if ''The Red Pony'' was better i give this book 5 stars, bc ''The Pearl'' wow, that was amazing.

That was classic!
Tho I'm not convinced to call the 2nd one The Red Pony cuz this character left the story very fast!! Or am I just an old slow turtle seeing everything faster than how it really is?

Две повести. Първата за червеното пони разказва за едно селско дете и желанието му да има конче-първо има едно пони, което се простудява и умира и накрая има едно жребче, което се ражда, но майка му умира. Втората повест е Бисерът, която е като приказка за парите, алчността и човешката природа. Бедно семейство намира една голяма перла, която им носи само неприятности и в крайна сметка води до смъртта на единственото им дете

Zdecydowanie jestem większą fanką drugiej opowieści z tego zbioru, co nie oznacza, że pierwsza była zła. Steinbeck w niesamowity sposób opisuje ludzką naturę, jestem zachwycona jego piórem i spojrzeniem na rzeczywistość. Kasztanek i Perła to dwa całkowicie różne od siebie historie, ale obie mają w sobie coś co przyciąga mnie jeszcze mocniej do innych dzieł autora. To jest po prostu bardzo dobre.
"Niedobrze jest pragnąć czegoś zbyt silnie. To czasem odwraca szczęście".

These are two short stories by John Steinbeck. Both were beautifully told and deeply engaging. I especially loved The Red Pony, as it reminded me of growing up on the farm. I love Steinbecks writing style of never going over descriptive, just enough to make his point. Each and every sentence is carefully constructed. I just ordered the short story collection, so I'm excited to check out Of Mice and Men, and his other well known works.

Every time I read something of Steinbeck, I'm mesmerized by the choice of words and the way he builds sentences. Both stories are filled with family and hence sorrow.

If you ever find yourself here loving this book, I'd recommend following up with East of Eden.

OH,THE PEARL---how many life lessons within.....and art renderings...

When no one ever asks the question, "What were you reading the day you turned 40?" I will never have to answer, "This book."

I've probably had this book following me around since I was 12, which is a good enough reason to read it. Another vacation read -- you'll see a trend of short novels and graphic novels this trip. Neither of these did a hell of a lot for me. "The Red Pony" worked more than "The Pearl," but the end didn't do anything for me.

And now, to the dustbin of history, the book and the reader.

Leitura obrigatório em inglês na escola secundária. Que bela aventura.

Steinbeck umie zarówno w opowiadania jak i w powieści

Perła podobała mi się bardziej, Kasztanek mniej. Oba opowiadania przybiły i zmusiły do zastanowienia się nad ludzkością i motywami postępowania. Tak, jak lubię

This is just reviewing "The Pearl," because I already gave "The Red Pony" some attention when I looked at The Long Valley. Speaking of which, if I hadn't just read "Flight" from that collection, I wouldn't be making what seems like a pretty clear connection between what its main character, Pepe, has to do to try to escape the posse on his trail, and what Kino and Juana have to do to get away from the hunters who are trying to kill them for the pearl. Neither story ends with a successful escape, of course, but "The Pearl" is much more devastating because Coyotito is pointlessly killed in spite of Kino's efforts. Pepe's sacrifice of himself is noble and confirms that he is indeed the man he has always wanted to become, an upbeat ending to a tragic little story.
"The Pearl" is an allegory, undoubtedly, although the journalistic Steinbeck would probably cringe to hear that applied to anything he wrote; even so, there's no missing the contrast between the edenic life of the oyster fishermen and the bloodthirsty Hobbesian evil of those who wish to profit from the pearl. The condemnation of capitalism--at least, the unbridled capitalism which destroys the lives of the working poor, one of Steinbeck's favorite targets--is obvious throughout the story, most cuttingly in the depiction of the venal town doctor. Kino himself dreams of new clothes, school for his child, a proper wedding for his wife--all very down-to-earth and commendable, showing that he is still an innocent--before thinking about acquiring a rifle for himself, a killing tool that he eventually uses to dispatch the last man in the hunting party. The competing songs, the Song of Family and the Song of the Pearl, are rendered in the style of folklore, and from the opening epigram it is clear that Steinbeck is trying to frame the whole story as a sort of legend, but the ultimate effect is positively Marxist. Again, the author would probably resist having "The Pearl" turned into a screamingly anti-capitalist parable, and, to be fair, that is a damaging over-simplification of the story, but it is certainly one of the lenses through which this has to be understood. Again, as a lifelong Steinbeck fan, it is difficult to retain objectivity, but it is a treat to re-re-read this after so many years away.

Продължавайки моята лична кампания "Препрочитам Джон Стайнбек", оседлах отново и "Червеното пони", което бях яздил преди много години.
От дистанцията на времето вече
не съм съвсем съгласен, че повестта е само за деца и юноши, както е представена книгата от литературната критика в САЩ и по света. Да, фокусът е поставен върху малкия Джоди и неговата огромна мечта да има свое конче, за което да се грижи, но посланията в текста са универсални.
Една книга за ежедневието на обикновените хора от покрайнините на Салинас и за кръговрата на живота, който винаги продължава под различни форми.