Only 40 pages into the book, and Kino's selfishness and greed is already starting to take over. I was very shocked by his savage attack on Juana, as he had seemed like a pretty good partner up to that point. I felt that, although this showed his obsession and selfishness surrounding the pearl, it was a little too extreme to happen so early in the book. I know it would be difficult to do in a novella, but I think his degeneration should have happened a little more gradually. This is just my opinion though, and John Steinbeck knows more about writing than me, so it's far from a major complaint.
One thing I really did not understand about the book was why people still lusted after the pearl so much even after it was declared as pretty much worthless by the appraisers. Did they not know of the pearl's worthlessness, or did they want it for it's beauty instead of the money? I'm starting to think the pearl may be cursed, and the dark figures that are haunting Kino are not thieves, but demonic entities. It would make sense, as the book seems very inspired by folklore.
Even though it is a blog, which is a bit more informal, let's try not to use phrases like, "this is just my opinion though." That makes it sound as though you don't know what you are talking about. You want your audience to trust you. Some nice insights scattered throughout and good predictions.
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