So today I am going to talk about John Steinbeck's The Pearl. The Pearl is actually the first I book I clearly remember being read to me as a child, which is why I believe it has become one of my favourites.
I think that my favourite part of this book is the beginning, because from the first sentence it completely draws you in and takes hold: "In the town they tell the story of the great pearl-how it was found and how it was lost again. They tell of Kino, the fisherman, and of his wife, Juana, and of the baby Coyotito. And because the story has been told so often, it has taken root in every man's mind". It's just brilliant! I love the sense of mysticism and foreboding that surrounds those first few sentences. And although the end of the story is given away in the first line of the book, you still have no ideal how the great pearl will be lost- or for that matter how it will be found.
The plot is rather simplistic-as it is meant to be, since the book is a self described parable. And it is beautifully crafted-I mean what am I saying, it was written by John Steinbeck on of America's greatest and most recognizable authors. It is a classic and one of the most memorable books I have ever read. However, again, that could be because I was first read it as a child. I have spent the past 30 minutes or so unsuccessfully searching for a quote I had heard stating something along the lines of: all the best theatre you see when you are young. And in someways I think that this is true of both theatre and of books. Since, they are the things that can mould your view of the world around you and affect how you see what it is you are seeing. When you are older everything you see if affected by what you have seen in the past. And when you are young you are free of many of the biases that accumulate with age, and are able to see something more for what it truly is. Anyways moving away from all that philosophy I will end by saying simply, The Pearl is one of my favourite books, I love it's simplicity and timeless relevance.
I think that my favourite part of this book is the beginning, because from the first sentence it completely draws you in and takes hold: "In the town they tell the story of the great pearl-how it was found and how it was lost again. They tell of Kino, the fisherman, and of his wife, Juana, and of the baby Coyotito. And because the story has been told so often, it has taken root in every man's mind". It's just brilliant! I love the sense of mysticism and foreboding that surrounds those first few sentences. And although the end of the story is given away in the first line of the book, you still have no ideal how the great pearl will be lost- or for that matter how it will be found.
The plot is rather simplistic-as it is meant to be, since the book is a self described parable. And it is beautifully crafted-I mean what am I saying, it was written by John Steinbeck on of America's greatest and most recognizable authors. It is a classic and one of the most memorable books I have ever read. However, again, that could be because I was first read it as a child. I have spent the past 30 minutes or so unsuccessfully searching for a quote I had heard stating something along the lines of: all the best theatre you see when you are young. And in someways I think that this is true of both theatre and of books. Since, they are the things that can mould your view of the world around you and affect how you see what it is you are seeing. When you are older everything you see if affected by what you have seen in the past. And when you are young you are free of many of the biases that accumulate with age, and are able to see something more for what it truly is. Anyways moving away from all that philosophy I will end by saying simply, The Pearl is one of my favourite books, I love it's simplicity and timeless relevance.
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