The Red Pony

Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Realistic fiction
Setting: a farm near Salinas, California - 1930's
What it's About: The book is made up of four short stories about a boy named Jody. He lives on his family's farm. In the first story, Jody recieves a red pony (thus the title) and trains it with the help of Billy Buck, one of the workers. In the second story, an old man comes to the farm saying that he was born near there and is not welcomed kindly by Jody's father, Carl Tiflin. The third story describes mare Nellie, and what Billy Buck and Jody must do to help the colt that she is carrying. In the last story, Jody's grandfather comes to visit and bores the family with his repetitive stories of westward expansion, which the family have heard many times before.

I had to read this book for my English class a week or two ago. The writing in the book was descriptive with several amazing uses of imagery. Also, Steinbeck did well in developing the characters, especially Jody, Billy Buck, and Grandfather. However, there were several times in the book  where it became less engaging and the plot moved slowly. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy descriptive writing, short stories, and stories about horses and farms.