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)

5 stars all the way

This is the first John Steinbeck novel I have experienced and It won't be my last. His writing is amazingly descriptive and visual, his characters satisfyingly real, I felt as if I were right there through it all.

The story is of an extremely difficult time in US history, the reality of it superbly told. It was narrated and memorably performed by Dylan Baker, someone I would enjoy listening to again.

Great narration of a great book

Fantastic, but be warned: there is obnoxious and unfitting music scattered throughout.

Other than that, I have no problems with this portrayal of a classic.

Can't Imagine a Better Version

What did you love best about The Grapes of Wrath?

The story is more like a meditation and the narrator navigates it beautifully.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tom Jode

Which character – as performed by Dylan Baker – was your favorite?

Tom Jode...because he was so compelling. But I loved his inflection with the priest. And his women's voices were outstanding. Truly remarkable considering the scope of the story and the range of characters.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"A true American classic." (I've never read this book and I don't consider myself to be overly patriotic, but this story wouldn't be quite the same in any other setting)

Any additional comments?

This was my first experience with an audible "classic", with this story, with this length in audio form, and with this narrator. I truly can't imagine a better experience with this story.

Steinbeck at his best!

I love the way Steinbeck writes, and Dylan Baker narrates, according to the local situation, and enviornment!
I could feel the dust, the sun, and the poverty.
I enjoyed the loyalty shared by families on the trek!

Enjoyable story

The story is well-performed by the narrator. His use of the various voices and descriptive narration made me feel as if I were in the story myself. The Grapes of Wrath is not exactly a feel-good story, but it does shed light on the struggles of migrant workers. Each character is clearly drawn with his or her flaws and strengths showing through. I enjoyed listening to this novel and will listen to more Steinbeck novels.

Now I understand

It feels ridiculous to say "hey, guess what? grapes of wrath is a really good book", but i found myself saying it repeatedly. Also, the narration is performed and paced so well that it's hard to imagine the book without it. The harmonica music is too loud, but that hardly detracts from one of the best audiobooks I've listened to.

Back in Time

Steinbach's characters' come to life as you listen to their troubling lives,and
feel their frustrations... as their hopes, dreary lives, and personalities weave
their story in the Great Depression.

Narration amazing

This is an amazing narrator. He changes voices for each of the characters and each one sounds true to life. I highly recommend this. Of course, the writing and the story is exceptional as well.

American classic timely for today's headlines

Glad I re-read this great classic. The world needs more Joads. Steinbeck is masterful here and if you study him, you can see how this work diverges from others as he struggled with his own demons while writing about a savage world where maintaining goodness in everyday life was worthy of sainthood.

Brilliant comedic timing

I’m not gonna lie Steinbeck himself was a bit too communisty for my taste but this is definitely a well written and well read book.