The Wayward Bus [School & Library Binding]

John Steinbeck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

The Wayward Bus travelled the backroads through the lush California countryside. Its driver was a man of the land - lusty, hot-blooded and uninhibited. On the bus was a girl who danced at stag parties, a travelling salesman strictly out for fun, a boy coming into manhood and a college girl pursuing her secret, passionate quest. This is a story of crisis and passion, of love and longing. In many ways it is one of Steinbeck's most powerful novels, not least because it shows just how profound his knowledge of human beings and their emotions is.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the twentieth century. His key novels have been huge best-sellers in the UK for many years. His complete works will be available in Penguin Modern Classics. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: Bt Bound (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613709225
• ISBN-13: 978-0613709224
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,719,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raising more than eyebrows in the 1940's!!!, November 26, 2001

By 

Janice M. Hansen (California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wayward Bus (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) (Mass Market Paperback)

For many readers, it is natural to review the current releases, waiting for that gripping novel with brilliant social interpretations and charactors that are unforgettable. Well, I have one for you!

Take a small corner cafe, dependent on the intersection of two highways, one of which leads south to Los Angeles. It is post war, and times have not been easy with rationing, economic and personal stresses on everyone. The wayward bus links small town with big town, and therein lies the stage for a group of passengers, bus drivers, waitresses and mechanics that move the story forward with insightful urgency that only Steinbeck can pull off. The current paperback book cover portrays Joan Collins in the late 1950's as Alice, slumped forward over a glass of whiskey in the cafe table booth, despising herself and her life. On the bus are a group of people that are together only by chance and the luck of the draw. The story reveals what happens when this incompatible group of people are confronted with a broken down bus in a rain storm. They lust and hate each other. The use and abuse each other. They love and forget each other, but will they ever forgive what happens when fatigue and compromise break down all their defenses and expose themselves for the true persons they are?
The uniqueness of _The Wayward Bus_ is that this story reveals an intriguing denotation of the 1940's post war attitude and social beliefs from a cast of characters that will keep the pages turning. Amazingly, I found these characters to be just as relevant today as Steinbeck portrayed them in the 1940's. Not only can this author grasp the soul of characters and depict them for the reader, he has an ability to unite land and story.
I have been drawn to Steinbeck for years, and recently I have made efforts to read most of his work. This book was not really known to me, unlike many of his novels which are discussed frequently in reader's circles. This novel seemed so fresh to me, and with some imagination I can wonder of it's reception upon the initial publication. This is a novel that certainly raised more than a few eyebrows!

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take A Trip on The Wayward Bus and Rediscover Steinbeck, January 15, 2003

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wayward Bus (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) (Mass Market Paperback)

If "The Grapes of Wrath" is the only Steinbeck you've ever read, you are in for a more entertaining read with "The Wayward Bus." Although it doesn't have the epic sweep of his more famous work, this is a riveting character study of as diverse a group of people as ever assembled. They converge at a diner in the middle of nowhere and board a rickety bus to San Juan de la Cruz. Each has his or her own good points and bad points, secret shame and hopeful dream. Steinbeck bring each to life and has you empathize with them, hate them, love them, and most likely long remember them. Why? Because these people are universal. Their problems, hopes, and realities are just as prevalent in 2003 as they were when Steinbeck penned this one. From the sexually-charged Juan Chicoy to the acne-scarred Kit, from the promiscuous Camille to the dysfunctional Pritchard family, from the mean-spirited Van Brunt to the insecure waitress Norma and the soldier-turned-salesman Horton, these passengers will lead you on a most introspective trip into a world where everything and nothing changes.

I found it interesting that in his 1962 Nobel Prize acceptance speech Steinbeck said, "The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement." Certainly, he lived up to this commission completely with "The Wayward Bus."

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only stopped reading long enough to make coffee..., December 30, 2000

By 

"ohlefty" (Silver Spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wayward Bus (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) (Mass Market Paperback)

Once I began reading this book, I didn't stop until I was finished...it took me the day, but I was sucked in so immediately that I had no desire to do anything but get it finished, and I was sorry when it ended. I have loved John Steinbeck for a long time, but "The Wayward Bus" is probably one of my favorites. It is a perfect illustration of his amazing ability to craft characters so complete that they don't need to do anything daring or extreme to augment their existences. The novel does have a plot, although there aren't too many adventurous twists of fate. They're not necessary. Steinbeck proves once again that day-to-day life and the emotional dilemmas that everyday people deal with all the time ARE interesting- once we really get know the affected people. There is no doubt in my mind that each character in "The Wayward Bus" is one that we can each identify with, and by the end it's almost as though they are close friends or family members. It takes a rare talent to write like this. Read this one.