The Pastures of Heaven

Set in the heart of 'Steinbeck land' the lush Californian valleys The Pastures of Heaven is a collection of tales in the form of a novel that speaks volumes about the living conditions and lives of the people in the valleys.Each of these delightful interconnected tales is devoted to a family living in a fertile valley on the outskirts of Monterey California and the effects that one particular family has on them all. Steinbeck tackles two important literary traditions here; American naturalism with its focus on the conflict between natural instincts and the demand to conform to society's norms and the short story cycle.