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  • The Octopus: A Story of California

  • The Epic of the Wheat Series, Book 1
  • By: Frank Norris
  • Narrated by: John Lescault
  • Length: 21 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

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The Octopus: A Story of California cover art

The Octopus: A Story of California

By: Frank Norris
Narrated by: John Lescault
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Summary

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 Historical Fiction Science Fiction Historical Fiction California
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Profile Image for Declan Magee

An absolute gem ***

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.

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