“There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon.” Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull’s egg, as “perfect … egg, as “perfect as the moon.” With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security….
A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of man’s nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.
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Very short. Very Steinbeck. Remains with me long after I’ve read it.
This was my very first “adult” book, and by that I mean that it was the first book I read that didn’t have a happy ending. This book shocked me to my core and I swore that I would never read anything by John Steinbeck again. How could he?
After some reasonable amount of time, I realized the way he had delivered his message and I became determined to read every book he wrote. I did read them all and for the very reason I hated him in the beginning, I grew to love this author who always tells it like it is.
This short story of Steinbeck explores the topics of good vs. evil and greed. Kino and his wife Juana live at the cost of Mexico. They are among the poor of their town, struggling to make ends meet and make a life for their new born son, Coyotito. But they are happy because they are together. One day Coyotito is stung by a scorpion. Desperate to find the funds to help care for and save Coyotito, Kino hunts for oysters in the ocean, finding a very rare pearl. As with many that come into fortune, Kino must make decisions that could alter their life for good or bad, while dealing with people that look to cheat him.
A short classic worth reading with many themes worth pondering.
The morale of the story.
Even if you read The Pearl in Middle School, read it again. One can really appreciate Steinbeck’s style -prose that reads like poetry. A tender, tragic story, The Pearl will move you.
Depressing
Great story in a small package. It is relevant today with ones hopes and dreams and the tragic consequences all come together.
Interesting look at a time and place so different than most lives. Good short story.
Predictable. Especially when the plot is revealed in the forward. Didn’t care for any ot the characters.
I loved this book! So refreshing and the characters so round you could feel their emotions. Steinbeck was a master!
This was a good book in terms of the writing per se, particularly for visual imagery, and the moral themes, but I found it too black-and-white and not much depth into the characters. It was surprisingly shallow after all the accolades I heard about it.
Just a small book, 120 pages, nonetheless, a truly unique novella by a truly brilliant author. Thoroughly enjoyed it, definitely recommend.
Steinbeck is able to paint incredible, powerful images with his words. It’s a heartbreaking story, but realistic.
Great book!
One of the most often quoted verses of biblical scripture is from the New Testament book of 1 Timothy 6:10:
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
Even if you are a non-religious person, I’m pretty sure you have heard that verse of scripture in a secular fashion. It seems appropriate that my latest review of The Pearl by John Steinbeck would bring that aforementioned scripture verse to mind.
Steinbeck’s modern classic is based off of a Mexican folk tale about a poor diver named Kino that finds a huge pearl in the Gulf of Mexico. Kino hopes the pearl will change his family’s life. However, the people of the town learns about Kino’s treasure and thus begins his descend into ruin.
The story reveals the heart of the townspeople and some of them conspire to take away Kino’s treasure. Steinbeck writes a straight-forward and simple story but does an excellent job of showing the darkness within all of us when it comes to wealth.
I will admit that I don’t read a lot of classics. However, I have read The Pearl several times over the last twenty years and continue to learn new things from this novella. This is one of Steinbeck’s best books and should be read by all serious readers. The Pearl is one of my favorite reads of 2019. Highest recommendation.
Fantastic written !!! Loved it so nice
Just read it.
Fantastic read!
An ending you will never forget.
A parable about the dark side of human nature.