Justin's Notes

This was a great novella inspired by a Mexican folk tale that Steinbeck heard while traveling in Mexico in the 1940s. It follows a young pearl diver named Kino, who ends up finding "the Pearl of the World". Hoping for fantastic wealth, Kino instead sees the corruption and destruction that even the hope of wealth can bring.

I enjoyed this novella. I enjoyed that the story read like a fable; you can see how it was inspired by folklore. There isn't enough time to truly care for the characters, in my opinion, but you have enough time to understand the hopes and pains that they feel in a more general sense. I do think Steinbeck did a good job telling a story of the hope wealth promises and the destruction and pain it can more often deliver.

I would recommend this novella, but if you want a Steinbeck novella to read, you should read Of Mice and Men first. Only read this if you want more Steinbeck that will only take a couple of hours.

This story follows Santiago and his long, multi-day battle with a marlin at sea. It's a story of perseverance and courage when facing adversity and the reality that our character is what defines us, not our success.

I enjoyed this story. It is simple, but I thought it was quality. It felt easy to root for the old man; it felt easy to understand the boy's respect and admiration of him. I enjoyed the conversations the old man had with himself on the boat and the way he encouraged himself to continue on. I thought the pacing was great, and it was more engaging than I thought it was going to be.

This is only my second Hemingway, and I felt it was a nice, easy read and would have been a better intro to his work. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try out his books.