The Winter of Our Discontent (Penguin Classics)

I love John Steinbeck but to be honest this was not my favorite book. It was kind of difficult to follow the story line, but it kept me reading because it was oddly interesting.

John Steinbeck's early novels, particularly "The Grapes of Wrath" are well known for packing a walloping emotional punch. Over time Steinbeck style and tone evolved. His move from California to Sag Harbor, Long Island probably had as much effect as age, experience and changing times. His last novel, "The Winter of Our Discontent" shows Steinbeck continues to have strong views on America's social currents and his writing reflects the more subtle corruption of society that he sees around him. As the books are so different that had I not known ahead of time that this was a Steinbeck novel I would not have guessed it. Gone is the heavy use of vernacular and voice of the oppressed underclass unable to catch a break. In its place is Ethan Allen Hawley, the grocery clerk from the 11th generation of a once proud and wealthy family. Hawley is smart, glib, somewhat superficial growing cynical of his increasingly trapped middle age. Steinbeck sees Hawley's small town is perhaps a metaphor of the American society was so worrying to him. Businessmen are double dealing. Elected officials take a little bit on the side. And everywhere is the potential for a little shoplifting or infidelity. Through humor and wit much of this is glossed over but as the portraitures grew deeper it's more apparent that few in Steinbeck's world are capable of doing right. Their moral failings are central to his story. Overall the book was worthwhile, The characters are interesting and original and for social criticism this is ahead of its time. I found Hawley to be a strangely inconsistent character. He quotes latin, sites verse in Old English and in other ways is presented as potentially a deep and reflective person. But he is unaffected by his war years unnaturally detached from his wife and children using way too much humor. It contradicts with his later motives and actions which ultimately lead to a series of plot resolutions that seem to fall a bit short but I would say these are minor flaws for a story that illuminates its time with originality and freshness that remains for the modern reader. NOTE: Susan Shillinglaw's forward is quite helpful but I'd suggest it as an afterward as the plot giveaways were more than I would have liked.

The Nobel Prize winning novel (1962) examines this question: Can one take a respite from good morals, do things totally out of character, and then switch back to good? That is the dilemma our protagonist, Ethan Allen Hawley, faces as he struggles to regain past family wealth and prominence. Published in 1961, this was the last novel that John Steinbeck finished. As with most of his novels, he was initially criticized for `making a mountain out of a molehill.' Steinbeck stated that he wanted to expose "the moral degeneration of American culture." He was later exonerated when the details of Watergate and Richard Nixon proved his point. This is the writer that also wrote 'The Grapes of Wrath' (1939), displaying capitalism in a negative way and 'Of Mice and Men' (1937), emphasizing man's inhumanity to one another. If you haven't read a Steinbeck novel...start with this one. The novel's time period is from Easter to the Fourth of July (1960) in the fictional town of Baytown, NY. Steinbeck fashioned this town out of his own hometown of Sag Harbor, NY. We find ex-GI, Ethan Allen Hawley, working as a clerk in Marullo's Fruit and Fancy Groceries. While Ethan was fighting overseas in World War II, his father lost all the family's wealth via wild wartime investments. The language of the times is sometimes offensive, such as, Ethan referring to his boss as the guinea, wop, or dago. Two other families of prominence in the novel are heading in different directions. Mr. Baker is the town's banker and future political power, while Danny Taylor (from a good family) is now the town drunk. Ethan's wife, Mary (of many cutesy names), has been putting pressure on Ethan to improve the family's position. His children, Allen and Mary Ellen, have entered a `I love America' essay contest and also champion for a better life. Mary's friend, Margie Young- Hunt, has read her fortune cards and states that Ethan is going to be rich. Does Margie have a crush on Ethan? Mr. Baker wants Ethan to start investing in the town, and Ethan's friend Joey Morphy (a bank teller) informs Ethan how the perfect bank robbery could be done. Ethan learns that Marullo might have come to the USA without papers (thus the term WOP). Can he get the store for himself, if he `rats out' Marullo? Should he follow Mr. Baker's seemingly wrong and nefarious advice. Are the kids writing their essays on the up and up? Why is Mr. Baker bribing Danny Taylor with booze and what is that paper he wants Danny to sign? Is Ethan contemplating a bank robbery? Since this is a story of the decline in American morality, there are many flaws in the eight main characters. Ethan is not the only one with morality issues, but he is the only one with a guilty conscious. On page 201, Ethan thinks to himself, "Temporarily I traded a habit of conduct and attitude for comfort and dignity and a cushion of security." He thinks he can change back to a good guy, since he killed people during the war and didn't become a murderer when he was discharged. The only shortcoming I found with this novel was that too much was packed into the last 59 pages. If he could have added a hundred pages, or so, the reader would have time to savor the many twist and turns that come at you one after another. The title of this classic comes from William Shakespeare's 'Richard III' . On page 264, Ethan toasted his son by saying, "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York." He will think different in a few pages. All in all, this is a marvelous story, so typical of a John Steinbeck novel.

Interesting last fiction book that John Steinbeck wrote. He wrote "Travels with Charley," later, which was his last book. He died some 8 years after writing "Winter..." Written when Steinbeck lived in Sag Harbor, it is a fictional adaptation of the Sag Harbor of the '70s, with fictionalized characters that resemble the community at the time. Interesting to those who live there and are interested in Sag Harbor. It is structured interestingly, from the third person in the first section and the first person in the 2nd section. I didn't find the "narrator" very likable, but that was perhaps my take on it. The recent edition includes an analytic,comprehensive study of both the book and of John Steinbeck's writing.. Worth reading before you read the book. Steinbeck includes many, many quotes from all well-known works, to a fault, in my opinion. There are notes at the end with sources of the quotes. Worth reading if you know Sag Harbor, NY, are familiar with John Steinbeck's writing, and if you are interested in the "art" of writing, but a bit disappointing as a steinbeck novel. .

No es la mejor novela de John Steinbeck, pero los amantes de este escritor disfrutarán de su lectura. Muy recomendable.

Another great Steinbeck novel filled with all the wonderful characters he creates. What is the American dream? Whatever it is, these people haven’t found it but nonetheless you can’t help having hopes and feelings for them and their lives. The plot is basically is it best to be good and struggle on or is it ok to cheat and duck and dive a bit to get by - who are you hurting?

I read this one three times as I felt I needed to extract all the juice it had to give. I have read other novels and short stories by Steinbeck, and I rate him as one of my favourite writers. He has such wonderful turns of phrase. Some reviewers do not think this his best work although he wrote it late in his writing career. It is a story that is strongly character- driven and I would class it as psychological drama. It is deftly developed. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste, but it unfolded like a Shakespearean tragedy: Macbeth comes to mind although it’s title refers to Richard the Third. Chilling how predatory and ruthless the main character becomes to achieve his aims. A must-read for those who like to delve beneath the surface or character and situation. His writing is simple but highly evocative.

A Johny le falló mucho a la psicología del personaje, lo acabó convirtiendo en una persona egoista y de pocas luces. Lo convirtió en una persona derrotista y desesperada de ser redimida. No concuerda el final con su manera de pensar y reaccionar. Ante el amor hacia su mujer, simplemente lo borra como si nunca hubiera existido. Mal final. No supo que hacer con su novela y su personaje principal. Desesperó.

Warehouse amazon: è nuovissimo😉