The Pearl

Books | Fiction / Classics

3.4

(1.1K)

John Steinbeck

“There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon.” Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull's egg, as "perfect as the moon." With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security....A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.From the Trade Paperback edition.

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More Details:

Author

John Steinbeck

Pages

128

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

1994-10-01

ISBN

1101659815 9781101659816

Ratings

Google: 3.5

Community ReviewsSee all

"A great classic work about humanity greed. It was raw and real."

Norma Blanco

"5/5, so sad though. Kino drives me insane"

Madi

"Its well written, but I didnt like it. "

Ann D

"Parable for toxic materialism and the lengths one might go to to escape colonial oppression "

Lauren Christian

"ehh, beautiful writing but I didn’t enjoy the plot until the end."

katiee

"Beautiful. Sad. The Pearl will give you a broader view of ALL lives. "

Jeannine Lewis

"Not my favorite Steinbeck novel, his own interpretation of a folk tale I had never heard. Some interesting commentary on colonization, wealth, status, inequality, community, and greed. He explores how difficult it can be to “rise above your station.” I knew the story would be sad when I started, I knew how it would end, but I couldn’t help but finish it and still be surprised. It’s a short classic so definitely worth the read if large books give you anxiety."

T K

Taylor Kirchoff

"GIANT SPOILER ALERT(100% RECOMMEND):Wtf why did no one tell me the little boy dies at the end and that they end up throwing the pearl back into the ocean despite everything they went through. I went into this with no expectations but this novella was a roller coaster ride of a read. "