This is awful! I can't stand the circular stories, redundancies, and lack of movement forward. I am abandoning. ( )

A group of deadbeat friends while away the time, drinking cheap stolen wine, getting by by stealing what they need. But friendship kindles kindness, charity (even if stolen), and even a day of honest work when friendship requires it. The humor is not obvious until near the end but it’s thruout in small doses. Not great but a good book. I’ll definitely read more Steinbeck now that I’ve been introduced to him by this book. ( )

exellent

Steinbeck is the best. ( )

I was disappointed when I read Tortilla Flat, an early novel of Steinbeck from 1935. In it he depicts a group of paisanos who, soft-hearted, unquestioningly loyal to one another, and in complete disregard of social conventions and expectations, cheerfully resided in a world of idyllic poverty. I found their cultural ethos particularly disappointing and I did not appreciate the humor and camaraderie sufficiently to overlook an approach to living with which I disagree. While Steinbeck may have wanted to create a light-hearted story of people he knew well, I was unable to share in his view of the world. His view would become much darker just a few years later when he wrote The Grapes of Wrath. ( )