- Mass Market Paperback: 100 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; Reprint edition (28 Jan 1993)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140177361
- ISBN-13: 978-0140177367
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 10.4 x 0.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,055,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Red Pony (Penguin Modern Classics)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Product Description
When Jody leaves for school one morning, his idol, ranch hand Billy Buck, promises ‘it won’t rain today’. Unfortunately it does, with tragic consequences. This collection of four short stories explores the pains of growing-up and the interdependance of human existence.
What are the themes?
Other cultures, families and generations.
Teaching points
An ideal introduction to the writing of John Steinbeck.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.About the Author
Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the twentieth century. His complete works will be published in Penguin Modern Classics.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
At daybreak Billy Buck emerged from the bunkhouse and stood for a moment on the porch looking up at the sky. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
At daybreak Billy Buck emerged from the bunkhouse and stood for a moment on the porch looking up at the sky. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Red pony is a story of a boy and the pony he is given and subsequently dies, that is essentially the story. However the greatness of this book, as is so often the case with Steinbeck is not the story but the writing, and this is written well, very well in fact. With a fairly limited storyline Steinbeck has to rely on his writing ability as he so often does with the likes of the Wayward Bus, Cannery Row and even to a certain extent East of Eden and the Pullitzer winning Grapes of Wrath. It his undeniable that Steinbeck is one of the most important authors of the 20th century but still his lesser known works go largely unnoticed, it is also true that works such as the Red Pony have a place in our society and should be enjoyed a great deal more than they are. Naturally, when considering the other works that Steinbeck has sculpted it is understandable if some others fall by the wayside but the Red Pony should not be one of them. It is short and concise and should you be looking for something to fill a rainy afternoon and can't bring yourself to go to the video rental store then this is the book you should be reading.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
This was the book that started it all for me. The stories are short and to the point and yet as always with Steinbeck this collection packs punch. Like Steinbeck himself the details are raw and gritty with the life of southern California. Some may find parts of the story morbidly intense but it all feeds into the realism that the author was aiming to create. That clean and brutal kind of writing is just what attracts me to him.
Steinbeck is possibly the most real writer I have ever come across. Even his own life becomes transparent through his work. The Red Pony is still a great favourite and I cannot recommend it enough.
Steinbeck is possibly the most real writer I have ever come across. Even his own life becomes transparent through his work. The Red Pony is still a great favourite and I cannot recommend it enough.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Steinbeck fans coming to The Red Pony after The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men may be a little perplexed. It reads more like a connected series of four short stories than a novel and only the first of these features the red pony of the title.
The introduction by John Seelye in this Penguin Classic edition is, by turns, enlightening and annoying. He argues against other critics' readings of Steinbeck as a sentamentalist, examines whether The Red Pony is autobiographical and expresses amazement that Steinbeck managed to write it whilst caring for his elderly parents - a task many female authors face without plaudits.
I'm a fan of short stories generally and enjoyed this book. It does lack the strong plot of his more famous works but I loved the scenes of a ten-year-old boy growing up on a farm, particularly the fragile friendship between Jody and his grandfather described in the final pages. I also liked the new cover - a photo of a group of farm hands. A great improvement on the bright red horse's head previously!
The introduction by John Seelye in this Penguin Classic edition is, by turns, enlightening and annoying. He argues against other critics' readings of Steinbeck as a sentamentalist, examines whether The Red Pony is autobiographical and expresses amazement that Steinbeck managed to write it whilst caring for his elderly parents - a task many female authors face without plaudits.
I'm a fan of short stories generally and enjoyed this book. It does lack the strong plot of his more famous works but I loved the scenes of a ten-year-old boy growing up on a farm, particularly the fragile friendship between Jody and his grandfather described in the final pages. I also liked the new cover - a photo of a group of farm hands. A great improvement on the bright red horse's head previously!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Jody is a young boy whose father buys him a horse. He instantly falls in love with the horse and vows to take good care of it. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2008 by TeensReadToo
The Red Pony
This has got to be the crappest book ever! The book will easily make you fall asleep and you will want to burn it in hell! john Steinbeck - get a life! Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2004 by sean barrow
Not in the same class as his other work
After reading the staggering Grapes of Wrath I wanted to find out more about Steinbeck. I bought a collection of his short novels which included The Pearl, Mice and Men and this... Read more
Published on 26 May 2000 by williamawright@yahoo.com
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
