A short book but somehow still emotionally exhausting. I loved Steinbeck’s writing style…simple, raw, and very human. But the story itself just felt incredibly hopeless. You already sense from the beginning that things won’t end well, and that heavy feeling never really leaves. George and Lennie’s dream of having their own little place was probably the saddest part because it felt so small and achievable, yet completely impossible at the same time. I also liked how the book shows loneliness in different ways through almost every character. Slim was also my favorite. He feels almost…larger than the rest of the characters. Not because he talks the most, but because he understands more than he says. What makes him so interesting to me is, that he could easily have become threatening, judgmental,or emotionally cold. But instead he becomes one of the few genuinely compassionate people in the book. I can see why it’s considered a classic, but emotionally it’s not a book I enjoyed reading. It’s bleak, frustrating, and unfair, which is probably exactly the point.

Very beautiful and very sad. A great book

This book takes place in August 1936 After the riverbank near Soledad, California, the next locations are: - A ranch in Soledad, California, where George and Lennie work ¹ - The bunkhouse where ranch hands live ¹ - The barn where Crooks lives, separated from others due to his race ¹ - The nearby town, not named but possibly Soledad ¹ - The Salinas Riverbank again, where the story ends (The story of George and Lennie is fiction, but based on real events and settings during the Great Depression, written by John Steinbeck.)

I devoured this little story. I honestly don’t know how I hadn’t read it until now, but it’s immediately clear why it’s considered a classic. The sheer innocence and loyalty in it were exactly what left me wounded. I knew it was coming, but I still hoped things would unfold differently, more gently, more naively, more human. The contrast between having immense physical strength and a heart as light as a feather is the only way I can describe Lennie. I was there in the barn, I was there when he petted the puppies, and I felt like I was watching everything from a distance, unable to change a thing. Maybe I was too invested, but the raw emotion and the way Steinbeck writes just pull the reader in completely, leaving everything else behind as the pages turn one after another. A short, heartbreaking, beautiful read.

3.75 An astonishing book about friendship and the tragedy of one’s own mediocrity. Really great book that was perfect in its length. My only critique are the problematic aspects (which are obviously caused by the time it was written in) and the way we got introduced to the characters. It felt like there was a chapter missing.