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The Grapes of Wrath is truly a masterpiece. From the very moment I started reading the introductory essay a couple of weeks ago, I realised I was in for an emotional time as I worked my way through this book.

Compared to the last few books I’ve read, it’s heavy going. 476 pages later (intro excepted), and I feel as if I’ve been drained somewhat. However, it’s a rewarding sensation, for this book tells the heart-breaking story of the migrant workers during the dust-bowl 1930’s. Farming families driven off their land seek work in California in the tens of thousands, hoping to put food on the table with scraps of work from exploitive companies paying a pittance, or less.

The book was heavily researched by Steinbeck, and it clearly shows in the content. It simply pours out with empathy for the situation these people found themselves in, and you can hear the collective cries of desperation from these thousands in every word.

There is an alternating chapter style of one chapter a general overview of the problems faced; the next the story of the Joad family. It took a while to realise how it worked, but towards the end of the text this narrative style did seem to give more away.

There is criticism of Steinbecks narrative style from many of the other reviews. I certainly found the dialogue tough to get into at first, but I soon settled down, and rather relished some of the terminology used. The characters, with their situation, don’t deserve to be criticised as one-dimensional - They’re multi-dimensional in their reflection of the thousands of people behind each word.

So, in a word, a masterpiece. A hard book, but one of a handful of books where I felt I got so much more out of it having read it than a simple narrative or escape. It tells a desperately sad story, no doubt set to be repeated in the future throughout the world. No surprise then to hear it’s 5/5 from me.