این کتاب برام یاد آور چندتا چیز خیلی مهم تو زندگی بود که فراموششون کرده بودم. خیلی وقت پیش ها یه کتابی خوندم که الان اسمش رو فراموش کردم اما تو یه بخشی از کتاب چیز جالبی نوشته بود که هنوز خیلی خوب یادم مونده. نوشته بود : ما آدم ها صاحب تمام اون چیزهایی هستیم که بهشون نگاه میکنیم. کافیه سرت و رو برگردونی و به خونه ی بزرگ و زیبای اونور جاده نگاه کنی و بعد توی ذهنت تصور کنی که صاحب اون خونه هستی .اونوقت چه کسی می تونه جلوت رو بگیره و بگه که داری اشتباه میکنی.همم...؟

گاهی اوقات خوبه که بی خیالِ این دنیا و همه ی خبرهای بد و غم انگیزش بشیم و فقط زندگی کنیم. خوبه که برای خودمون یه فنجون چای بریزیم و راحت و آسوده کنار پنجره بشینیم و چای مون رو سر بکشیم و بگیم اصلا بی خیال این دنیا، بی خیال اینکه نتوستم دور دنیا سفر کنم، بی خیال اینکه نشد تو خونه ی رویاییم زندگی کنم، بی خیال اینکه نتوستم به خیلی چیزها تو زندگیم برسم. عوضش چشم هام رو که می بندم صاحب قشنگ ترین و دوست داشتنی ترین خونه ی دنیا هستم، صاحب تمام اون چیزهایی که همیشه دلم می خواست داشته باشم و نشد، هستم . توی رویا به همه جای دنیا سفر می کنم بدون اینکه دیگه نیازی به پول و ویزا و اجازه ی کسی داشته باشم و دائم بخوام غصه ی بالا و پایین رفتن قیمت ارز و دلار رو بخورم
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اصلا یه وقت هایی خوبه که آدم خودش رو به نفهمیدن بزنه و بگذره . یه وقتایی اونایی که هیچی از دور و برشون نمی فهمن، اونایی که اتفاقات بد زندگی زود یادشون میره، اونایی که تمام زندگیشون خلاصه میشه تو دوست داشتن یه گلوله ی پشمالوی پنبه ای، همونا خوشبخت ترین و خوشحال ترین آدم های این دنیای خاکی هستن. خوبه که گاهی اوقات به حال این آدم ها غبطه بخوریم و بدونیم که همیشه بیشتر دونستن نمی تونه ما رو خوشحال تر کنه، که اصلا خیلی وقت ها با خبر بودن از همه ی خبرهای دنیا، درد و رنج بیشتری برامون داره تا بی خبر بودن ازشون

خلاصه که توی سخت ترین و بدترین شرایط زندگی هم میشه صاحب رویاهای قشنگ باشیم و در عین نداشتنِ همه چیز، مالک همه ی این دنیای پهناور باشیم
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یادگاری از کتاب

آدم واسه اینکه خوب باشه شعور نمی خواد، گاهی به نظر من میاد که آدم شعور نداشته باشه بهتره. یه آدمی که واقعا باهوش باشه خیلی کم اتفاق میافته که خوب هم باشه

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ترجمه ی آقای "داریوش" رو اصلا به کسی توصیه نمیکنم. گویش روستایی وقتی شنیده میشه قشنگه اما وقتی نوشته میشه ، موقع خوندن به یه فاجعه تبدیل میشه.ای کاش آقای "داریوش" کتاب رو اینجوری ترجمه نکرده بود، اونوقت راحت تر می شد با داستان و شخصیت ها ارتباط برقرار کرد

Only a writer capable of assembling the symbolic with the folkloric can pen a novella that straddles genres, writing techniques and figurative voices and tug at the heartstrings of both commonplace audiences and the most exigent of readers.
Such indisputable universality is what Steinbeck accomplished with “Of Mice and Men”, a fabled novella with a linear plot delivered in a succession of theatrical scenes, compact on the surface and with simply drawn characters that might be accused of being excessively melodramatic and verging on the caricaturesque.
Yet when reflected upon, this deceivingly modest tale appears designed in concentric layers of deep meaning that orchestrate a rich parable on thematic complexities like the natural goodness of man, the alienation triggered by a socio-economic system that endorses exploitative working conditions and the need to cling to illusions to face a mirthless existence.

Set in a few miles south of Soledad, Spanish for “solitude”, Steinbeck introduces two antithetic characters combining coarse and fast paced dialogue with lush descriptions of the Salinas river.
Lennie Small is ironically heavily built and as strong as he is good-natured. Of a gullible disposition and feeble minded he depends solely on his workmate George to be hired as a temporary hand harvesting seasonal crops in the farms of California. George, a sharp and resourceful rogue, tries to protect Lennie mostly from himself but also from the maliciousness inherent in most of their fellow labourers. They both dream of owning a rabbit farm and “living off the fatta the lan’ ”, an ideal that Lennie begs George to repeat over and over again with the exact same words creating the mesmerizing effect of an invocation or a soothing lullaby that equals a spell capable of transforming the inconceivable into a tangible possibility.

