Cannery Row

Written by John Steinbeck

Narrated by Trevor White

In the din and stink that is Cannery Row a colourful blend of misfits - gamblers, whores, drunks, bums and artists - survive side by side in a jumble of adventure and mischief. Lee Chong, the astute owner of the well-stocked grocery store, is also the proprietor of the Palace Flophouse that Mack and his troupe of good-natured 'boys' call home. Dora runs the brothel with clockwork efficiency and a generous heart, and Doc is the fount of all wisdom. Packed with invention and joie de vivre CANNERY ROW is Steinbeck's high-spirited tribute to his native California.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Little, Brown (Hachette UK) Audio
• Release date: Feb 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9781405509213

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck (Salinas, 1902 - Nueva York, 1968). Narrador y dramaturgo estadounidense. Estudió en la Universidad de Stanford, pero desde muy joven tuvo que trabajar duramente como albañil, jornalero rural, agrimensor o empleado de tienda. En la década de 1930 describió la pobreza que acompañó a la Depresión económica y tuvo su primer reconocimiento crítico con la novela Tortilla Flat, en 1935. Sus novelas se sitúan dentro de la corriente naturalista o del realismo social americano. Su estilo, heredero del naturalismo y próximo al periodismo, se sustenta sin embargo en una gran carga de emotividad en los argumentos y en el simbolismo presente en las situaciones y personajes que crea, como ocurre en sus obras mayores: De ratones y hombres (1937), Las uvas de la ira (1939) y Al este del Edén (1952). Obtuvo el premio Nobel en 1962.

Reviews for Cannery Row

[gifford_macshane · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not a novel so much as a series of vignettes involving the denizens of Monterey's Cannery Row. Characters were nicely drawn, writing is exceptional, but I didn't detect too much of a plot.

[alisony-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cannery Row is a book that's all about the sense of place and terrific characters. The fish canning district of Monteray is a melting pot of people, and whilst there's a plot of sorts threading the chapters together, Steinbeck's intention with this novella is really to bring the place and the people alive. This is glass half-full writing at its best - regardless of the shortcomings of the residents of the flophouse, the girls from the brothel or the canny Chinese owner of the local general store, in Steinbeck's hands they're all innocents at heart, and with huge hearts at that.Perhaps because I've only read Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck I was expecting a twist at the end that never came. However, nonetheless it's a warm, life-affirming book that made me smile plenty throughout.4.5 stars - superlative writing with plenty of heart.

[sean191 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cannery Row's main unifying thread is the novel's namesake. It's the place where the characters passing through Steinbeck's tale call home. The book feels more like a collection of short stories with some strong connectors, but it works. Each character, no matter how rough and tumble is redeemed in a way. Steinbeck doesn't get too flowery in his writing, but it is still magnificent to read.

[kevn57-163679 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Without a doubt one of the best novels I've ever read, plot is almost no existent, the enjoyment of wonderful characters, weaving through each others lives. I liked it even more then Of Mice and Men which I also loved. I'm going to read a lot more Steinbeck this year.

[knightlight777 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You know, you think you read "Cannery Row" once, but didn't. Now I have read several biographies of Steinbeck but then finally realized I never actually read "Cannery Row." I have been by Cannery Row in Monterrey but never really went in either. Oh well, maybe someday.Now as for the actual novel, short as it was I found it mildly entertaining. Maybe even a little amusing at times. Just a little though. It helped having read the bios on Steinbeck to understand where he was going with it. Much of what Steinbeck wrote was based on his experiences in and around the SalinaMonterrey area. The characters being based on real people also particularly Doc who was a good friend and seemed to be very much like the Doc of the book as well as his lab being the center of attention.So the story being a meandering of farcical events that took place here and with the people there was pretty much entire novel. The zaniness of life in the fish canning area during the late 30's. There you have it now at least I know what it's about.

[lgcullens · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this many years back, possibly the 50s, and remember very little of the text because I believe my memory was overshadowed by seeing the movie in the 80s. Thus my rating is more a guess at how the book struck me. That I remember reading it is a testament since I remember so little of what I read so long ago.

[cecrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mack and the boys try to throw a party for Doc. That's the gist of the plot, but this is a story that aims first to conjure a mood and atmosphere. Monterey is a quiet sleepy town where quiet sleepy people live, and there is a pleasant, quiet, sleepy happiness to be had there that Doc understands and appreciates better than anyone. I can't start reading Steinbeck without being immediately pleased by his writing, my fingers twitching to quote him. Cannery Row revisits the Monterey setting in California that I was familiar with from Tortilla Flat. It both is and is not the same place, populated by characters similar and dissimilar. Steinbeck throws in his interlude chapters, isolated segments for added flavour. The only disturbance in these calm waters are the mentions of wife beating, with the sad impression it was intended to be amusing fun-and-games background colour. Now it lends a bit of edge, a hint of illusion overlaying what I think Steinbeck meant to convey with blind sincerity. Modern fiction likes an edge and a hint of falseness so it still works, though perhaps in a different way than originally intended.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a wonderful book to read while the whole world is trying to figure out how to survive during a global pandemic. We think we are the only ones facing this sort of crisis but we forget that past generations had their own crises and the Great Depression of the 1930s was one of the worst. Cannery Row is set in Monterey California during the Depression and it shows how people with very little or, in some cases, nothing not only managed to survive but to help one another.I can't possibly encapsulate this book in a short review. I think the first sentence of the novel does a much better job than I can:Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.There is a diverse cast of characters in the novel and I gather from the foreward that most of them are based upon real people who lived on Cannery Row in the 1930s. A central character is Doc who runs a biological specimen supply business. Doc is based upon Steinbeck's real life friend Ed Ricketts and Steinbeck dedicated the book to Ricketts. Steinbeck and Ricketts shared a love for marine biology and had an ecological philosophy long before it was popular to do so. I've not spent nearly enough time by or in oceans and this book makes me wish I wasn't landlocked. Although I wonder how much of what they experienced would survive now.It is an exquisite read and I am so glad I got my hands on a copy.

[pdcread · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cannery Row was the name given to the street in Monterey, California where all the firms that processed the sardines resided. Horns would blare when there was a catch, and the locals would pile in to process the fish. Other residents of that road were the type who were down on their luck, or didn’t particularly want to live in the more salubrious areas of the town. The story centres around Doc; he is a marine scientist at a biological supply company who promises that he can get hold of anything provided you are prepared to wait. Mack and his friends want to throw a party for him, and spend a fair amount of time collecting drinks and other items for the party. Most they source from Lee Chong’s establishment, driving him slightly crazy as they barter for goods. The Doc is off on a sourcing trip so they decide to set it up, ready for when he returns. He is very late returning and when he does step through the door, he finds his place is wrecked.

There are a lot of bad vibes on the street after the party. It takes a fair while for everything to settle back down again. Mack and his friends decide it is time to try again with the party…

This is a great little book about one road in California. It is full of the misfits, bums, whores and drunks that live on the fringes of society. Steinbeck is a great author for getting across the gritter and seedier life and those that have to live there. He is not afraid to not make every character likeable, and the wit and humour add to the constant interaction between the residents deepening the richness of the plot.

Great little book.

[scottcholstad · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite book and not even my favorite Steinbeck, but nonetheless an important American classic that paints a vivid uniquely American feel for the era it represents. Recommended.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.25 starsCannery Row is a community and this tells the story of the people in that community, including a Chinese grocer, a marine biologist, and others. (Somehow I missed – until I read summaries after – that everyone in this community is poor; I guess, thinking back, there were plenty of opportunities to see that, but it just didn’t completely register for me.)Much of the first… half?… of the book was introducing characters. It got better once the characters were introduced and there was a bit of a storyline. The boys all seemed to like to party and didn’t seem to care what got broken. It was kind of entertaining for the last half once a few things actually happened.

