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The Grapes of Wrath  By  cover art

The Grapes of Wrath

By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott
Narrated by: Dylan Baker
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Publisher's summary

John Steinbeck's powerful evocation of the suffering and hardship caused by the Great Depression, and a panoramic vision of the struggle for the American Dream, The Grapes of Wrath includes a critical introduction by Robert DeMott in Penguin Modern Classics. "I've done my damndest to rip a reader's nerves to rags, I don't want him satisfied".

Shocking and controversial when it was first published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize-winning epic The Grapes of Wrath remains his undisputed masterpiece. Set against the background of Dust Bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life, it tells of Tom Joad and his family, who, like thousands of others, are forced to travel west in search of the promised land. Their story is one of false hopes, thwarted desires, and broken dreams, yet out of their suffering Steinbeck created a drama that is intensely human, yet majestic in its scale and moral vision. Adapted into a celebrated film directed by John Ford, and starring Henry Fonda, The Grapes of Wrath is an eloquent tribute to the endurance and dignity of the human spirit.

John Steinbeck (1902-68), winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for literature, is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the 20th century. During the Second World War Steinbeck served as a war correspondent, with his collected dispatches published as Once There Was a War (1958); in 1945 he was awarded the Norwegian Cross of Freedom for his novel The Moon is Down (1942), a portrayal of Resistance efforts in northern Europe. His best-known works include the epics The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and East of Eden (1952), and his tragic novella Of Mice and Men (1937). John Steinbeck's complete works are published in Penguin Modern Classics. If you liked The Grapes of Wrath, you might enjoy East of Eden, also available in Penguin Classics.

©1939 John Steinbeck (P)2011 Penguin

Critic reviews

"It is Steinbeck's best novel, i.e., his toughest and tenderest, his roughest written and most mellifluous, his most realistic and, in its ending, his most melodramatic, his angriest and most idyllic. It is great in the way that Unlce Tom's Cabin was great. One of the most impassioned and exciting books of the year." (Time)

"One comes away moved, indignant, protesting, pitying. A fiery document of protest and compassion, as a story that had to be told, as a book that must be read." (Louis Kronenberger, The Nation)

"A novelist who is also a true poet" (Sunday Times)

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What listeners say about The Grapes of Wrath

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Do not deny yourself the experience

I feel enriched as a human being. The narrator had an uncanny ability to give unique voices to all the characters. Glad my English teacher didn’t force me to read it. So relevant even today.

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This has always been a great story

Laughing at times. crying at times. Crying mostly. This has always been a great story and I am glad Audible brought it to life for me

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Ruined by harmonica

Narrator was one of the best I’ve heard, but his performance was ruined by the annoying racket between chapters.

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everything but that annoying harmonica, Oy-Vey

Excellent but that harmonica in-between chapters makes my skin crawl! really not needed in an audiobook story.

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Couldn't finish it

As others have pointed out, the harmonica is not a good thing here. Whoever mixed this had the level way too high. I really wasn't tracking this story until I read about the author. He was a communist. The story added up after I found that out. I'm surprised this is considered an American Classic. Chapter 21 is as far as I could go...

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What a story!

Such a fantastic book. This was my first time reading/listening to this book and I now understand why it’s held so high. The author and narrator bring to life a desperate painful time in history. Beautiful written, wonderfully narrated. Definitely recommend.

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perfect writing by a true master

Best narrator I've ever heard read an audio book. I couldn't imagine better.
It took me 55 years to get to this highly touted masterpiece. May I be forgiven for such an indiscretion. It is the best book I've ever read. It now replaces A Tale of Two Cities at my #1 slot. Just read it and let the masterful literature wash over you.

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A literary classic and outstanding performance

Wouldn’t believe a Steinbeck could be improved but the performance, music and voices added another level.

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Great!

I love the story and the performance was great. I didn’t like the harmonica between chapters. It was jarring. Better if it were softer

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One of the classics

I've always loved this book, which is strange because I "don't do sad". Yet, John Steinbeck is my favorite author. I'm letting my duality show I guess... Dylan Baker makes this story come to life like I haven't ever experienced in all my years of Audible.

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