obnox's Full Review: John Steinbeck - The Moon Is Down
I have an admission to make. I adore Steinbeck. Don't let this throw you if you are one of the huddled masses who suffered through The Grapes of Wrath in high school like me. That one, considered his greatest work, I found tedious at best. But his short novels, these are a passion of mine, and indulgence, a love.
Steinbeck's books are like movies. They should know better than to try to film them, the pictures as you read are so lush, so tangible, that they could never be brought to film. The plots take you to another world, make you understand people who you will never meet. Steinbeck was one of the greatest writers ever, and the master of the novella.
While I'm at it, I have another thing to admit. I have a hard time finishing books. My bookshelf is filled with partially read novels with little scraps of paper marking anywhere from page 10 to 100. Between my short attention span and my dyslexia, mucking through a book, even one that I really want to read, can be a chore, and the less interruptions the better.
I had never heard of The Moon is Down before I came across it at my local used bookstore. I knew nothing about it, but I was ready to read. Barely over 100 pages, I knew that it was possible that I could read this book in one sitting, assuming I could escape the interruptions that are inherent in being a new mother. I would have to hide out somewhere to do it, and read as fast as I could, but this book was not going to end up in my ever growing stack of books to read someday.
This was it, I decided, I was going to skip my night class and hide out in the library to read it. In order to get it read and get back to my son before my mother (who was sitting him) was any the wiser, I would have to read this book a blazing speed. I needed to go for the Great Steinbeck Short Novel Land Speed Record.
I will tell you now that it is a horrible sin to read this book so quickly. The entire time I read I was slowing myself to enjoy the words, the glorious descriptions. I wanted to savor every horrible moment in this occupied European town. It wasn't long before I was caught up in the stories of the captive town people and the soldiers, yearning for the freedom of the people of this town.
As I got into the lives of the characters in this book, I started caring. Even the soldiers who took this town are strong characters, men doing their jobs, and I started feeling sympathy for them as well.
I'm sorry to say that I read this book in just under 2 hours, a pretty good speed for me. I feel almost guilty that I didn't savor every moment, like a fine wine or a good Tom Robbins novel. I was captivated by this war torn hamlet and wish that I could have spent more time there. I even wish that Steinbeck had made it longer so that I could hold on to this beautiful book for a few more hours.
This book is so absorbing, you feel weak and threatened, you feel as if you, too, are trapped in this town. After finishing the book, it felt almost like waking up. I had that eerie feeling that I had been somewhere else for a couple of hours. Indeed, I had been.
Classics Fiction - In this masterful account set in Norway during World War II, Steinbeck explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and t...More at Barnes and Noble
Originally published at the zenith of Nazi Germany's power, Steinbeck's fable "The Moon Is Down" explores the effects of invasion on both the conquere...More at Alibris
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