[jody12-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It would be fair to say that our group takes on the classics with a healthy amount of uncertainty. No one is widely read of the classics and in previous years have struggled through Austen, Hawthorne and Bronte with the best of intentions (and at times a glimmer of enjoyment). So it was quite a surprise to find that everyone thoroughly enjoyed Cannery Row and Steinbeck’s imagery and narrative style that brought his characters so plausibly to life.The individual stories of each character tended to give the novel a ‘short stories’ feel, but some of us found some intriguing connections within the district and its inhabitants. Extremely well-written with poise and empathy, Steinbeck has a natural insight into the lives of the down-trodden and underprivileged and cast his magic over the humble dwellers of Monterey during the Great Depression.For many of our group, this was their first foray into Steinbeck’s world and they were genuinely excited about venturing further. The humour and honesty was not lost on us and no one felt the story stilted or bogged down in any way.We had a thought provoking discussion on the homeless and marginalised in our community and came to the conclusion that literature such as Steinbeck’s is still relevant and important today.

[zumbanista · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve only read Steinbeck way back in high school, so my experience of his work is very limited. I was thoroughly charmed by this short novel which I found rich, warm and full of good humor. The writing is deliciously good and his characters are lightly, yet fully drawn. So glad I read this fine literary work.

[chellebearss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What I loved most about this book was that it didn't tell a big story, nothing huge happens really. It's a group of residents living in a poor area but living the way that makes them happy. Some squat in an old fish building and some squat in an old furnace that they have gutted and made into a home. They all could change their situation, but they are all content with the way things areCannery Row tells a lot about human nature, without preaching. It's a simple book where not much happens, but I found I didn't want to put it down anyway."It has always seemed strange to me...The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second."

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my first Steinbeck novel. Brilliant. I am not sure whether to feel happy for the residents of Cannery Row, or sad to think that they might live in such a way for readers to find nobility in degradation. I tend to think this novel makes one sad to think that such stories could be noble, yet at the same time glad that despite the gloom, they can be. Steinbeck truly achieves the artist's role of making sense of a cruel world.

[akblanchard_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

John Steinbeck's short novel focuses on the lives of the overlooked working-class people who live near Monterey, California's fish canneries. The slight plot involves Mack and his gang's efforts to show appreciation for Doc, the marine biologist who seemingly holds the community together. The real point of these slices of life is to expose the joy and sorrow, hope and despair (along with a lot of alcohol) that lurk just beneath the surface of the impoverished characters' lives. A beautiful book, well worth reading.

[dandelionroots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love his portraits. Tells of life amidst hardship, so life, on a street lined with sardine canneries in Monterey, CA during the Great Depression from the interesting and illuminating perspectives of, among numerous others, a: madame, quasi-doctor, Chinese grocer, lady who tea parties with cats, gopher, and layabouts."Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream."

