text: I'm perhaps the only Steinbeck lover not to have yet read "Grapes of Wrath" or "East of Eden."  Instead I have focused on "Of Mice and Men" and his lesser known works, such as "To a God Unknown" and, my personal favorite, "Pastures of Heaven."  I've been enamored with his ability to vividly craft characters in particular.
  
  When I began reading "In Dubious Battle," it appeared the most engaging of all Steinbeck's work.  Telling the story of American Communist party workers Jim and Mac, it begins with the story of hardscrabble Jim initiating himself into Mac's radical cell.  There is a great (and misleading) sense of intrigue - Mac and Jim travel by boxcar, work secretly through letters, go from secret contact to contact and finally arrive among disgruntled orchard workers.  Early on, the pace is fast, exciting, and engaging.
  
  Suddenly, Steinbeck simply fails to deliver, leaving the reader wondering when he's going to pick up the pace again.  After Jim and Mac slowly initiate a worker's strike, I expected the sense of excitement to continue.  It simply never does.
  
  Summary of "In Dubious Battle" - Workers get mad.  Workers get tired.  Workers get mad.  Workers get tired.  Workers get mad.  Workers get tired.
  
  The rest of the book mostly concerns Jim and Mac talking - and talking - and talking - and talking.  And while their philosophical chats are mildly interesting at first, they simply repeat themselves for the rest of the book.  Most of the action takes place in the dark or far away from the narration, and most of the story simply concerns the strikers bickering over petty nonsense...
  
  ...and eating.  Steinbeck must have been peckish while writing this story, because at least a good 25% of the story concerns finding, eating, and (worst of all) TALKING about food.  There is plenty of action that Steinbeck could have shown during the story, but for some reason he prefers to focus on Jim and Mac endlessly walking from tent to tent in their encampment, discussing whatever comes to mind.
  
  Steinbeck's sense of intrigue and social injustice is worth reading the first few chapters.  But I advise any reader of "In Dubious Battle" to take this course - after the strike is initiated, simply set the book down.  You won't miss anything.  Nothing of great import happens, and only a very few memorable characters ever surface, and they are lost among the sea of forgettable faces.
  
  I suppose now I'll give "Grapes of Wrath" a go.  Perhaps if it isn't one of his "greats," it isn't worth reading
  