While John Steinbeck is a master of Literature, The Long Valley's stories are all dull and some don't even feel like stories, but just descriptions of things (the short story "Breakfast" was overly pointless). This collection starts off great, with a couple of wonderful stories, but the second half of the book (along with The Red Pony parts (another of John Steinbeck's drab writings)) is very bad and yawn-inducing.

My favorite story was "The Flight", and that is the only reason I am rating this 2 stars instead of 1. "Johnny Bear" is also a good story in this collection, and a fairly humorous one as well.

Check this out at the library for a couple of good stories, but do not purchase it as it would be a waste of money. If you want to read great works by Steinbeck, check out East Of Eden, The Grapes Of Wrath, and Of Mice And Men.

Of Steinbeck's short stories, I wonder if "The Red Pony" is perhaps the best known, or at least the most widely read in high school or college literature survey courses? Or perhaps that distinction belongs to "The Chrysanthemums." In any event, those are the only two stories from this collection that I can recall having read elsewhere, leaving the other eleven to delight me with their novelty. The "delight," however, is that which comes with the discovery of intensely thought-provoking stories, not, with one exception, the delight that comes from encountering light-hearted, uplifting tales of an optimistic bent, for that is far from Steinbeck's style.

For the most part, the short stories reveal the same dark universe in which unenlightened and certainly unsaved men struggle to survive, a struggle that they occasionally lose, spiritually if not physically. A certain hunger, an unfulfilled need, and a pre-ordained suffering doom most of Steinbeck's characters. Existence is filled with cruel ironies that dash hope upon the vicious and inescapable rocks of reality. We see happiness in a vicarious dream of escaping the entrapment of an unchanging existence dashed by a pile of flowers unceremoniously dumped in the road. A youth's attainment of manhood is marked not by joy but by the guilt of a murder, ruthless pursuit, and a hard rifle bullet. We see the cultural anchor of a town destroyed by an unimaginable sin. And so the stories go.

Apropos of Steinbeck's view of the human condition is the title of the collection. While "the long valley" certainly describes California's Salinas River valley, the general setting for many of Steinbeck's stories, it also suggests the spiritual valley in which his characters typically dwell.

One may argue that the people in Steinbeck's stories bring suffering upon themselves through their own ignorance and unthinking acts. Yet, if we look closely at their intents and motivations, we often see situations unfold that seem to force the characters into the acts that in turn become their undoing. It is as if the Fates play with men and rejoice in their destruction.

Earlier, though, I mentioned an exception to this dark, brooding atmosphere and theme. The exceptional story is "Saint Katy the Virgin." This story is not what one expects to find in Steinbeck. It is a wonderful bit of humorous satire, lightheartedly poking a little fun at some of the tenets of Catholicism. Had Steinbeck written his major novels in this vein, his reputation would have been that of a sublime humorist.

I recommend this collection of short stories to two very different groups of readers, those who have never read Steinbeck before and wish to sample several brief selections before investing their interest in a major novel, and those who have enjoyed Steinbeck's other works already and should not neglect his short stories. All will discover that these stories are fast paced, interest holding, and thought provoking. I believe I shall now go light a candle to Saint Katy the Virgin. Won't you come along and join me by enjoying her story also?

The Long Valley is a series of short stories that Steinbeck had published in periodicals at varying times in his career. Unlike Pastures of Heaven, there is not an underlying theme to connect the stories. While none of the stories are particularly noteworthy, they do demonstrate the early stages of Steinbeck's development as a writer.

Several of the short stories are just plain strange. In Saint Katy the Virgin, a evil pig is converted to Christianity and sainthood. In The Murder, Steinbeck seems to be encouraging spousal abuse. I am still not entirely clear about the author's point in Johnny Bear. Other stories have similar flaws in being outlandish. The one story that reflects Steinbeck's future brilliance is the three part story (the fourth part is under a different name), The Red Pony. It is the one story that has a sense of purpose. It is a coming of age story, set during Steinbeck trademark time period. In The Red Pony, a young boy accepts responsibility for a two different ponies and gains respect for his elders. I also found The White Quail to be enjoyable.

Fans of Steinbeck's other work may find some measure of disappointment in these stories. While none of the stories seem awful, they do not measure up to the standard one expects of Steinbeck.

All of the short stories are unforgettable. My favorite is Johnny Bear, which is almost Hitchcock in its eerieness and structure. Get this in hardback. Definitely a keeper for one's library.

I'd have to give this one a slightly lower cheer than the other of the pair if I was forced to see the two as separate works. Pastures of Heaven and The Long Valley are a matched set in the Steinbeck library. The two should probably be included together as a single work. It's difficult to separate the two books because they overlap so. With a writer of the Steinbeck sort a reader might experience difficulty declaring, "This is my favorite." I agree completely. However, if John Steinbeck had never written Of Mice and Men, Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday, and Travels with Charlie, I'd probably have to say Pastures of Heaven and The Long Valley are my favorites.