Alternating the romantic with the myopic vision of hope and gloom, the story is shaped by the intense friendship between these disparate characters and their legitimate aspirations to achieve a respectable livelihood, creating an expansive allegory for the dehumanization the itinerant labourers were victims of during the years ensuing the Great Depression.
George’s attempts to shelter Lennie from the viciousness of foremen and masters also exposes the juxtaposition between the innate solidarity of man and its posterior corruption when trapped in the dynamics of an abusive social hierarchy.
The lonely(*), the dispossessed and the crippled become the easy target of such system with only love, friendship and compassion as shielding forces.

“Of Mice and Men” is a heart-warming story with a chilling conclusion. A story of marginalized men and women who live on the fringes of an impassive society and navigate the stirred waters of human dignity and animalization, reason and instinct, courage and weariness, narcotic dreams and hopeful illusions.
In the same way an innocent dummy might crush a tiny mouse unwillingly and with only good intentions human beings crush each other not truly grasping the full consequences of their atrocious acts. There is irony in that equation, but a gentle one.
This is a dark tale, a bitter pill to swallow. It hurts. But it also illuminates with its moving tenderness, allegorical scope and unflinching naturalism. Dreams mightn’t come true this time, but maybe that’s a weighty reason to start loving the things we’ve got.

(*) A quick note to mention Steinbeck’s shocking depiction of women as an object of desire who use erotic mysticism to lure men into the social stability offered by marriage. This notion highly contrasts with his previous approach to the essential role of females in the family unit as seen in The Grapes of Wrath.

Perfect soundtrack for this book:

Things that stop you dreaming

I know...classic, movies, been around for years, greatly respected author, etc., etc., etc. But, nihilism leaves me cold...

Enjoy if it's you...but (and I've used this quote before) this book typifies "life is hard and then you die". Who cares how well the story is written that gets you there.

The very quality of the writing here made the experience worse for me. It has been brought to my attention of late that Steinbeck was a gifted writer. It's true he was, and the message in the story he relates here carries that much more weight. I suppose the bottom line is, I live in the world where pain happens, a lot. I don't really need it here. So, I leave my rating as it is because my experience here remains a 1 star experience. So, as I said for you who love this book, and I know some...I'm happy for you, I don't and I can't really recommend it.

A small book with a big heart; actually it was George and Lennie with the big hearts. Two friends, migrant workers in California during the Depression, looking out for one another, trying to scrap by and save enough money for a place of their own. Their big dream can't overcome their human frailty or the harsh and unforgiving time they lived in. If not for the The Grapes of Wrath this would be Steinbeck's masterpiece.

4.5 stars

n  n    Book Reviewn  n
4 out of 5 stars to Of Mice and Men, a novel written in 1937 by John Steinbeck. What a heartbreaking book... many students in American high schools read this one around 9th or 10th grade, and it provokes such sensitive topics to be discussed. A quick summary: Lenny and George are drifters looking for work. Lenny is a little slow and has a few disabilities that weren't addressed when he was younger, likely due to time time period (early 20th century) when they had ability to ignore these types of illnesses. Unfortunately, it has disastrous consequences for him and for George. Men can be cruel. So can be women. Lenny tends to hold on to things a little too tightly when he's scared. He's lost a few pets and things he loved, as a result. One day, a woman pushes him a little too far, more than he's capable of understanding, and he reacts in fear. George must find a way to cover it up, and his only recourse is to take his own disastrous actions. No spoilers here, but you probably get the drift already. No matter if you know the end, you still need to read the story to see how people treat one another because they are different or they aren't perceptive enough to understand their own consequences.

This books helps people understand what happens when you lose control. It helps you figure out what you might need to do to protect someone. And it helps show who's (wo)man enough to stand up for others or to sit back and watch bad things happen. It's charged and full of emotion and fear. I struggled a little with some of the secondary characters and the setting, no my favorite. If it were set in a bit more modern times, I might have given this one a 5. But it's absolutely worth reading whenever you have a chance to find a quiet corner and be ready for a bit of a cry and a flood of questions, answers and thoughts.

n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

به طرز عجیبی دلنشین بود. روایت سریع و جذابی که تا آخرین صفحه خواننده رو درگیر میکنه به همراه یک پایان شوک کننده.

[12/18/2o19] - I now regret reading ahead because every time we read an adorable Lennie scene... I'm just dying inside because I know what's coming. I literally have tissues in my pencil case because I'm preparing myself for when we read the final scene in class
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[12/09/2019] -



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[12/09/2019] - I'm not required to but I'm going to go ahead and finish this tonight

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[12/06/2019] - AHHH! Lennie is so adorable!!!

