The Pearl

By John Steinbeck,

Book cover of The Pearl

Book description

"There it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon."

Like his father and grandfather before him, Kino is a poor diver, gathering pearls from the gulf beds that once brought great wealth to the Kings of Spain and now provide Kino, Juana, and their infant son with meager subsistence.…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Pearl as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’ve always felt the story of my book was more parable than anything else. And Steinbeck’s The Pearl is one of the best.

“Be careful what you wish for” is a powerful theme, and The Pearl answers it with a moral wallop in less than a hundred pages. This is a constant reminder that not only is less more, but in the hands of a master, a parable can be a complete, compelling, and life-changing experience. Something I aspire to every day. 

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Book cover of Sor Juana, My Beloved

Sor Juana, My Beloved By MaryAnn Shank,

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, this brilliant 17th century nun flew through Mexico City on the breeze of poetry and philosophy. She met with princes of the Church, and with the royalty of Spain and Mexico. Then she met a stunning, powerful woman with lavender eyes, la Vicereine Maria…

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