A pearl as perfect as the moon, and a town that can't look away.
The Pearl
A pearl diver's discovery promises a better life for his family and draws the attention of everyone who wants a share.
68g
Weighs the same as Clif Bar
- Ultralight
- Carries You Away
- Fiction
In 1940 Steinbeck heard a story from boatmen in La Paz: Kino, his wife Juana, their baby, and a pearl “as perfect as the moon” that turns every eye in town greedy. It is the way of parables to telegraph exactly where they are going, but in the hands of a master this does not diminish the joy of its unfolding one bit. If you only want a few magical minutes a day, this could be the book.
Field notes
The first edition carried illustrations by José Clemente Orozco, whose revolutionary murals shared Steinbeck’s interest in poverty, power, and Mexican social life. Early reviewers already disagreed over whether the book’s stripped-down, biblical style gave a folk tale universality or reduced Mexico to a stylized “primitive” world—a tension that has never entirely disappeared from its reception.