Set against the backdrop of 1930's California, Of Mice and Men is a tale of friendship and loneliness.
George and Lennie are two Migrant workers who we join just as they are about to take up their new jobs at a ranch near the Salinas river. We soon learn about their unusual friendship, their shared dream and their personal memories.
I just finished reading Of Mice and Men today in my English lesson and I must say, I did well up. Although I was quite dubious about reading the book to start with (it seemed boring in comparison to some of the other books on the reading list) I soon warmed to it and have been left with a fulfilled feeling now that I've finished it.
[spoiler]When George tells Lennie at the end to look across the river I nearly choked up really badly. Half of my class were crying and I was happy to see that a book had gotten a reaction out of them - 80% of them don't read. Once George pulled the trigger, I felt such empathy for the characters - something I sometimes find hard to feel when reading newer novels.[/spoiler]
Anyone else read this book?
Alainna
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Unfortunately I was forced to read this for ninth grade English class, and of course, being made to read a book usually ruins my opinion of it. I liked it, but would have enjoyed it better if I did not have to answer questions about it. When you read a book in school, it seems that the teacher's interpretation of a book is always the 'correct' one, even if this is not necessarily the case.
The academic english class had to read this for summer reading. But me being the smarty in the honors class read the good earth. I might read this just because I want to, it looks good. :]
I think Of Mice and Men is good. Easy to analyze, short, sad, full of good things... I didn't find it boring either. People seem to just have an aversion to anything their English teachers hand them, but if they open their minds, there are so many interesting themes in these books.
I will never forget studying this in year 11 at high school, and my English teacher put on different voices for the characters, and he always cried at the end when he read it. Bless him.
I watched the film the other day, its pretty good, it sticks to the book really well, have you seen it? The puppy in it is so cute (lol trust me to get distracted by the animals).
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Of Mice and Men is one of my favorite novellas of all time. And, I thoroughly enjoyed analyzing it in Literature class. School doesn't ruin novels; deadlines to read novels ruins it. I'm a complete sucker for anything short, so when I saw the size of Of Mice and Men ... I was attracted. But, I'm glad you read it! Wonderful piece of literature!
Ye, I agree. I'm reading Great Expectations for English... I hate it. I was going to read it before I knew we were studying it. It's just killed it--analysing every chapter.
I might have liked it, but then I won't let it stop me reading Of Mice and Men. 
Having gone over and over this book many multiple times in preparation for our English Lit. exam last year, I'm thoroughly sick of it, and its many references to the American Dream.
It was pretty good on first reading though.
See, school ruins reading.
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