A timeless classic! This is my third time reading the Red Pony. Each time I have read it, I saw it from a different perspective.
The first time I read it, I was a student. I enjoyed it, and it introduced me to one of my favorite authors. I reread it several years ago, after finding an old hard cover copy at a rummage sale. I reacquainted myself with Steinbeck's beautifully written story of a boy's quest for independence and maturity.
The third reading was with a student I am tutoring. I have to admit that I was not sure that a 21 century student would be able to relate to this book, written over 80 years ago I have a renewed appreciation for the timelessness of this book. As we read, it evoked a range of emotions in both of us. Steinbeck was able to portray Jody's frustration with his father, as well as anticipation and longing to be considered a grown up in his father's eyes; the realization that adults are not all knowing through his experiences with Billy Buck and the horses; and his maturity and compassion that is finally demonstrated through his interactions with his grandfather.
There were times we laughed out loud, and times we stopped to discuss scenes of remarkable beauty and/or brutality.
A remarkable book for not only an enjoyable read; it was truly enjoyable to use as a teacher. I hope that my student will consider this an introduction to one of the greatest authors of the 20th century. ( )

Steinbeck is a master at writing. His descriptions of landscape and actions paint a picture that grows larger in meaning than the words. The dialog is sparse, but with Steinbeck it is the spaces in the words as much as what is said.

This is a collection of four stories of a boy Jody, Billy Buck the farm hand, Carl the father, Jody's mother Ruth, and a few animals. We learn mostly about Jody and the world he lives in. The forces of nature and relationships of those living around him. Learning about Jody's world is much more than an entertaining set of stories. These are stories to be read and chewed thoroughly before taking in.

Enjoy. ( )

The Red Pony is, in essence, a coming of age story. It's about a boy named Jody Tiflis and how the getting and caring for a pony is a seminal event in his life, one that changes him from a child into a young man. This change can be seen as the initiation into the world of death, birth, and disappointment - which is the world of adulthood.

As usual, this Steinbeck novella is poetically beautiful and brutally honest. As I reread this novella, I realized that it's not one of Steinbeck best works, but it is still moving and wonderful. And the message that maturation occurs only through the difficult experiences of life is one that is indeed universal. ( )

A novella length collection of short stories, of which the titular one is the most gutwrenching (in usual Steinbeck fashion). However, the rest of the material is slice of life that while familiar to anyone raised up farming, lacks the emotional core of the first work (and most Steinbeck stories). ( )

I was warned in advance that this is not a horse story, and to an extent that's true. It's four stories, in fact, that appear to be sequential and can also be read as one complete story. All take place among the same characters on the same ranch. There's some cringeworthy scenes here that make me glad I was never a ranch hand, or at least not then, but they enable mortality and the facing of death to become a running theme. Steinbeck is sharing the lessons to be learned from such a life without our having to live it. He is - or has since become - like the grandfather in the last story: it is not so important what the content of these stories is than how they make the reader feel. One element gets in the way now that perhaps he didn't foresee, the reference to colonialists ousting American natives from their land as a "heroic time".

Different editions of this story come published with a variety of other Steinbeck works. Mine is only accompanied by "Junius Maltby", a short story about a family who puts its happiness ahead of societal mores, until awareness is imposed and the bubble bursts. ( )