Grapes of Wrath

Last summer I read my first John Steinbeck novel as an adult. It was East of Eden, which I really enjoyed. I think aside from his great characters and settings, Steinbeck is one of the best authors I've ever read in terms of description and analogies. I'm considering doing my MA capstone project on a Steinbeck novel-but I've never read Grapes of Wrath. So I started reading it!

I'm only a few chapters in, but I wanted to share some of what I've read thus far. One thing that's amazing is Steinbeck devotes entire chapters to just background things. For example, chapter 3 is entirely about a turtle that (thus far at least) doesn't have a ton of significance for the entire novel. Like this:

 "His horny beak was partly open, and his fierce, humorous eyes, under brows like fingernails, stared straight ahead. He came over the grass leaving a beaten trail behind him, and the hill, which was the highway embankment, reared up ahead of him."

I'm not sure another author could pull off a whole chapter about a turtle. His descriptions are just so vivid, so full of life. Later he spends a whole chapter capturing the voice of a used car salesman. He spends a chapter talking about the "monster" that is the bank (which is repossessing a bunch of land). The characters intrigue me-though thus far I don't think I'm enjoying any particular character as much as any from East of Eden.

I'll update more as I read more, but just wanted to share that portion!