The moon is down

Well done propaganda.

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 ...

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.