Gary Sinise Books

Of Mice and Men is a tremendous book in and of itself, but Gary Sinise's love for it comes through in his reading.

For those who have never read Of Mice and Men AND for those who have - this is an exquisitely read version of Steinbeck's classic tale.

It's undisputed that Steinbeck's novel is a gem of its own rights. Add to that Gary Sinise, a great actor who very obviously has a soft spot for this particular book (Gary Sinise has done Of Mice And Men on stage as well as for the movies) and it's magic that is created.

One man's voice turns from narrating to snarky to hatefilled to sad with a burden too heavy to carry in the span of moments. It's a brilliant interpretation Gary Sinise is delivering. I couldn't stop listening and was carried to a place where sycamore leaves were rustling under my feet. Amazing!

I teach special ed and in the past have used the old cassette version our school's media center supplied. Compared to Gary Sinise on CD, it was awful! My students were riveted by Sinise's delivery. He more than did justice to Steinbeck's classic tale.

My good mate John at Matilda's book store in Mount Waverley loaned me this audio book and I was totally mesmerized by it. I always knew that Gary Sinise was a great actor but I had no idea of just how good a book narrator he is. He recites all of the character voices himself and you would swear that there must be different people speaking, such is his mastery of the English Language, dialect and enunciation. I listened to this book through my stereo headphones and it was like Mr. Sinise was in the room with me reading this book aloud. A true masterpiece and thanks a lot John for this audio book.I think you have great taste in Literature.

there's really not much more i wish to add , except i think this should be requied reading in all our schools in the nation . a beautifully heartbreaking story of humanity . timeless and true .

In my opinion I thought this book was extremely sad and unpleasant. First, almost every other word was a swear word. Yes, I realize that a lot of the population swears, but I don't understand why novels have to have so much of it. Second, I was very appalled at all of the deaths. The death of one of the worker's dogs, the death of Curley's wife, and finally the death of Lennie. Lennie happened to be my favorite character, so obviously I was sad to read that his companion, George, shot him. I was also sad that Lennie didn't get to tend to his furry rabbits.

steinbeck is awesome for pulling this through.....he was able to pack so much information in this short book.....that is some REAL talent right there!

I love this book. This was my first Steinbeck novel, and I thought it was great

Before I begin my criticisms, I will mention that my focus of this review is not on my personal preferences regarding characterizations, settings, themes, authors, etc. I understand that I cannot expect all authors to write a story that I personally enjoy and can relate to. Even if the subject matter of Of Mice and Men had interested me, I still would have given the novel a one star rating because of my criticism that I will explain in this review.

I am giving this novel a one star rating because it has a lot of vulgar dialogue. There is an average of about 4 profanities per page.

Secondly, even if I were to set aside my moral views of this novel, I still would choose to give this novel a one star rating. In my opinion, the plot structure is not all that good. The climax and resolution could have followed directly after the first 1/3 of the novel. There are too many conversations that seem to fill up space with unnecessary dialogue which describes the backgrounds of characters and personalities that do not play a significant role (if even a role at all) in the outcome of the story.

Furthermore, Of Mice and Men has too many characters for its very simple plot. In my opinion, the advantage to having a lot of characters is to create intricate subplots which play a significant role in the outcome of the story

I do not insist on reading action-packed stories. In fact, I sometimes prefer stories that are mainly comprised of dialogue. However, I do always want to see that there is a CLEAR DIRECTION in the conversations that progressively leads to the climax. In my opinion, the dialogue in Of Mice and Men did not meet these criteria. In fact, mid-way through the novel, I really felt as though the story was approaching a dead-end, and I think that John Steinbeck probably felt the same way. Therefore, he made the climax take a sharp turn off course just so the plot would not slam into a wall.

Due to the offensive content and weak plot structure, I do not recommend Of Mice and Men.

Travels with Charlie works on many levels. As a result of one of our best writer's decision to go on a road trip with his dog in 1960, he left us with a vivid description of what he saw, as well as a good tale about a man and his dog. It has worn well and is as enjoyable for me now as it was when I read as a teenager.

Steinbeck seems right at home telling a good traveling story, the pleasure and interest he felt while completing this odyssey comes across in his prose. The book feels like a good story told by a friend over lunch (albeit much longer): a compilation of activities and destinations interspersed with commentary and recollection of individual interactions. This roundabout quality makes it easy to read and absorb, but at times leaves the story without a central driving theme or idea. The beginning and the end are the two sections that seem most coalesced, but at no point does the book drag.

I found Travels with Charley to be a book I could spend five minutes on or an hour on and take something away. Some sections could be read straight through and not feel weary. I doubt many would want to read the book in one sitting, many parts need time to mull over and the style sometimes becomes a bit stale and I found it better to come back later when I found it fresh.

Steinbeck's Travels with Charley was his last book I believe. This is a memoir of John Steinbeck's drive from Long Island, New York to the tip of Maine to California and back to Long Island. Of course it's well written, as you'd expect from any Nobel Prize winner in Literature, but it also captures that turbulent time in the early 1960s when Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to achieve Civil Rights and Khrushchev was banging his shoe in the United Nations.

In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck is on a journey to discover if he still knows the country he memorializes in almost all of his other works. Steinbeck manages to express in this memoir of his journey through America a whole host of emotions that many of us still feel today, a conflicting love for our country and disgust with our countrymen, appreciation for our past and worries about what we have become. Like all of his best works, the writing is natural, warm, and often funny. This is a beautiful book that captures America, both the good and the bad, in it's pages.

TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY gives us a chance to move to an up-close-and-personal position with the aloof, John Steinbeck, At the age of 60 in the fall of 1960. Steinbeck acquired a primitive pickup-style recreational vehicle, packed up a few belongings, and loaded his faithful poodle. He drove throughout the United States to reconnect with the inhabitants of the nation.

Like any other tourist who travels too far too fast, he was unable to see everything, and he skimmed over many details in his tale. He delineated some of his stops in sufficient detail. Most of the travel log is a glazed-over account.

Steinbeck wrote with the voice of a mature senior citizen, who was disappointed with much of what he saw in the nation. When I first read this book, I was in college. Now that I am in the age group of Steinbeck when he wrote it, I wonder what he would think of our nation today. He showed some of the good, such as the idyllic farms with friendly people, and some of the bad, such as people who were prejudiced and unkind. I believe if he could see our country today he would find something positive. He always expressed trust in the underlying goodness of our people.