By the Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

In four short episodes, Steinbeck provides snapshots of American life in the West in the early twentieth century. Narrator Frank Muller’s voice is as tough as the way of life depicted. The connected stories feature a 10-year-old boy named Jody, who lives on a California ranch in a time when parents were called “Sir” and “Ma’am” and their word was law. Muller perfectly conveys the dramas of life on the ranch, from Jody’s excitement at being given a pony to the complexity of emotions he feels as he learns the hard lessons of life and death so prevalent in the stories. Muller’s voice adds an extra edge that makes Jody’s harsh coming-of-age experiences live on in today’s world. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine