The Pastures of Heaven

By: John Steinbeck

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Today, nearly 40 years after his death, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck remains one of America's greatest writers and cultural figures. We have begun publishing his many works for the first time as Penguin Classics. This season we continue with the seven spectacular and influential books East of Eden, Cannery Row, In Dubious Battle, The Long Valley, The Moon Is Down, The Pastures of Heaven, and Tortilla Flat. Penguin Classics is proud to present these seminal works to a new generation of listeners and to the many who revisit them again and again.

©1960 John Steinbeck (P)2013 Penguin Audio

If you like Steinbeck...

A great collection of inter-related short stories...if you like Steinbeck, you will love this book. I read the print version many years ago, and I enjoyed the audio version greatly. Steinbeck loved people, and he presents here some touching, engaging stories of common folks. This book is similar to his The Long Valley.

Loved it!

While some of the language is dated, the core themes and concepts are still relevant today. I appreciate that each character, no matter how big or small, comes alive with conflicting convictions and circumstances. Steinbeck is so clever at holding opposing ideas in creative tension.

A Pleasure!

What a find! Could not put it down. Recommend to anyone who is a Steinbeck fan. Or anyone...

Such depth into human existence

Many times I have burst out laughing at the incredible lines and descriptions of people. For example, the line…” he did not see people as individuals, but as antidotes for the poison of his loneliness” is so incredible! In my entire life. I could never summon such a line. Yet, there are dozens like it. I am very unread, but I don’t suspect I’ll ever encounter an author, quite like Steinbeck.

Enjoyed The Book!

I enjoyed this Steinbeck book, looking forward to the next Steinbeck books. Great Story! Next!

Great narrator, excellent listen

I loved how quickly the storyline morphed into one another, it really kept me engaged. The narrator was amazing. I'm going to do a quick search for his name to find more books read by him! This is an excellent listen.

Nature and human nature combined.

Engaging short stories by a master. Narrator does a skillful job. Elegant and evocative prose.

Deeply Excellent Loosely Coupled Shorts

These short stories are lightly couple by their connection to a beautiful valley in Monterey California. I was entranced, moved and entertained by these wonderful short stories. I love short stories and love Steinbeck so perhaps this combination was destined to please me greatly. These stories merge the ordinary with the magical, the commonplace with the extraordinary, and the straightforward with the intricate These are among the best short stories available on Audible.

Steinbeck Undecided

The stories are different from what you expect. You think you know where it's going and how it will end then it twists like a mobile strip and ends up somewhere unexpected. This is my third Steinbeck book and I haven't decided yet whether I like him or not.

How Do You Paint a Dream?

Would you consider the audio edition of The Pastures of Heaven to be better than the print version?

Steinbeck's words are best experienced with your eyes closed. His words brush the canvas of your mind like no other. It is hard to read print with your eyes closed.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way that each short story loosely linked with the others and their characters. The exact timeline of each story was left for the reader to determine. The conclusion of each chapter left me hungry for the next.

What does Sean Runnette bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is so relaxed in his delivery that I accidentally dozed off a few times and had to find my place again after I awoke.

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

Having spent several years working and living in and around the Salinas Valley, I am somewhat familiar with the terrain and surroundings. However, the Pastures of Heaven was a fictional oasis within this already beautiful countryside depicted only as John Steinbeck could do.

Any additional comments?

I am now 4 or 5 books short from completing all of Steinbeck's works. Pasture's of Heaven was my favorite. I think he could write a book about watching paint dry and he would find the words to make it interesting.