Of Mice and Men

So, I finished the Steinbeck. The question is, has this book changed my opinion of American Literature? I would have to say no, not entirely.

The premise of the book is wonderful, and the ending is extremely poignant - the friendship between Lennie and George is beautiful - but I still have difficulty with the style of the text. Steinbeck goes into great detail in describing the settings of the novel, and yet the characters themselves and their responses are shown only sparsely.

I understand that this shows the time - and especially the attitudes of men in this time, when they were not at all in touch with their feelings and survival was all they cared for. But the writing did not allow me to get excited.

I feel that this is still a book worth reading, and would recommend it, although it will never become one of my favourites.

So now, in accordance with the rules, I am reading something that is not on the list. I picked it up at Borders recently. It's called Half a Life by V.S Naipaul. It won the Nobel Prize for Literature, so I figure it is at least worth a look.