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The Pastures of Heaven  By  cover art

The Pastures of Heaven

By: John Steinbeck
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Publisher's summary

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

What listeners say about The Pastures of Heaven

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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.

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6 people found this helpful

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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.

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  • Overall
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A Pleasure!

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

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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.

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2 people found this helpful

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Nature and human nature combined.

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

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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.

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1 person found this helpful

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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.

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27 people found this helpful

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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.

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Raw, Heartbreakingly Honest, Simple Yet Profound

More beautiful writing by Steinbeck. I loved these vignettes that wove into a living history of time and place. "Painterly" came to mind.

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Steinbeck at nearly his best

Written early in his career, this short story cycle shows off Steinbeck’s early mastery of lyrical prose and gift for portraying the depths of thwarted human desire. Simply beautiful.

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