The Pastures of Heaven (Twentieth-century Classics)

One of my favorite Steinbeck books. It was not long ago I visited the Pastures Of Heaven and the area towns of Salinas, Monterey and Carmel. I walked the streets of his stories and streets he himself walked. It’s a magical area he so brilliantly brings to life.

Beautiful and often sad, a sort of folk tales, which held my attention. I loved this book. It was a tale of human nature.

I WAS HAPPY WITH THE PURCHASE.

Steinbeck loved California and Californians. Wonder if he’d like us so well today. Amazon wants seven more words. Word word.

Steinbeck's book comes with this comment on the back cover: "Each of these self-contained stories is linked to the others by the presence of the Munroes, a family whose misguided behavior and lack of sensitivity precipitate disasters and tragedies." This opinion, which the author of the Introduction seems to endorse, strikes me as a very surface take on the deeper significance of these stories.The Munroes do show up in all of them; but when they do, a bubble of fantasy is punctured. They are the Nemesis principle, the breath of reality, among people lost in delusions and deceptions. Because of it, a man nicknamed Shark loses his social mask and finds his backbone, a father is forced to give up custody of his wild son, another father realizes the wrongness of raising his son in isolated poverty, a woman lets go of the insane daughter she's emotionally dependent on and stands up for her own life, two sisters face a crucial choice about their future, a daughter is given the chance to face her long-lost father...These are not tragedies so much as consequences that puncture the psychic insulation of people living in a kind of Californian Eden. Their stories are not Steinbeck's finest, but they reflect the lucid writing and psychological acumen that characterize his later work.

This is a rather lovely collection of short stories about a place and a time of great change and the slight madness that makes each of us who we are. Every time I revisit Steinbeck I wonder why it has taken me so long to return. Steinbeck remains a giant. His name should be remembered with the likes of Tolstoy or Mark Twain: a master of his craft. Even in this early work, his affection for people, his understanding and compassion, his faith in our awkward grace comes through every word. If you have never read anything he has written, this is a fine place to start. If you have read him several times over, this is a fine place to continue. Though it is possible to look at this work as a palette for what will become East of Eden, that should not take anything away from what he has done here. This is a book that some day, you might read again to enjoy it just as much as you enjoyed it the first time ... every time I read Steinbeck I leave a little better for the experience:a little more forgiving of myself and the world around me, a little more curious, a little more open, a little happier for it.

Steinbeck was a young man and unknown writer when he wrote and first published this book, but you wouldn't know it by the beautiful prose and the moving set of stories, all taking place in Pastures of Heaven, an idilic valley in early-20th-century Monterey County, California.This is an accessible book, populated with a diverse group of memorable characters that reflect many aspects of human nature. Also very present is Steinbeck's love for the natural world and the places in the California Central Coast where he was born and grew up alongside the simple people. But this book transcends regionalisms and it is beautiful literature that can be enjoyed by anyone anywhere, decades after its conception.While many people would recommend to read first Steinbeck's tougher books such as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men", I say "Pastures of Heaven", despite being a relatively obscure book in his career, would serve as a fine introduction to his art, particularly if the reader is not looking for the strong social themes of his best-known works. On the same vein, "The Long Valley", published years later and depicting a more mature writing style, is another terrific series of short-stories taking place in the same world of Salinas Valley/Monterey ("Steinbeck Country").

I had never heard of Steinbeck's Pastures of Heaven before stumbling across it by accident. Since this book has never had the fame of Steinbeck's later novels - East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, etc. - it's unfamiliar to many readers. It's shouldn't be! These laconic inter-connected stories tell of the people who come to make their homes in the Salinas Valley. Some folks send out roots and live there for generations. Others move though the small town like tumbleweeds. As a whole they weave a tapestry that is at once specific to the time and place, yet universal to the American experience.In many ways Pastures of Heaven reminds me to Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio. But where much of Anderson's book dealt with dreams lost, set aside or abandoned, Steinbeck puts his faith in the American spirit.Also, for those who have read and cherished Steinbeck's later novels, let them find the seeds of later characters and themes in Pastures. Even in his early career Steinbeck was developing the prototypes of the Trasks and the Joads and others.

A series of short stories about people who live in the same village but the time period, in some cases, is different. The people make appearances in the short stories that are not about them which is great and lends more depth to their character. Recommended.

I've been on a Steinbeck kick recently and was excited to read "Cup of Gold", his début novel, which I found pretty disappointing on a number of levels. This, though, has a claim to be considered Steinbeck's 'real' début, in that if you're familiar with his later novels, The Pastures of Heaven is very much what you'd expect Steinbeck's first book to be like.This was the second Steinbeck book to be published, and in a way we have it to thank for the rest of his career - Pascal Covici was given a copy of this, stayed up all night reading it, and was so impressed he promptly went out and signed Steinbeck to the publishing deal that resulted in Tortilla Flat the following year.It's easy to see why Covici was so impressed. This isn't quite a novel and isn't quite a collection of short stories, but it's packed with memorable characters and shocking moments (and some melodrama), as well as several themes you can see Steinbeck would return to and develop in his later works. It's not exactly laugh-a-minute stuff and yet I don't find it depressing as other reviewers have commented either - it's unforgettable, for sure, but you come away thoughtful rather than miserable. And it's Steinbeck, so there's quiet observational humour and candour right the way through; some of the stories and characters here have quickly become my favourite Steinbeck vignettes, and the little epilogue with the tour bus is pretty much perfect.This would make a perfect introduction to Steinbeck if it weren't for the fact that Of Mice And Men and The Grapes of Wrath already provide an even better one. What this is is a superb book that contains almost everything that's good about the later Steinbeck in kernel form, and - as Covici found - it's very hard to put it down.

I have read a lot of John Steinbeck books. This one concentrates on short stories about a hidden place in the California countryside called ‘The Pastures of Heaven.’ There are a dozen stories about various people who come to the valley to work on farms or to live or settle there. Many have personal reasons for doing so.I found some of the stories very clever, some charming, some rather tame and others a little boring. All in all, this is a mixed bag.I find some of his longer reads much more interesting. This is simply not in the same class (IMHO) as Cannery Row or the Wayward Bus, which are two of my favourites, along with the novella, Of Mice & Men.

There are pages missing at the end of the book. It ends at page 192 yet the explanatory notes are supposed to be on page 203.Very disappointed. This was a present for my wife at Christmas.

Typically coherent and unfussy styleSeries of shorts that hang together but stand alone well enough for me. As with most Hemingway you can hear it as you read it as if a John Garfield or Henry Fonda is in the room. These are light snacks but full of flavour