A well written history lesson on the hopelessness of being an occupying force in a place that doen't want you. Classic story and Steinbeck doing what he does. 4 stars

Nisam mislio da suštinski propagandni roman (sa tom namerom i otvoreno napisan) ikada može biti istovremeno i bajkovito Ljudska priča, sa velikim prvim slovom. Stajnbek sa zavidnom uzdržanošću (i na trenutke divno lirskim pejzažom) na sto i metalni kusur strana prikazuje okupaciju jednog malog nedefinisanog gradića od strane velikog nedefinisanog okupatora (iako je to očito naci švabo), sa možda i suviše “blagim” likovima, ali ispostavlja se da svaka ozbiljna književna kritika ovde pada u vodu, jer istorija ovog romana, njegov značaj, njegov uticaj na wwII evropu, govori o stotinu drugih romana koji u suprotnom nikada ne bi bili ispričani, napisani.

4+

It starts out as a light story about an army invasion of a small town, but turns more dark and serious. I thought it read a lot like a play.

Originally published in 1942, The Moon Is Down is a dark but hopeful fable about resistance and war. It is set in a small unnamed town in a European country, presumably in Scandinavia but never identified. An invading force, again unnamed but reminiscent of Nazi Germany, overwhelms the town but meets growing resistance despite the invaders’ superior firepower and strength. It focuses partly on the townspeople, especially the mayor, Orden, and his historian friend, Dr Winter, but also explores the experiences of the invading army’s senior staff, under Colonel Lanser, who find it harder to conquer than to invade. The mayor is the voice of hope, noting that “the one thing that can’t be done [is] to break man’s spirit permanently” - a message that must have been welcomed three years into World War Two.

Not a polished novel, but by representing an invading army as both monsters and human, it served as an important book in its historical context as wartime propaganda (or so the additional notes tell me)

Great pairing with Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five for anyone who still lacks a proper hatred of war

An interesting book. I see that it was written as propaganda during the war, but the characters and details aren't really flat like you might fear. The ideas about why conquerors can never sleep well or let their guard down were interesting and logical, if you can't win the hearts of people, you don't really have a victory.

I do plan to read more Steinbeck novels, I'm enjoying them.