The Pearl

by John Steinbeck and Elaine Stenbeck, John Steinbeck IV, Thom Steinbeck x

Book Overview

"There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon." Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014017737X
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 90 Pages
• Weight: 0.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.1" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

One of Steinbeck's Best

I love this story and the way Steinbeck writes it with subtle Animist hints; objects, people, and stories have their own music. Beautiful and powerful novella, exactly what I love from Steinbeck.

Great book

Such a classic. Is in good condition as stated.

Good condition

Satisfied

Great choice for all readers!

I read this book after I was already an established Steinbeck fan, so my review is definitely biased, but I found this novel to be short and impactful. It's themes are classic and hard-hitting: what are you willing to sacrifice for wealth? How does colonization impact native people? Why is family and community valuable, and how do they interact with each other? I would recommend this book to most anyone, given that it isn't a particularly laborious read.

An underrated book about today's society

I thought "The Pearl" was a remarkable book. I had to read it in high school and I just now finished reading it again in my spare time. It's a real short book, but it's still a classic. Kino and Juana are normal poor people who don't have any money and have to rely mainly on themselves to survive. One day, Kino finds the most remarkable pearl that anybody has ever seen. The pearl could turn them from rags to riches in the wink of an eye. But before they know it, the pearl makes them enemies to just about everybody because most of the other people want to get their hands on the pearl so they can become rich. Kino and Juana must decide what to do with the pearl before something bad happens to them and their son, Coyotito."The Pearl" is a book that has a lot of meaning with its message, especially these days, even though the book was written in 1947. Some people will do what they can to take advantage of you, especially if you've got something they want. And "The Pearl" greatly expresses that. If you like good books that have a message to them, I recommend reading "The Pearl."

A Variant On A Tale That?s Eternally Valid

Referring to this novella, as a variant is in no way meant to detract from the work, or suggest that it is lacking in originality. The two other works Steinbeck's book "The Pearl" is sometimes linked to, add to the reading experience, and reinforce the transcendence of its message."The Pearl Of Great Price" from a parable in the Gospel of Matthew, attempts to teach with the same jewel from the sea. Mr. Steinbeck was also a great reader of medieval texts, and one of these morality plays was in the form of a poem written in the 14th Century, entitled "Pearl" although the Author is unknown. These three works are separated by millennia, but their commentary on the human condition is consistent.Mr. Steinbeck wrote this after his triumph "The Grapes Of Wrath". The work was a monumental bestseller, it brought The Pulitzer Prize to the Author, and was rapidly made into a movie that is a classic in it's own right. Superficially one could argue Mr. Steinbeck achieved all that a writer might conceivably want, fame, fortune, and critical recognition.Unfortunately, like his work, often when you feel something good is about to happen, a positive change for his characters that have struggled, and fought to survive, he slams you face down on bedrock's reality. The acclaim for his work brought him great discomfort as well. He was labeled a socialist, a communist, an agitator, and became the focus of FBI attention, and not because they liked his book. He viewed and detested the treatment the racism toward Mexicans in Southern California, and witnessed the so-called "Zoot Suit Riots" that resulted."The Pearl" might be called the lottery if it was written today. The ticket that vaults a person from the troubles of day-to-day life, and is thought to leave them "set for life" all too often is a quick financial ride up and a crash back down.Sudden wealth when thrust upon a person, changes the person, and everyone around them. All their reference points, their friends, and all that their lives have not prepared them for, surround, threaten, and many times destroy them.This book is very brief, but it communicates as much as a novel 10 times its length. The ending is brilliant, tragic, and redemptive. It is a story that few could write, and even fewer could make work. The emotional scenes he brings the reader to are at times almost violent in there reading. And then with a turn of phrase he can change the mood time and time again.A wonderful novella from an Author known for sweeping sagas.

Simply Crafted

The magic of this book is that not a word is wasted and every sentence is loaded with meaning. I found it very like Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" in its simplicity and its evocation of imagery. Steinbeck tells of a fishing family that think all their dreams have been answered when they find a valuable pearl. They believe that the status of owning the pearl will bring them riches and glory but soon find that it will only bring them grief. There are many dualities in this text; good vs evil, rich vs poor, family vs wealth, friend vs foe, dreams vs reality, and so on. The simplicity of this tale gives it a universal meaning. It also serves to remind the reader that wealth and status cannot buy happiness. After reading this text one must ask oneself what they would do if they found their pearl. I highly recommend it.

Not a bad story, but not one I would have read on my own.

It wasn't that bad of a story actually. I had to read it for English class, and I actually found myself enjoying the story. It had everything. Suspence, romance (kinda), and even some blood and guts (a must have). I wouldn't read it again and I wouldn't recomend it, but I'd have to say i'm glad I read it.