The Octopus: A Story of California cover art

The Octopus: A Story of California

The Epic of the Wheat Series, Book 1

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The Octopus: A Story of California

By: Frank Norris
Narrated by: John Lescault
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About this listen

Like the tentacles of an octopus, the railroad in California reached out across the state, grasping everything of value in the state. Based on the bloody Mussel Slough Tragedy - a conflict between wheat farmers and the Southern Pacific Railroad - The Octopus is a stunning novel chronicling the twilight of the frontier West. A depiction of the tensions between the railroad, the ranchers, and the ranchers’ League. The book emphasizes the control of “forces” - such as the power of railroad monopolies - over individuals. No one was truly innocent, as the farmers employed the same if not similar tactics as the monopolistic railroad companies, such as subversion, coercion, and violence.

©2004 Frank Norris (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
Classics Fiction Historical Fiction Science Fiction Railroad Historical Fiction California

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A thoroughly engaging insight into turn-of-the-century (20th) in a pioneers v capitalism struggle.

I can’t understand how there’s only 2 other reviews here. Perhaps the very early death of Norris with a relatively slim canon of works has resulted in this author being overlooked.

An absolute gem ***

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