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The Wayward Bus  By  cover art

The Wayward Bus

By: John Steinbeck, Gary Schamhorst - introduction
Narrated by: Richard Poe
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Publisher's summary

In his first novel to follow the publication of his enormous success The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's vision comes wonderfully to life in this imaginative and unsentimental chronicle of a bus traveling California's back roads, transporting the lost and the lonely, the good and the greedy, the stupid and the scheming, the beautiful and the vicious away from their shattered dreams and, possibly, toward the promise of the future. This edition features an introduction by Gary Scharnhorst.

©1947 John Steinbeck (P)2015 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about The Wayward Bus

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    5 out of 5 stars

Beyond Masterful. Magical.

My fourth book ever by John Steinbeck turned out to be even more stunning than the first three combined ( the grapes of wrath, East of Eden, and of mice and men ), and that is saying a lot.
The reader is very talented and gripped my attention.

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Great reader

i wish Richard Poe read all of Steinbeck's books, he is a really good reader

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You will like these people

A vivid narrative as only Steinbeck can deliver. Enjoyed from start to finish . Narration was great!!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Steinbeck knows people

Steinbeck knows people...he deeply understands them. I'm familiar with his knowledge of the male psyche but I was surprised by his appreciation of the female mind as well.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good book

He’s a terrific author. And the narrator is excellent. I enjoyed it very much. I’m glad I bought it

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    5 out of 5 stars
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If you like

If you like Steinbeck you will like it typical ending leaves you wondering which way characters choose to go

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

WONDERFUL READ! GREAT CHARACTERS!

What did you love best about The Wayward Bus?

THE WAY STEINBECK DEVELOPED ALL THE CHARACTERS.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wayward Bus?

I LOVED THE SCENE WHERE ALICE WAS GETTING LOADED IN THE DINER. ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT WAS WHEN MR. PRITCHARD LOST HIS BALANCE ON THE BUS IT WAS A HILARIOUS HAPLESS FALL.

What about Richard Poe’s performance did you like?

SUPERB!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES BUT I READ IT IN SEVERAL. MY SIG. OTHER MIKE LOVED THE BOOK TOO1

Any additional comments?

THE STORY COULD GO ON AND ON, I WOULD NOT BE TIRED OF READING IT. MR. STEINBECK KNOWS HUNAN NATURE.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great simple story about normal people

This was great. it is a very simple story, with very simple situations, the greatness of it comes through the profound development of the characters.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Pure, wonderful Steinbeck

I had forgotten how much I love Steinbeck's writing. It's been awhile. I loved the narration. As usual, Steinbeck's understanding of and ability to describe what lies hidden in the human heart unites us in our humanness. I highly recommend this timeless classic.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

nothing develops. goes nowhere

this is my least favorite Steinbeck book. none of the characters were really developed. the story was boring.

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