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Moon Is Down (Hardcover)

by John Steinbeck (Author) "By ten-forty-five it was all over ..." (more)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

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In this masterful account set in Norway during World War II, Steinbeck explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and the conquerors. Occupied by Nazi troops, a small, peaceable town comes face to face with evil imposed from the outside--and betrayal born within the close-knit community. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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52 Reviews
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4.6 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars "... and the flies conquered the flypaper", Feb 12 2009
By Friederike Knabe (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Modern Classics Moon Is Down (Paperback)
Today, Steinbeck's World War II novella, sixty six years after it was written, has gained a timeless significance: a brief, yet well thought-out glimpse into human relationships, between occupation and resistance in times of war. Published in 1942, the book was translated, clandestinely distributed and eagerly read by people in German-occupied countries. In the United States, it was also criticized for being too soft and generous in the depiction of the enemy. Whereas early impressions may suggest to the reader a surprisingly light parody or simplistic morality tale, we soon recognize the subtle, and with each page mounting, intensity of Steinbeck's anti-war message.

Set in a small mining town in an unnamed country, invaded by an unspecified enemy force, numerous hints, however, suggest that the story's events take place in Northern Norway at the time of the 1940 Nazi occupation. The townspeople, totally unprepared for an invasion after having lived in peace for a very long time, had forgotten how to fight... Consequently the initial assault is over in less than an hour, well planned with the help of a local quisling. Taking control of the town and its mining operation turns out to be a much more complicated and difficult affair than Colonel Lanser and his battalion had been trained for and anticipated. Their headquarters established in the Mayoral residence, good Mayor Orden has little choice but to tolerate their presence. Steinbeck introduces the main players in the unfolding drama with a few yet defining characteristics. Orden, for example, comes across as an indecisive, somewhat dotty, older chap, fussed over by "Madame", his protective, efficient little wife. Doctor Winter, the local medic and historian and Orden's childhood friend does not appears to be up to the challenges, despite some traits of a Dr. Watson. But, early impressions are certainly misleading in this story.

On the opposing side, the officers are a motley collection of unlikely elite military personnel, described more like army caricatures: spending more time debating than leading the battalion: one is an Anglophile, another more concerned with his model railway than the battle, and yet another honestly believes that he can find real friendship among the women of the town. Except for Lanser, none of them had seen combat before and their naïveté is poignant. While justifying their action with "just following the Leader's orders", they soon realize that that excuse doesn't convince anybody. To achieve their primary objective, that is access to the town's coal, the officers insist on orderly cooperation from the townspeople, increased production and an easy life for the soldiers. Herein, as they soon find out, lies the problem... While the soldiers are muddling through in their attempts to control the locals through arbitrary executions for disobedience and non-cooperation, occupiers and local resistance are caught in a spiral of events that will lead to inevitable results as one side is destabilized and the other made stronger. Nobody can escape, sidestep or ignore the brutality of war.

Steinbeck's subtle build up of the characters' strengths and weaknesses is superb. Orden (his name, incidentally, in German means "medal", often as a military decoration that Orden would have deserved...) is a case in point. His perceived malleability to the colonel's demands grows in fact into disguised and effective opposition: because he cannot represent his townspeople and therefore "cannot control what they do". The townspeople, initially confused, isolated yet quietly resisting, find new defence mechanisms and strength in coordination, and, like the flies the flypaper, may eventually overwhelm the enemy...

Steinbeck's novella is written in a series of tableaux as if set for the stage. (*) Each such set is introduced by a short depiction of the background or description of events beyond the confines of the scene's space, most often the Palace's drawing room. There, the lively dialogue between the main protagonists gives immediacy to the action threads of the story. With this narrative technique, Steinbeck focuses on the personal and intimate interaction between occupiers and occupied and their evolving relationship, underscoring the human tragedy of war and those caught up in it, whatever their personal guilt or innocence. [Friederike Knabe]

(*) It was in fact produced as such in 1943.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Not revised for American audiences, May 28 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: 20th Century Moon Is Down (Paperback)
I have the original 1942 edition of The Moon Is Down and it is set in an unspecified Scandanavian town. The story could never have been written to occur in the USA and then revised to occur in Norway, although (sadly) it's impossible to read it now without considering the situation of American soldiers in Iraq.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for all Americans, April 5 2004
By E. Q. Cioffoletti "shoofoolatte" (Palm Beach Gardens, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: 20th Century Moon Is Down (Paperback)
I just finished reading the little 90 page novel, "The Moon is Down" by John Steinbeck. Written in 1942 about an unnamed Scandinavian country that is occupied by the Nazis, it is testimony to the un-conquerability of free men and women, and the terrible price paid in the souls of the occupying forces. The parralels with the present US occupation of Iraq are profound. It should be required reading for all Americans .. I'm thinking of sending a copy to Paul Bremer.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "A spark in little men can burst into flame."
In an unnamed country (similar to Norway) during World War II, a German sympathizer lures local men and the town's twelve soldiers into the forest long enough for the Germans to... Read more
Published on Jul 7 2004 by Mary Whipple

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just propaganda
Some label The Moon Is Down as propaganda (usually a negative connotation even if its cause is virtuous) and there is an argument to make for that. Read more
Published on Jan 11 2004 by P. Nicholas Keppler

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read
Before I read this book, I always thought the Nazis were unbreakable, faceless, heartless, killers with nerves of steel. Well "The Moon Is Down" proved me wrong. Read more
Published on Jan 9 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner by Steinbeck...
This one may not be as well known as some of his other works, but it is worth reading. Tight writing, excellent plot and characterization rank this book right up there with his... Read more
Published on Dec 21 2003 by meiringen

4.0 out of 5 stars A different kind of Steinbeck
This is possibly the most unusual Steinbeck contribution to the body of American literature. The underlying unique Steinbeck perspective and observation placed in a setting... Read more
Published on Sep 20 2003 by Jack Purcell

5.0 out of 5 stars The Moon is Down
The Moon is Down is a piece of propaganda written durring the second World War when most of eastern Europe was under Hitler's power. Read more
Published on May 14 2003 by MaDD

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical Steinbeck
The Moon is Down is not the most well-known of Steinbeck works, probably in part due to its unusual genesis, but it is a remarkably stirring work. Read more
Published on Jan 15 2003 by David Kopp

5.0 out of 5 stars The Moon Is Down
Outstanding book by John Steinbeck one of the Great American writers. The story is about the Resistance in Norway during WW-II.
Published on Jan 3 2003 by Garry D. Talbot

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Classic
I began reading this book without much background, but from the first page I was drawn into the story and set aside the other book I was reading. Read more
Published on Sep 24 2002 by D. A Wend

4.0 out of 5 stars Good morality tale
Great story about occupation by an invading power--basically the Nazis invading Holland or somesuch, although the country isn't specified that way, nor is the invader. Read more
Published on Aug 26 2002 by Doc Savage

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