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[12/04/2019] - currently reading this for english class...

so far... eh... i love Lennie

i can't wait to see where this goes

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چه فضای دل‌نشین و قابل تصوری داشت!
از رمان‌هایی که خوندنش خیلی لذت‌بخشه و توی ذهن آدم می‌مونه.
ماجرای دوتا دوسته، یکی معمولی و یک کمی کندذهن و بزرگ‌قامت و قوی. که اینا می‌رن یه مزرعه‌ای کار کنن و و حالا ماجراهایی پیش میاد.

رمان قوی‌ای هم بود. مثلا اتفاق‌هایی می‌افتاد و می‌تونستی اون اتفاق رو تمثیلی برای اتفاق اصلی کتاب در نظر بگیری. ینی می‌فهمیدی که همه چیزش چفت و بست خوبی داره.
حین خوندنش با خودم گفتم چقدر شبیه نمایشنامه هم هست. انگار می‌تونه یک نمایش بشه. ولی وقتی کتاب تموم شد مقدمه رو که خوندم دیدم اصن قضیه همینه. اشتاین‌بک می‌خواسته تست کنه ببینه می‌شه رمانی رو طوری نوشت که بشه نمایش‌نامه‌ش کرد؟

توصیفات خیلی زیبایی داشت و گذر زمان هر صحنه رو خیلی زیبا با گذر آفتاب مشخص کرده بود. شخصیت‌ها جذاب بودن و ماجرا جذاب پیش می‌رفت و در کل یه بسته‌ی جذاب و خوندنی بود!
به همه پیشنهاد مي‌کنم!
گول اسم قدیمی‌شو نخورین. اصلا حوصله‌سر بر نبود.

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مرور مفصل‌تری بر این کتاب در سایت آوانگارد نوشته‌ام که در اینجا قابل مشاهده است!

اینجا

I have read this long ago, but am now rereading this in January 2017. How will I react this time?

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I am so moved! I don't know how to express adequately how much I loved this book. You know everybody thinks, "Oh Chrissie, she just appreciates non-fiction." Well that is not true, but I do set high standards. Sure, non-fiction you can count on for teaching, for providing knowledge you lacked before. Because you can learn something it is seldom a waste of time, but rarely can a book of non-fiction move you emotionally. I want fiction to capture real emotions and people portrayed as they really are. This book does that. Outstanding fiction has creativity, imagination and gorgeous lines. Non-fiction doesn’t. This book has all three. This book teaches too, about relationships and about what is important in life. The dialogs are pitch-perfect. Each character is intricately drawn. The language is simple and clear, easy to understand and at times utterly beautiful or moving or heartrending. One cannot read this book and not be moved. I absolutely LOVE this book.

I am not telling you much, am I? I am just gushing. The book is about friendship and about kindness and about how so much more important kindness is over knowledge or intelligence.

The audiobook narration by Clarke Peters is stunning. I recommend that you listen to this rather than read it. Each character's intonation fit the character's personality perfectly. Usually I want to myself imagine how a person saying this or that might sound. Peters made each sound exactly as I wanted each one to sound. I wouldn't change anything.


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Here in order of preference are the books by Steinbeck which I have read:

Of Mice and Men 5 stars
The Grapes of Wrath 5 stars
Travels with Charley: In Search of America (4 stars)
The Moon Is Down (4 stars)
Cannery Row (4 stars)
The Winter of Our Discontent (3 stars)
The Pearl (3stars)
Sweet Thursday (2 stars)
East of Eden (2 stars)

★★★★★

"

Can't believe some teachers make teenagers read this in school.

Don't get me wrong, this was good but it's so... miserable. Everyone's live is so awful.
I need to continue reading more by the author!

Edit: I know the misery is the point. Doesn't mean I enjoyed reading it. It was fine just not a favorite.

Геният на Стайнбек открих за себе си сравнително рано - бил съм 12-13 годишен, когато се натъкнах на негова книга в домашната библиотека. В изданието бяха включени "Улица Консервна" и "За мишките и хората". И до ден днешен си остава загадка за мен, защо ли точно тези две диаметрално противоположни творби са били събрани заедно, в едно книжно тяло?

Първата доста ме развесели и съответно никак не ме подготви за шока от втората. А такъв изпитах доста голям - за първи път се сблъсках с неправдите и жестокостта на живота, който живеят възрастните.

Съдбите на Лени и Джордж погълнаха част от детството ми, но ми помогнаха да израсна. И препрочетох "За мишките и хората" поне пет пъти в следващите няколко години, търсейки и намирайки в нея отговори на фундаментални въпроси.

Има и страхотен филм с Гари Синийз в ролята на Джордж и Джон Малкович в тази на Лени - просто перфектни!