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A review by trillyrobinson
The Long Valley by John Steinbeck
4.0
I bought this book in October in Berkeley at Pegasus Books with "Cup Of Gold" and "America And Americans"
The Long Valley is a collection of short stories from Steinbeck that he began writing with The Pastures of Heaven and To A God Unknown, but didn't publish as a collection until 1938. Included in The Long Valley are the stories "Saint Katy The Virgin" and "The Red Pony" which have are two of his most popular short stories and were published on their own outside of this volume, as well.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the stories, which apart from "Saint Katy The Virgin" all take place in Salinas or Monterey and further illustrate the great descriptive storytelling of Steinbeck and the people he knew best. A few of the stories even have female main characters, which is something seldom seen from Steinbeck and offers a new perspective on his work. Many of the stories seem to end suddenly, without a whole lot of the moral structure stories are supposed to have, which may upset some people, leaving the stories open, but for me, this is why Steinbeck is great. His stories don't have to have huge climaxes and resolutions, and throughout the The Long Valley, he is illustrating everyday life for the people of the valley, just giving us a real, human glimpse into the life at the time. It's real, and it comes off that way.
The Long Valley is a collection of short stories from Steinbeck that he began writing with The Pastures of Heaven and To A God Unknown, but didn't publish as a collection until 1938. Included in The Long Valley are the stories "Saint Katy The Virgin" and "The Red Pony" which have are two of his most popular short stories and were published on their own outside of this volume, as well.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the stories, which apart from "Saint Katy The Virgin" all take place in Salinas or Monterey and further illustrate the great descriptive storytelling of Steinbeck and the people he knew best. A few of the stories even have female main characters, which is something seldom seen from Steinbeck and offers a new perspective on his work. Many of the stories seem to end suddenly, without a whole lot of the moral structure stories are supposed to have, which may upset some people, leaving the stories open, but for me, this is why Steinbeck is great. His stories don't have to have huge climaxes and resolutions, and throughout the The Long Valley, he is illustrating everyday life for the people of the valley, just giving us a real, human glimpse into the life at the time. It's real, and it comes off that way.