The Grapes of Wrath

By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott

Narrated by: Dylan Baker

Length: 21 hrs and 1 min

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)

Things are bad, and then they get worse

Narrations was well done. The story is depressing. Shows the worst of human greed . Making a political statement for treating workers better.

Classic story

A heartbreak story of the strains that are not planned yet the family must continue

A classic, but WHY THE LOUD HARMONICA MUSIC??

This has long been one of my very favorite books, since I read it my junior year of high school. The narrator is stellar, one of the best I’ve ever heard.

However.... for some unknown reason, loud screeching harmonica music has been edited in, sometimes between chapters, sometimes in the middle of chapters- for absolutely no reason. It adds nothing to the story, and honestly, even though I’ve listened to this book at least 20 times, it always startles me and makes me jump and scramble to turn down the dial or my earbuds, as it is easily three times louder than the wonderful narrator’s soothing and perfect voice.

Great to reread this after so many years!

Would you listen to The Grapes of Wrath again? Why?

No, as much as I loved it, I think reading a book twice is enough for me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me cry.

Any additional comments?

Can't remember liking the book this much when I read it first in high school! Loved Dylan Baker's performance!

Dylan Baker's reading "Grapes of Wrath" Is Great!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Grapes of Wrath to be better than the print version?

Dylan Baker's reading of "Grapes of Wrath" breathes life and emotion into John Steinbeck's classic work. Rooted in Steinbeck's wonderful prose, Mr. Baker has a unique ability to pull the listener into the novel as though one is an invisible participant in all that happens. Steinbeck would be pleased.

What did you like best about this story?

Well, it's a classic, so what's not to like?

Great Classic

This is a wonderfully read classic. I am glad to finally be able to mark off this book from my list of must reads. I just don't have time to read like I used to and was a perfect first audible book. I look forward to listening to many more. “AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

Outstanding

The best read performance I've ever listen to. The story itself weaves deeply into your soul and wonder and awe hold your mind hostage. One minute you feel disgust for all humanity but it melts into a strong conviction that good can win over evil. The voice was beyond description. Excellent.

Amazing

What did you love best about The Grapes of Wrath?

The story is timeless.

What did you like best about this story?

That the narrator sounded a little like Henry Fonda so it also made the story immediately familiar.

Have you listened to any of Dylan Baker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. First time I had listened to his work.

Any additional comments?

I listened to this with my 8 year old. There is some cursing but the story is great. She made the observation that the machine of the bank is very similar to the foreclosure crises that we are coming through. Found that pretty insightful for a child. She loved the characters. I loved hearing the story after reading it years before. Its a long book and worth the time.

Philosophical yet down-to-earth

This is a fantastic novel, and it well deserves its place in the canon of American literature. Steinbeck’s simple, easy-to-follow prose serves to support a rich, complex, multi-faceted story full of memorable characters and twisting narrative.

Throughout it all, Dylan Baker’s narration provides the definitive voice for these magnificently written characters, giving each one an immediately recognizable, yet not satirical or absurd, vocal characteristic. In narration, he combines a sense of world-weariness with both deep compassion and biting anger.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. One thing to be aware of: chapter breaks are heralded by harmonica music, which I found quite jarring at first. You get used to it, and it really does add to the experience by the end.

Voices for everyone

The narrator's voices for the many different characters kept me engaged all the way through.