The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

This is a collection of short stories about the residents of Las Pasturas del Cielo (The Pastures of Heaven). Each story focuses on a different family or individual living in the community. Some of the stories seem to be interrelated, but mostly not. However, after I finished reading the book and read some other reviews, I learned that it's not until the second, third, or fourth readings that the interrelatedness becomes clear. Also, I read that this book should be read very slowly.

This book ranks among the few that I will keep in my personal library and re-read some time in the future. I think there's details that I missed during this first read, so I'm going to put this back on the shelf and pick it up again later. Overall, this book made for pleasant reading...and I always find Steinbeck's characters fascinating.