Review: The Pastures of Heaven

John Steinbeck (1932)

Here’s a very good reason why I should be more disciplined about writing reviews soon after I’ve read the book. With a crappy memory like mine, a book has to blow — me — away for me to recall it with any amount of detail. That’s rare. Bayou Farewell is a good example, as are many books that I’ve read over the years and still have vivid memories of (Confederates in the Attic,  Angle of Repose, and A Prayer for the Dying come to mind.)

This is not one of them. Not because it isn’t a good book. It is. I just can’t remember it in enough detail to write much with any conviction. (Apologies to Steinbeck.) I do remember enjoying it as I was reading it. It’s a series of vignettes set in the same northern California valley. There are minor characters who float through many of the stories; besides the shared location, they all have a connection to one family in particular.  If you’ve ever read Steinbeck and enjoyed it, I would recommend you give this lesser known work a read.[****]