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)

The Grapes of Wrath-Beyond outstanding

Steinbecks’s epic masterpiece is a must read/listen. Steinbeck’s masterful writing magically takes you back to the Depression era dust bowl and tragedy of Depression era California racism and cruelty. Narrator is terrific.

Beautiful

A book I wish I had read sooner. Beautifully written and performed. A true classic

Emotionally powerful

I wish I had read this book when I was a young person. Never before has a book made such a profound impact on me. I can’t stop thinking about the hardships and injustice these families suffered. And why? Because of greed, fear and indifference. This book is amazing and paints a vivid picture of man’s inhumanity to man. I was so invested in these characters, I really wanted a happy ending for the Joad family. The best book I’ve read (listened to) in years!

The Hard Truth of the Greatest Generation, & Greed

Couldn't put it down. heard similar stories from my grandparents and parents as sharecroppers and living through the depression.

Excellent!

Great narration and the voices were wonderful. The ending was hard for me to accept.

America's Odyssey

Every American should read and re-read this classic. Never forget how close we came to chaos and worse. Yes, the movie version is rather faithful to the original, but it necessarily leaves out so much. The narration is perfect, though I'm not a fan of the harmonica between chapters.

Really fantastic performance

I knew I would fall in love with the story, Steinbeck does that. But what really blew me away was Dylan Baker's performance. Every character had a unique voice that seemed to fit them perfectly. My only complaint is that the interlude harmonica is SO LOUD compared to the reading, and sometimes even drowns him out. Do the sound mixing could use some work.

Treasure

Didn't want it to end. What an amazing story and history. Great narration as well.

Great narration

One of the best narrations I’ve heard out of the dozens of titles I’ve listened to on this app. Great story, as well.

Nix the harmonica

Beautiful performance by the reader of a classic. But the harmonica that punctuates each chapter is jarring… and the choice to have it underscore the last lines of Steinbeck’s masterpiece is almost unforgivable.