Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: a sad excuse for a steinbeck book

I just finished Steinbeck's the Pearl. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed. I dearly beg that any who read it do not judge Steinbeck's writing ability by it. The only way to describe that thing is lame, lame, lame. Many have claimed it to be as good as Of Mice and Men, but how it is even comparable is beyond my mental capacity. This story was a required reading for my Sophomore English class, and it definitely turned off quite a few of the students to Steinbeck's writing. It lacked his flourish with detail and his wonderful analyses of the human psyche. If you want to read something short by Steinbeck, I would recommend Of Mice and Men. His stuff is a little bit deep, so don't bother if you just want a casual read. For those who wish to spend more time, I HIGHLY recommend The Grapes of Wrath. It is an awesome book, prolly one of my favorites at the moment, but it is rather long.