The moon is down
Ratings28
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings28
Average rating3.9
Occupied by enemy troops, a small, peaceable town comes face-to-face with evil imposed from the outside—and betrayal born within the close-knit community
In this masterful tale set in Norway during World War II, Steinbeck explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and the conquerors. As he delves into the emotions of the German commander and the Norwegian traitor, and depicts the spirited patriotism of the Norwegian underground, Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling truths about war—and about human nature.
Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck’s self-described “celebration of the durability of democracy” had an extraordinary impact as Allied propaganda in Nazi-occupied Europe. Despite Axis efforts to suppress it (in Fascist Italy, mere possession of the book was punishable by death), The Moon is Down was secretly translated into French, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian and Russian; hundreds of thousands of copies circulated throughout Europe, making it by far the most popular piece of propaganda under the occupation. Few literary works of our time have demonstrated so triumphantly the power of ideas in the face of cold steel and brute force.
Reviews with the most likes.
Highly recommended for Steinbeck fans. It's a bit different than his more popular works, but he captures a certain humanity in the characters and the events that occur. Placing this book in the historical context, though, is more important.
Page 58 provides a good explanation of the point of this book.
If being picked up as a novel to read lightly, you might as well put it back down again. And if I hadn't known what this was meant to be ( WWII propaganda, enough so that people were put to death over owning a copy ), then I probably wouldn't have thought of what to look for, nor would I have enjoyed it as much as I did. Because of this, and taking into consideration the audience it was intended for, it was a well-crafted novel, thoughtful and a punch to the gut. As a “novel” distanced from meaning ( which I don't believe in doing, but might as well add this ), it's average. It's not exactly Steinbeck's best round of prose, though it does have its moments, and I often found myself wishing that more had been done with the material presented. Of course, it wasn't possible for him to have done more, but I digress. Either way, more than likely will be giving this a re-read in the future.
The flies have conquered the flypaper... a great explanation of the interactions between the conquerors and the conquered ... and what is known to some as the fight for freedom and to others as rebellion ...
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