Carol and John Steinbeck

By Susan Shillinglaw,

Book cover of Carol and John Steinbeck: Portrait of a Marriage

Book description

Carol Henning Steinbeck, writer John Steinbeck's first wife, was his creative anchor, the inspiration for his great work of the 1930s, culminating in The Grapes of Wrath. When they met at Lake Tahoe in 1928, their attachment was immediate, their personalities meshing in creative synergy. Carol was unconventional, artistic, and…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Carol and John Steinbeck as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In Portrait of a Marriage, Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw beautifully brings John Steinbeck’s first wife Carol into the spotlight. The impeccably researched narrative lays out the path of a ten-year marriage doomed to fail, even as Carol shapes John into one of America’s great writers. I couldn’t put it down. 

If you love Carol and John Steinbeck...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like Carol and John Steinbeck?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 93 books like Carol and John Steinbeck.

Browse books like Carol and John Steinbeck

Book cover of Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
Book cover of The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Book cover of On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,587

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Carol and John Steinbeck, you might also like...

Book cover of American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason

American Daredevil By Brett Dakin,

Meet Lev Gleason, a real-life comics superhero! Gleason was a titan among Golden Age comics publishers who fought back against the censorship campaigns and paranoia of the Red Scare. After dropping out of Harvard to fight in World War I in France, Gleason moved to New York City and eventually…

Book cover of The Truth About Unringing Phones

The Truth About Unringing Phones By Lara Lillibridge,

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.

Now that he is…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in marriage, San Francisco, and modernism?

Marriage 131 books
San Francisco 206 books
Modernism 31 books