Of Mice and Men

By: John Steinbeck

Narrated by: Gary Sinise

Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Celebrating its 75th anniversary, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men remains one of America's most widely read and beloved novels. Here is Steinbeck’s dramatic adaptation of his novel-as-play, which received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 1937-1938 and has featured a number of actors who have played the iconic roles of George and Lennie on stage and film, including James Earl Jones, John Malkovich and Gary Sinise.

From the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, this classic story of an unlikely pair, two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression who grasp for their American Dream, profoundly touches readers/listeners and audiences alike. George and his simple-minded friend Lenny dream, as drifters will, of a place to call their own - a couple of acres and a few pigs, chickens, and rabbits back in Hill Country where land is cheap. But after they come to work on a ranch in the fertile Salinas Valley of California, their hopes, like “the best laid schemes o’mice an’ men”, begin to go awry.

Of Mice and Men also represents an experiment in form, as Steinbeck described his work, “a kind of playable novel, written in novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands”. A rarity in American letters, it achieved remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films.

©1937 John Steinbeck (P)2011 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Of Mice and Men is a thriller, a gripping tale running to novelette length that you will not set down until it is finished. It is more than that; but it is that.... In sure, raucous, vulgar Americanism, Steinbeck has touched the quick in his little story." (The New York Times)

"Brutality and tenderness mingle in these strangely moving pages.... The reader is fascinated by a certainty of approaching doom." (Chicago Tribune)

"A short tale of much power and beauty. Mr. Steinbeck has contributed a small masterpiece to the modern tough-tender school of American fiction." (Times Literary Supplement, London)

Gary Sinise is Amazing. Excellent!

Would you consider the audio edition of Of Mice and Men to be better than the print version?

The audio is better. Gary Sinise really makes the characters come alive. You feel like you are in the room with them.

What did you like best about this story?

Just the whole thing. It's like watching a car heading to a ditch and you just so want to stop it but you know you can't.

Have you listened to any of Gary Sinise’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the only book I have heard by Gary Sinise. He WAS George and Lenny. Truly amazing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to the entire book in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Must buy. Very good story, very good performance.

I CRIED IN TRAFFIC

...the good kind of cry, where it's like, "oh, I can feel this deeply, I forgot". If the world were a better place this would be some kind of blockbuster. And I don't mean the movies, I mean this particular audiobook. Gary Sinise would be on the CBS This Morning News, or whatever it's called, talking with Charlie Rose.

The emotion was the key.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would because the way Gary Sinise narrated this timeless classic it priceless. The flavor of all the charactors was given by this great contemporary artist.

What other book might you compare Of Mice and Men to and why?

I believe Ethan Frome would compare because of the struggles of life, even though the era was different and on opposite sides of our country, that too is also a great literary treasure.

Have you listened to any of Gary Sinise’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. He pours himself again into this role, like other he has done in the past. He is a truely gifted actor.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I haven't read this novel in over 35 years and I played Lenny in a play while I was in high school, but this reading was different because I combined the novel with Gary Sinise's narration. It made me laugh at times and angry.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend a reader to pick up a great classic like this one, for the first time again. It was special.

What Can Be Said That Hasn't Been Said?

I cannot add anything to the discussion except to plead with you, if you are reading this review, to buy and cherish this title. The story is powerful and perfectly written. The narration is excellent.

Please, if you have never read this or if you 'had' to read it in school, get this book and enjoy it.

This is so good it ought to be considered art in the public domain and available for free. It's that good.

Chris Reich

Loved it again and again. Makes travel so much mo

Loved this book and Gary Sinese was spectacular. Even though I knew the ending I was on the edge of my seat.

What it Is, What it Was, And What it Will Be

Gary Sinise was fantastic. Listen if you like Steinbeck, I guess. And may God help you.

Amazing

Everything but the overpowering harmonica in the the beginning. It was too loud, couldn't hear the story, but other than that, it was was amazing!

Amazing story, outstandingly performed

I don't have much to say to say beyond my review's title. This is one of the most outstanding stories ever written and Sinise performs it exquisitely.

Of Mice and Men - SG

Such an amazing and heart touching story that should be required to read all over the world.

Like an old Western

The story beautiful, sweet and sad.

The performance- the best. It is the first time listening to a story on Audible that every character's voice sounded like a different person.