3.5/5 stars. This book was required reading for my English class. It was super short and I probably could've completed it way faster if I didn't have to only read a chapter a week. Sometimes I really like the books I have to read in class, for example, The Giver, but this one I didn't really like that much. I can see why it's a literary classic that some people love, but it wasn't for me. I came out of it not really feeling anything but "Really, that's it?".
It's a classic, which is a genre I'm unfamiliar with. The writing style was difficult to get through because it was so old-fashioned. I think this is partly why I didn't enjoy it as much. A lot of the slang terms were confusing and made it harder to understand the story.
I liked the characters, though. They all had a distinct personality and voice, but some of them we really didn't get to know that much because of how short the book is. I would've liked to know a bit more about Crooks and his life on the ranch, and also maybe about Candy when he was younger.
The ending, though, oh boy. I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did and I'm not happy about it. I'm not sad or crying like some people get from this book, because I wasn't super attached to the characters anyway. I'm just a little shocked by the ending and disappointed that that's all it was. The last paragraph wasn't anything meaningful, it was just the guys walking away. For a literary classic that's highly praised I guess I just expected more.
Now, like I do with all my reviews, I'll give my age rating. This book is definitely for teens. It's pretty mature in that it deals with death and racism a lot. There's quite a bit of language, also, and the use of the n-word multiple times because that was what the time period it's set it was like. I'm a freshman, but I'm in honors English, so it's a book for mature readers who can handle the topics covered in the book.
I know this review has been my shortest one ever, but I really don't have much to say. My dad thinks it's crazy that I don't like this book, but I don't and those were my thoughts.
Comments