The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
This was my first time reading John Steinbeck’s classic, so instead of a traditional review, here’s a collection of thoughts I had while making my way through this dense, devastating and thoroughly American novel.
The writing is gorgeous but heavy, like a thick cut of meat that takes effort to chew but ultimately satisfies. Steinbeck’s language is richly descriptive, sometimes to the point of fatigue. Early on, I worried the detailed accounts of landscapes and everyday minutiae might wear thin, but they ended up serving a greater structural purpose.
You meet Tom Joad right away, fresh out of prison for murder and hitchhiking his way back to his family. His extended conversation with a preacher, Jim Casy, sets the tone: this is a novel about sin, grace and the systems that grind people down.
It unfolds more as a series of vignettes than a tightly driven plot, with some chapters zooming out to depict unnamed migrants and the cruel opportunists profiting off their desperation. Those interludes were some of the most raw, honest and gutting in the book, and I looked forward to each one.
This is not the digestible Dust Bowl melodrama you’ll find in Kristin Hannah’s “The Four Winds.” The pacing is slow — nearly a quarter of the novel is spent just preparing to leave for California — but that seems intentional.
Steinbeck isn’t interested in momentum; he’s trying to make you feel the weight of every setback, every indignity and every hard-earned mile. In that sense, the repetition becomes part of the experience: the reader, like the Joads, becomes worn down.
Oddly, for how much time we spend with the family, I didn’t feel deep interiority from most of them. You’re told who they are more than you feel it organically. Many of them — Uncle John, Al, Connie, Noah, Ruthie and Winfield — feel more like plot devices than actual members of the family.
Still, the themes of dignity, community and perseverance shine through, particularly through the character of Ma Joad, who becomes the novel’s moral center. Her quiet strength and unwavering focus on survival kept me going when the bleakness nearly tipped into too much.
This book is far darker than I expected. It’s filled with the expected deaths and heartbreaks, but it’s the pattern of loss that hits hardest. Every time the Joads seem to find a foothold, it’s ripped away. What stuck with me wasn’t just their pain but how close this still feels to the American reality today: a system where a few wrong breaks can collapse everything.
The final chapter is both shocking and strangely comforting. It’s one of the most haunting endings I’ve read, and it cements Steinbeck’s message — frequently a bit too heavy-handed — that those with the least often have the most to give.
I listened to an older audiobook narrated by Dylan Baker. He captured Tom’s frustration well, though his portrayals of women were grating, both too high-pitched and cartoonish. Still, for a book this weighty, I’m not sure I could’ve made it through in print. There are dramatized versions with Hollywood actors that might be better for anyone who wants a taste without committing to nearly 22 hours.
I wish there was a sequel just so I could know what happened to the Joads. I fear history wasn’t kind to them. But, like them, I hold out hope of brighter days ahead.
“The Grapes of Wrath” earns its “Great American Novel” status, but it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s bleak, righteous and repetitive, but also brilliant in all the ways that matter.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: June 26 – July 5, 2025
Multi-tasking: Okay. Once you find the rhythm of the writing, it’s easy to follow along with easy tasks (walking, cleaning, etc.), but if you aren’t paying close attention you’ll miss the beauty in Steinbeck’s words and possibly get lost in the mess of names.
