A great intro to Steinbeck
|
Gentle but quite compelling. This is much lighter reading than East of Eden or The Grapes of Wrath but helps to show Steinbeck's unusually wide range. The characters are mostly likeable losers who mean well. Steinbeck portrays them with charm and dry wit. There is no great storyline or big idea; it bumbles and bubbles away but is no less enjoyable for that.
|
|
Cannery Row
|
|
'Cannery Row' is Steinbeck at his best. From the first page you know you are in for another beautifully written book with his lush descriptions, wry sense of humour and wonderful characterisations. Looking at life on Cannery Row and following the exploits of a house of bums, a whore house, a doc and a grocery store, to name a few, this book has delights on every page. I was completely engrossed in this book for the two days that I sped though it, it was so hard to put down and then I was left disappointed that I'd finished so soon. A mark of a brilliant book I find. There are so many touches I could comment on, it is hard to know where to start, from Macks cheeky and inoffensive scams, to Lee Chongs and Doc's resignation to them and way more besides, this book has funny and touching moments in spades. I can only suggest you read this book soon and let another Steinbeck masterpiece enrich your life.
|
|
|
Steinbeck at his finest but be warned - Cannery Row will live on in your head.
|
Cannery Row is the fourth Steinbeck novel I've read in succession, and for me it stands out as the finest; quite simply I've never been more captivated by a fictional place, or its characters, than I have been whilst reading this novel.
Cannery Row centres on life upon a small strip of largely dilapidated land situated next to a sardine cannery in Monterey Bay. It's the 1930s, the time of the Great Depression, and the story follows the daily interactions between the mainly down-trodden residents. These residents (all of whom symbolically represent various class structures in society) are primarily comprised of: Lee Chong, the Chinese grocer, Mac and 'the boys' who reside in a `refurbished' storage hut loving christened the Palace Flop-house, Doc who runs the marine laboratory, and Dora, the owner of the Bear Flag restaurant, which in actuality is a house of ill-repute.
Given Mr. Steinbeck's incredible talent for creating remarkable characters, and settings (something which I've discovered in ALL of the his books that I've read), I'm not surprised I'm so enamoured with Cannery Row, there's just something so magical about each and every one of them. This is the first novel I've finished where the characters, and the place, have carried on living in my head; out of nowhere I suddenly begin wondering how Doc's getting on in his laboratory, or whether Mac and the boys have managed to get up on their luck, if Mr. Chong is still in his sentinel position in his shop, behind the cigar counter, or if Dora's place is busy or not.
I have to say though, that I found no real story behind Cannery Row. As I found with other Steinbeck novels, the onus of the story is all about the characters and how they interact with one another, rather than any hugely engaging plot. The lack of plot should not put anyone off reading Cannery Row though. What story there is, is perfectly constructed to both engage the reader, and to provide the `props' and setting for a level of sublime character interaction. In that respect, the story can be viewed as a work of absolute genius, and in my mind it is.
Another thing that Cannery Row demonstrated beautifully to me, is how talented Mr. Steinbeck is at making something stunning out of the ordinary, especially when describing surrounding scenery. His description of an empty weed-covered lot, makes it sound as though he describing the Garden of Eden, and of particular magnificence is his description of what he calls `pearl time', the time of day when night ends but the sun has not yet begun rising. It is during this `magical time' that `weeds are a brilliant green', `the corrugated iron of the canneries glows with the pearly lucence' and the cats `drip over the fences and slither like syrup over the ground'. Magnificent!!
I think you know by now then, that I LOVE Cannery Row and as such I wholeheartedly encourage you to read it, if you haven't done so already. I've mentioned that the place and the characters have gone on `living in my head', and if that isn't testament to the power of this novel, then I don't know what is.
|
|
|
Poverty, alienation and loneliness portrayed with compassion and hope
|
|
Cannery Row consists of a series of vignettes linking an exuberant set of characters who reside on the Monterey seafront in northern California during the Depression era: Lee Chong who owns the cluttered corner shop; the kind but lonely Doc, pickler and preserver of marine organisms in the Western Biological laboratory; Mack and his boys, unambitious layabouts who live by their wits in the Palace Flop House; Dora Flood and her respectable (no alcohol, no profanities) whorehouse at the Bear Flag Restaurant. There is no discernible plot other than the desire of the locals to organise a party for the well-loved Doc, who they fear is very lonely tucked away in his lab. As ever with Steinbeck - probably the best of America's interwar `proletarian writers' - poverty, alienation and loneliness are portrayed with deep compassion, humour and hope, a lesson to lesser writers who feel the need to wallow luridly in the degradation and hopelessness of life's victims. The author's love of humanity shines beautifully through every page. Aspiring and wannabe novelists, read and learn.
|
|
|
A heart-warming book
|
Steinbeck's novel, based on the area in and around Cannery Row, Monterey is a jigsaw puzzle of lives and events. The author presents us with docks, a sardine cannery, a grocery store, a brothel and a vacant lot. This decaying part of a town, inhabited by group of seemingly trashy, sleazy low-lifes, develops into a warm, contented community during the course of the novel. You cannot help but fall for the characters, seeing past their lazy, foolish and often unlawful behaviour; one can only admire their way of negotiating situations and that they don't let being poor get in the way of their happiness. Though the plot is somewhat broken up, by the end of the novel the snapshots of the inhabitants' lives present a well-rounded portrait. Steinbeck's writing is eloquent, almost poetic and the humour is subtle yet had me laughing aloud. The real beauty of the story is that the outward appearance of Cannery Row and first impressions of its "whores, pimps, gamblers and sons of bitches" are soon forgotten. Not particularly challenging but a very rewarding read. I shall definitely go on to read more Steinbeck, and am very pleased to have this sitting on my shelf to re-read later.
Reviewed 26 Oct 2000
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada