون بچتم نداری. تو این وضعیت یک مروارید پیدا میشه. نور دلی روشن میشه.اینطور تصور میشه که خداحافظ بدبختی،سلام خوشبختی اماااا بدبختی مثل کنه است.مثل یه رفیق صمیمی که همه جا باهات هست.به تلافی همه دوستایی که باید تو زندگی میداشتی و باهات میموندن و الان نداری. وقتی مروارید پیدا میشه چه آرزوها و نقشه هایی تو دل کینو نقش می‌بندن. تلاش میکنه مروارید رو بفروشه و ادامه داستان تلاش او برای فروش مروارید و رهایی از فقر رو نشون میده و سرانجام شوم این تلاش.

بالاتر از سیاهی رنگی نیست.

نمی‌دونم این ضرب المثل رو کی درست کرده.خیلی هم استفاده میشه.در شبکه های اجتماعی در تعاملات بین مردم و به نظر من مزخرف ترین ضرب المثلی است که رواج داره.سیاهی هزار رنگ داره بر خلاف ظاهر یک رنگش. از یک پله که میری پله بعدی رنگشو میبینی. تا وارد نشدی نمیفهمی.بدبختی مثل سیاهی درجات گوناگونی داره.همون لحظه که فکر میکنی وضعیت از این بدتر نمیشه، همین لحظه یه شکست دیگه است.همیشه اوضاع میتونه از این بدتر بشه.شاهد این ادعا هم همین آقای کینو است که درسته اول داستان در فقر و نداری و کپرنشینی زندگی می‌گذروند اما پایان داستان شاید خودشم مثل من مخاطب احتمالا دلش برای اوضاع زندگی‌اش در اول داستان تنگ میشه.

نقد به ساختار.

شاید منظور اشتاین بک از این داستان یه نقد به ساختار ناعادلانه جامعه بود.سرخ پوستانی که تحت لوای سفید پوستان با بی عدالتی و ناعدالتی گسترده ای روزگار می‌گذرونند.تلاششون نتیجه نمیده. تلاششون برای رهایی از این زندگی نکبت بار نه تنها نتیجه نمیده بلکه منتج به نتایج شوم و تلخی میشه.علت اینه این ساختار که سنگ بناش بر بی عدالتیه باید تغییر کنه و تا این تغییر نکنه کینو و امثال کینو روز خوشی نخواهند دید و فقط درجات گوناگون سیاهی رو تو زندگیشون حس می‌کنند.شاید اشتاین بک می‌خواد بگه بی عدالتی مثل یک جارو برقی مکنده قوی همه چی زندگی فقرا رو می‌بلعه .

آیه ای از قرآن.

بخشی از آیه 216 سوره بقره می‌فرماید: وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ (و چه بسا چيزى را خوش داشته باشيد و آن به زيان شما باشد) آقای کینو عزیز این قسمت از این آیه زندگی شما در این داستان بود.کاش که قسمت قبلی آیه و جایی که می‌فرماید : �� چه بسا چیزی را دوست ندارید و خیر شما در آن است برات اتفاق می‌افتاد...واقعا کلیت داستان برای من تداعی کننده این آیه بود.به طور کلی این آیه از قدیم الایام همیشه تو ذهنم رنگ و نقش پر رنگی داشته و وقتی داستان رو خوندم از اولین چیزهایی که ذهنم خطور کرد همین قضیه بود. کاش به حرف خوآنا گوش می‌کردی....

می‌خونم از اشتاین بک.بازم می‌خونم.اگر عمری باشه بازم می‌خونم.

(review in English below)

Que maravilha! Steinbeck é um mestre!

Se pudesse, teria lido este livro duma assentada, pois assim o exigia a escrita imperiosa, escravizante, que transformou uma narrativa que podia ser banal numa história arrebatadora, emocionante, que nos inquieta de tal modo que damos por nós a tentar não espreitar a página seguinte para saber o que vai acontecer a seguir, ao mesmo tempo que nos atropela com as sensações dos personagens principais.

Tenho mesmo de ler as obras maiores deste autor!

Recomendadíssimo!

Wow, that was wonderful! Steinbeck is a master!

If I could, I would've read this book in one sitting, for that was what the writing demanded. An imperative, enslaving writing that transformed a common narrative into a passionate, thrilling story. A writing so disquieting that you find yourself trying not to peek into the next page to know what's going to happen, while you're run over by the feelings of the main characters.

I really must read his greater works!

I can't recommend this enough!