John L. O'Donoghue is a financial consultant

The Pulitzer prize-winner in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (Mandarin, £6.99 in the UK), retains all the punch of yesteryear. Not only a fine read, it is also a powerful social comment.

This epic tale tells of the vicissitudes of the Joad family, victims of the American Depression, who head west from their Oklahoma holding to the promised land of California. It vividly depicts the hostility they encounter on the way and the hostility, poverty and exploitation when they arrive. Death and family disintegration add poignancy to the tale.

A must for those who really care about good yarns told in memorable language.