Books like Burning Bright

Step right up, see the world's most philosophical carnies! This experimental play fails, not for the experiment, but surprisingly for overwrought dialogue. Steinbeck tried too hard to develop characterization through speeches, which when placed in the mouths of a circus act become flowery and far too existential to swallow. When Act II switches the scene to a farm, the thing feels like a melodramatic soap opera. Still though, this is Steinbeck and at the very heart of the whole experiment is a quality story that probably would have come across real well if he had stuck with his usual novelization style. A shame, but I suppose it was worth a try. The wiki page for Burning Bright explains the experimental side of the play. You should check it out, it's pretty interesting! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning...