The body of work is solid, but "Of Mice and Men" alone warrant a solid rating. . .solid 20th century American author.

A simply splendid body of work is this man's legacy. To anyone dealing with problematic children who don't want to study or pay attention in school, have them read "The Pearl" to convey the price that is paid for ignorance and/or a lack of education.

Some of Steinbecks work is very good, notably East of Eden, the Grapes of Wrath, and the Salinas-Monterey novels.

But beside the giants of American literature, such as Hemingway, Faulkner and Twain, he is clearly in a lower rank, and on this list, he is very mediocre.

Steinbeck's work is enjoyable to read. My first introduction to Steinbeck was his interpretation of Arthurian legends. Each page brought new life to the tales of Lancelot and his fellow knights.

i HATE steinbeck. he is one of the worst american authors i have ever taken the time to read. i love reading, i love literature, but do i ever hate a dull, shapeless story.

Im not too keen on his epic novels but love the lighter and shorter books especially 'Tortilla Flats' and 'Cannery Row'.

Despite Oprah and her pimping of East Of Eden, i've always loved Steinbeck. his books have a great feeling, description, characters, everything works so well together.

Great books of tragedy and overcoming adversity. An author with a dark poetic flow that can still make you smile. The greatest stories of American history. One of my favorites.

On of my favorite classic authors. I have a "thing" with stories or movies that deal with the past, more specifically, the American past. I enjoyed reading "Of Mice and Men", because of Steinbeck's ability to tell us what the past was really like for blacks and the mentally disabled citizens. When a book makes you cry, laugh, or makes you angry, then you know that you are reading a good book, and that's the type of books that Steinbeck writes.

3 for writing quality/style. (The work's OK.) 5 for writing with a slant toward social justice.

One of the greatest American novelists. Check out East of Eden if you haven't already... I didn't come out of my room for days until I read it cover to cover!

Brilliant, if depressing. I am struck, more than anything, by the gritty realness of his stories. He tells it like it is -- nothing more, nothing less. Sometimes that hurts.

The first time I heard about Steinbeck? A TV presentation of Of Mice and Men. I immediately wanted to read everything he had written and everything ever printed about this incredible author. I introduced many of my friends to his universe and they all agree with me! Please read ALL his works and you will be deeply moved, I promise.

Steinbeck is easily one of my all-time favorite authors. Naturally I think Grapes of Wrath is a masterpiece, and Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are both classics I can read again and again. But maybe my favorite Steinbeck book, strangely enough, is Cannery Row. It's not as deep, as powerful, or as intricately woven as Grapes of Wrath, but it has a quality that will always stick with me. I first read the book in junior high school, I think, and Steinbeck's descriptions of Monterey made a big impression on me. That was probably the first time I'd read a book with descriptions so vivid and so real that I felt as if I'd actually been to the place being described. The smell of the town as it wakes up at dawn, the sound of the Chinese man walking down the stairs in flip-flops, the image of the boats going out to sea... Somehow I felt that Steinbeck had transcended traditional description to the point where he was communicating the real essence of the place. Cannery Row isn't a typical book with a typical plot - it's more like a rolling story that places you at a certain point in time and lets you fully absorb the atmosphere, both natural and human. Anyway, Steinbeck was incredibly gifted, and his combined books form a legacy few other authors can match.

Of Mice and Men was a good book to read when you are growing up. It is a good american tale. It is so sad when Curly doesn't realize his own strength and hurts the mouse in his pocket.

Pedantic American novels that flaunt the poor in the reader's face. But, he's mildly entertaining.

somewhat dry, but very good messages and realism

GRAPES OF WRATH was really boring, but the rest of his stuff is a lot better.

Intriguing storylines.

The best representative of American literature. John Steinbeck is brilliant; he reinvented the novel.