[oscarwilde87_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

'Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.' So begins John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row and this magnificent first sentence captures the mood of the book perfectly. In what follows, the author sets out to capture the atmosphere of the book's main character - Cannery Row. The novel is not so much about plot, but rather about a feeling. It is a vivid slice of life.The inhabitants of Cannery Row want to do something good for Doc, a marine biologist, who helps out everyone in the area. That is why Mack and the boys living in the Palace Flophouse with him plan a party for Doc to show him how well he is liked and to pay him back for everything he has done for them. In the end, however, Doc ends up paying for the party anyway as the party is finished before he is home and his house is trashed in the process. Plotwise there is not much more to expect, but you want to read this novel for the atmosphere Steinbeck creates and the characters he portrays. Living with Mack are Hazel and Eddie, the former a rather uneducated young man who helps out Doc by doing odd jobs for him time and again. Eddie is a bartender who brings home alcohol by pouring leftovers in glasses into a jug under the bar. This mixture of beer, wine, whiskey and everything else his customers do not finish serves as the main drink of the boys at the Palace Flophouse. When one of them offers the idea to have several jugs under the bar so as not to be forced to mix all sorts of alcohol in one jug, the idea is readily dismissed as the punch would lose its distinct character. The actual owner of the Palace Flophouse is Lee Chong, who is also the proprietor of the local grocery store providing everything the town needs. However, he lets Mack and the boys live there as he fears they would burn the house down otherwise. And then there is Dora Flood, the owner of the Bear Flag Restaurant which also serves as a brothel frequented by the fishermen of Cannery Row.Cannery Row provides a range of themes. Living a happy life despite circumstances is one of those. The novel is set during the Great Depression and while there is a lot to be sad about living in Cannery Row, the inhabitants seem to be rather content with their lives. For instance, Steinbeck describes the time between day and night as 'the hour of the pearl', a the time when everything is calm and time seems to stop. This 'hour of the pearl' seems to be a feeling that is deeply ingrained in the inhabitants of Cannery Row. Take a look at Doc, who lives in a very simple house where he also does his work as a marine biologist. He lives alone and his days consist of work and helping others. In the evening he drinks a beer or two, listens to records and reads before he crawls under a blanket that is almost falling apart as it so very old and worn. And the next day is just the same. While this loneliness and monotony would make many people very sad, Doc seems content and to enjoy what he has. His reflections on life show that he is well aware of his situation but does not want to change it. Doc's understanding of the human condition is thoughtful and very true, especially today: "It has always seemed strange to me," said Doc. "The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second." (p. 107)To my mind, Cannery Row is one of the great American novels. 5 stars.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cannery Row is the main character in this book. A little study on characters that lived back in the days.

[jenn88-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was boring. All I could manage was a chapter at a time, pretty much. Steinbeck has a way with words so it wasn't completely bad. The book just describes the setting and characters, which were both very vivid in my mind, but there's no plot.

Mack and the boys are unemployed but clever, resourceful men who live in the Palace Flophouse in Monterey, California. And that's about it.

[cindamac · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my all time favorites. The characters and setting are magnificent!

[addunn3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As good as I remembered from the 60s.

[rascalstar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my kind of book. Love it! Great characters and a sometimes humorous story. I really enjoyed this book. Steinbeck is a great author. The story is fun -- there's a group of bums who don't work but manage to get by and have some life wisdom, there's Doc who runs a scientific laboratory, there's the brothel across the street, a Chinese grocer, a slightly whacky lady who holds tea parties for cats, and many more. Cannery Row is a street where several fish canneries are located, a cluttered empty lot, Doc's lab, the grocer, and more. I felt like I was there.

[scerakor-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book thoroughly surprised me with its combination of simplicity, humour, wit, and intelligence. Having read only a few other Steinbeck novels, this was not what I expected; I was pleasantly surprised!

[iambookish-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would tell you I'm a big fan of Steinbeck, and that one of my favorite books is "Of Mice and Men", but for some reason along the way I've never read "Cannery Row". I realized this when I had the chance to visit Monterey at Thanksgiving and see the now VERY touristy Cannery Row with it's cheesy wax museum and Steinbeck statue.
I've since rectified my lapse and finished this American classic. I love Steinbeck's prose, and his characters. It's making me want to reread everything he's ever written and take another trip to Northern California to visit the Steinbeck Museum is Salinas!

[emscape · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The inhabitants of Cannery Row are not the wealthiest or most sober of citizens, and that's quite the understatement. The characterization and scene setting in this novel are magnificent, if the characters are not terribly sympathetic or relatable.

[lydia1879 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book many years ago but I still remember it quite vividly.

I think I'm sentimental about it in a way that a lot of people wouldn't be - I've been to Monterrey and Carmel and a whole bunch of other places mentioned in the book, and while it's set in a completely different time to when I visited it, it made me nostalgic.

I love that Steinbeck can write such a beautiful book in so few pages. He focuses a lot on character rather than plot, and I love that too. This book is full of melancholy hopefuls chasing the elusive American dream.

This book is beautiful, and a classic Steinbeck novel. This was the first book I read by him, and it started a love affair that I think will last a while~.

[brokentune · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I watched the film version of On the Road the other night, and while watching it I couldn’t help but compare Sal Paradise, Dean Moriarity and their fellow beats to the inhabitants of Cannery Row, more specifically Mack and the boys from the Palace Flophouse.

