Carol and John Steinbeck : portrait of a marriage / Susan Shillinglaw ; design by Kathleen Szawiola.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Carol Henning Steinbeck, writer John Steinbeck's first wife, was his creative anchor, the inspiration for his great work of the 1930s, culminating in The Grapes of Wrath . Meeting at Lake Tahoe in 1928, their attachment was immediate, their personalities meshing in creative synergy. Carol was unconventional, artistic, and compelling. In the formative years of Steinbeck's career, living in San Francisco, Pacific Grove, Los Gatos, and Monterey, their Modernist circle included Ed Ricketts, Joseph Campbell, and Lincoln Steffens. In many ways Carol's story is all too familiar: a creative and intelligent woman subsumes her own life and work into that of her husband. Together, they brought forth one of the enduring novels of the 20th century.

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Library Journal Review

John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath is dedicated to his first wife, Carol Henning. Carol and John were married from 1930 to 1943, and as editor Shillinglaw (former director, Steinbeck Ctr., San Jose State Univ.; English, San Jose State Univ.; A Journey into Steinbeck's California) contends, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Grapes is their "shared creation." She argues that Carol was a much larger influence on the novelist's life and work than has been previously acknowledged. In this lively, absorbing biography, she describes John's and Carol's families, the impact of friends and travel, and the creative process that culminated in John's writing. Carol left few written records or letters, thus her life is portrayed here from previously unavailable scrapbooks, photographs, and poetry. John's letters and papers allow the author to document his thoughts and feelings about Carol during their time together. Shillinglaw supplements this material through interviews with family members, close friends, and acquaintances and successfully defends her argument that John depended on Carol.- -VERDICT Recommended for Steinbeck enthusiasts as well as readers interested in 20th-century American novelists.-Kathryn Bartelt, Univ. of Evansville Libs., IN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

As portrayed by San Jose State University English professor and Steinbeck expert Shillinglaw (A Journey into Steinbeck's California), John Steinbeck's first wife, Carol Henning Steinbeck, was witty, gifted, and fiercely practical. In addition, she loved the limelight and was adept at grand gesture. Her husband, though driven, tended to be moody and self-absorbed. Carol, according to this impressive biography, was also the driving force behind John's political conscience, and assisted him with The Grapes of Wrath ("To Carol who willed it," the dedication reads in part). But the wealth and fame brought by the novel's success also brought disappointment, estrangement, and divorce. "In another era," Shillinglaw writes with eloquence and grace, "[Carol] might have run a small company, shaped something larger than John into a force for good but she could not or would not imagine great things for herself." In later life, Carol Steinbeck took offence at comparisons to Zelda Fitzgerald, but like Zelda, she has been blessed with a terrific biographer. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

CHOICE Review

Shillinglaw's dual portrait joins a growing number of books in recent years exploring the lives of wives who performed important roles in the careers of their writer/artist husbands. Steinbeck acknowledged his then-wife's contribution in the dedication to The Grapes of Wrath: "To Carol, who willed this book." As former director of the Center for Steinbeck Studies and editor/author of many books about Steinbeck, Shillinglaw (San Jose State Univ.) is perfectly placed to write with sensitivity and authority about the sources of Steinbeck's achievement. Unconventional and creative, Carol Henning Steinbeck nevertheless subsumed herself in her husband's career; the two parted company when Steinbeck no longer viewed her as an inspiration for his work. Drawing on Carol Henning Steinbeck's own poetry and her other works of art, along with scrapbooks and manuscripts, Shillinglaw presents the first comprehensive portrait of this dynamic couple. Scholars will benefit from the extensive notes and bibliography; others will particularly appreciate the selection of photographs, some of them especially candid and revealing. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. C. Rollyson Bernard M. Baruch College, CUNY