In The Pastures of Heaven John Steinbeck writes with infinite tenderness and grippng power of the people of the brown California hills and green valleys. People like Bert Monroe, whipsplashed by a curse he couldn't escpae; Katherine Shark, the beautiful, vapid girl who found one moment of strength; Helen, the rich woman who nurtured a terrible secret; and Raymond Banks, the man who felt life only in the presence of death.