That is, there aren’t that many similarities but it struck me that both books deal with the stories of characters who have an innate longing for freedom, individuality and a break away from conventional society. Both are written with a pinch of nostalgia for road trips.

So, thinking about this for a couple of days I made the following observations:

The inhabitants of Cannery are pretty nice people. They just want to mind their own business and get on with their day. They might not all subscribe to the same interpretation of morality, but they all seem to be pretty decent people – if anyone is taken advantage of this is with their knowledge and consent and generally in the genuine spirit of everyone having a right to be a chancer.
The whole point of the story of Cannery Row is for Mack and the boys to do something nice for Doc – and even when not everything goes as planned everyone still displays a sense of good will.

By contrast, Sal and Dean in On the Road lack the concern for others and instead are mostly concerned with pursuing their own pleasure seeking interests. Many of which invariably seem to result in sponging off other people – be it Sal’s aunt, their friends, wives, girlfriends, whoever.

I first read and adored On the Road in my teens , when the ideas of road trips seems pretty cool and the defying defined roles seemed something to aspire to. I would not say that picking up Steinbeck’s novels in the years since that first reading On the Road changed that perception completely. I still love road trips! However, I’d much rather hang out or collect frogs with the inhabitants of Cannery Row. And let’s face it, their parties sound much more fun than the ones Sal and Dean end up in.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Steinbeck is a great writer. He creates wonderful characters. A nice slice of a period of time. Just a series of events that happened. No big story. The book ends in a party.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book on CD performed by Jerry Farden

Opening lines: Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses. Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, “whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches,” by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said, “Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men,” and he would have meant the same thing.

Well, who am I to argue with Steinbeck. And Cannery Row, the novel, shines a light through both those peepholes, showing us the flotsam and jetsam and the jewels of humanity, the “sons of bitches” and the “saints.” The novel is written in a series of vignettes about the residents of the area. Lee Chong, who runs the grocery where you can get just about anything you need – IF you have the money. A churlish businessman, he nevertheless occasionally performs acts of charity and gives a glimpse of a generous and compassionate heart. Mack and the boys are down-on-their-luck vagrants, living in a former storage shed they have named the Palace Flophouse. Working odd jobs only long enough to collect their meager earnings, they quickly spend what little they have on liquor and enjoy life. Dora Flood runs the Bear Flag Restaurant, which is a whore house and not a place to get a sandwich. She accepts that the price she pays for continuing in business is being extraordinarily philanthropic when it comes to contributing to the local Police Benevolent Society or latest Chamber of Commerce beautification project. But she is also quietly generous to the down-and-out families who need extra groceries or shoes for their children.

And then we have Doc, the marine biologist who runs Western Biological Laboratory, and lives in a back room there. Doc makes a living collecting and selling all manner of life forms to schools and universities and research scientists across the globe. He is a man of culture and science, however. He enjoys a wide variety of music and the residents of Cannery Row frequently hear the strains of Beethoven or Benny Goodman emanating from his record player. His library is equally eclectic, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, poetry, plays and novels. He leads a rather solitary life, but he is not without companionship, and he is a great friend to all the nearby residents. In fact they all like him so much they frequently are hit with a strong urge to “do something nice for Doc.”

The efforts of Mack and the boys to arrange a surprise party (or two) for Doc are the major plot points in this character study. There are some hilarious moments of misadventure and some very poignant scenes (especially concerning the young waif Frankie) that tug at the heart strings. I wish Steinbeck had made the book longer and delved deeper into Doc’s story. Why was he such a loner? Why couldn’t he accept the love expressed by others? Why does he run from the unpleasant or horrific? The more I think about the book the more I like it, but I have to say that when I first finished, my reaction was: “Is that all?” In fact, I was going to rate the book much lower, but as I write my review I find myself liking the book more. Still, I think this work fell short of the genius I’ve seen in other Steinbeck works.

Jerry Farden does a very good job voicing the audio version. He has good pacing and I could easily distinguish the many characters thanks to his skill as a voice artist.