After strong and persistent recommendation from our friend Collin, I picked up a copy of Steinbeck's Cannery Row and found I liked it very much. It was the first book in ages that I (figuratively) could not put down. Set in Monterrey, California the book consists of mostly sad, usually funny, at times very charming interrelated and interconnected stories of eccentric misfits that could also stand on their own. Almost. Think of it as a kind of hobo Dandelion Wine. (But maybe there were hobos in Dandelion Wine?) I read the whole time wondering "Now what's going to happen with these characters next?" And sometimes I could guess, but often I couldn't. So may I suggest you take this book seriously and consider reading it yourself. You will have fun and want to find someone you can talk to about gophers and throwing parties.
2 comments:
I've never better understood the plight of the ground hog than I did in this book.
When I was in California, I went to Salinas and visited the Steinbeck Museum. (It was only a couple of hours away!) I promised myself I'd read all of Steinbeck's books, since I lived in California, after all. I still haven't finished all of them, but I'm on Cannery Row right now. In fact, I've even been to Cannery Row. It's a lively little town. I highly recommend visiting.
Let's talk about the book when I'm done!
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