The Pearl
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3.7 • 1.5K Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
“There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon.”
Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence. Then, on a day like any other, Kino emerges from the sea with a pearl as large as a sea gull's egg, as "perfect as the moon." With the pearl comes hope, the promise of comfort and of security....
A story of classic simplicity, based on a Mexican folk tale, The Pearl explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
So you found a giant, valuable pearl in the ocean? Lucky you! Except in the unambiguous moral universe of John Steinbeck, who would advise you to hurl the gem back into the water and run like hell. Even if—like Kino, the hero of Steinbeck’s parable—you’re a poor Mexican diver in desperate need of cash to save his sick son’s life, because money is a curse that will bring you face-to-face with the worst of human nature. Once word of Kino’s windfall gets out, he’s betrayed and pursued by greedy fellow villagers, prompting him to commit terrible acts to protect his family and their fleeting fortune. This slender novel is vintage Steinbeck: dramatic, beautifully rendered, and full of redemption that comes at an extremely high price.
Customer Reviews
Good Book
In this book Steinbeck confronts some unjust things in life and shoes the true primal force of man.
The pearl
This book is kinda boring. It's more like a folk tale, it has a great example of what wealth can do to a person.
Insurmountable Mountains
The Pearl is perhaps Steinbeck’s most beautiful novella despite its harrowing conclusion. Descriptions leap off the page and inner emotions are conveyed via primal truths an average writer couldn’t express. The musical motifs and fable-esque quality invokes mysticisms as the lowly protagonist is crushed by the system he tries to ascend.