In Dubious Battle (Penguin Classics)

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  I can say that so far, this was the least hypnotic of his books that i've read. Kind of a "Poor Man's Grapes of Wrath"... I understood the story line, and appreciated the message he was trying to convey, and though you knew something explosive was bound to happen, and probably near the end, I found myself saying, "just get it over with already!" more than a few times, you know, kind of put ME out of my misery or something. Now, i won't say that the book was miserable, bec... (show more)

  I can say that so far, this was the least hypnotic of his books that i've read. Kind of a "Poor Man's Grapes of Wrath"... I understood the story line, and appreciated the message he was trying to convey, and though you knew something explosive was bound to happen, and probably near the end, I found myself saying, "just get it over with already!" more than a few times, you know, kind of put ME out of my misery or something. Now, i won't say that the book was miserable, because it wasn't. I like books with stories about this time in America, the fear of The Reds & Radicals, men just struggling to make a decent living, and his illustrations of the poverty and connectedness of the blue collar man were at least above average, but the book felt formulaic. Like there was a set of guidelines and maybe a dollar sign hanging over the last page, that he just banged away at the typewriter to get to. The characters were all real enough, the good guys and the bad guys were given a fair shake, but the book didn't really do much for me until the very last page. Kind of like Flowers for Algernon, or Of Mice & Men (both much better books) It's when you get to the end of it, that you realize how much time was spent developing the characters, and in a moment of sudden realization, the book is simply DONE. If you've never read any Steinbeck, this should not be your first one. If you're just coming back to his works since the last time you read something of his in 8th Grade, it's not a good jumping off point. Better to re-read Of Mice & Men, or for sure The Grapes of Wrath, which is essentially, the same story, only told much better. (show less)

   

   

  by Dan Connortown on Feb 24, 2009 at 08:42PM

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  In Dubious Battle is sort of a draft of The Grapes of Wrath. The title is off-putting, as it sounds more like an op-ed than a novel, but it reads well, and the depth of insight that allows Steinbeck to see so many sides of the issue - everybody's got a point, all of them hopeless - is fascinating, especially in someone who was only in his early 30s when he wrote it. The dialogue is dullish and character growth is too abrupt: the story doesn't build up to Nolan's transformation gradually but r... (show more)

  In Dubious Battle is sort of a draft of The Grapes of Wrath. The title is off-putting, as it sounds more like an op-ed than a novel, but it reads well, and the depth of insight that allows Steinbeck to see so many sides of the issue - everybody's got a point, all of them hopeless - is fascinating, especially in someone who was only in his early 30s when he wrote it. The dialogue is dullish and character growth is too abrupt: the story doesn't build up to Nolan's transformation gradually but rather jumps to it suddenly. The ending is not really justified but shoved in there to make the author's point or, as another reviewer put it, "get it over with." Still, I'm glad I read it. The arguments for all sides are honest (not stacked) and much deeper than I expected from reading the cover blurb. (show less)

   

   

  by Olga Gardner Galvin on Jul 03, 2009 at 05:43AM

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