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deep_in_the_reads's review
4.0
It’s kinda hard to review a book like this—aimless on its surface but bursting with beautiful, heartfelt writing, Cannery Row is an interlocking series of short stories and vignettes that weave together to form an affectionate patchwork of life in a low-income canning community. The Row is a place stinking of fish guts, where people struggle to find meaning and satisfaction among the drunken brawls, suicides, and poverty of their neighbourhood. It’s one of those novels that seem tailor-made to be read repeatedly at different points in your life, because different story-threads will jump out at each particular reader depending on their circumstances. Rather than aiming for the epic grandiosity of Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, John Steinbeck here settles for a low-key, fairly uneventful novel and does it with all the poetic finesse of his bigger books.
Though Cannery Row is highly sentimental, sometimes bordering on saccharine, Steinbeck makes sure to check himself and remind the reader that Cannery Row shouldn’t be romanticized. He checks the charms of each character with shades of moral ambiguity, and doesn’t shy away from the hopelessness some of the Row’s residents feel. This makes the cast of characters all the more admirable (and human) for their attempts to rise above their surroundings and spite their misfortunes, even when they fail. Cannery Row does a wonderful job at balancing existentialism with optimism, asserting that the best things in life are camaraderie rather than material comforts (beautifully illustrated in the penultimate chapter about a lonely gopher). I can't say the book was particularly exciting or dramatic, but it was pretty therapeutic for me!
Some readers may find Cannery Row hard to connect with—the structure of the novel is such that an interesting idea or plot thread will be introduced, only to never be mentioned again. Other threads will go on for longer than you'll expect. Those who read a story expecting everything to come together in a neat way, or have a novel with a powerful narrative thrust, are better off trying Of Mice and Men. But those who understand that life is often a series of chance encounters will appreciate Steinbeck's ability to translate the insignificant hopes, desires, lusts and follies of the everyday person into novel form.
Though Cannery Row is highly sentimental, sometimes bordering on saccharine, Steinbeck makes sure to check himself and remind the reader that Cannery Row shouldn’t be romanticized. He checks the charms of each character with shades of moral ambiguity, and doesn’t shy away from the hopelessness some of the Row’s residents feel. This makes the cast of characters all the more admirable (and human) for their attempts to rise above their surroundings and spite their misfortunes, even when they fail. Cannery Row does a wonderful job at balancing existentialism with optimism, asserting that the best things in life are camaraderie rather than material comforts (beautifully illustrated in the penultimate chapter about a lonely gopher). I can't say the book was particularly exciting or dramatic, but it was pretty therapeutic for me!
Some readers may find Cannery Row hard to connect with—the structure of the novel is such that an interesting idea or plot thread will be introduced, only to never be mentioned again. Other threads will go on for longer than you'll expect. Those who read a story expecting everything to come together in a neat way, or have a novel with a powerful narrative thrust, are better off trying Of Mice and Men. But those who understand that life is often a series of chance encounters will appreciate Steinbeck's ability to translate the insignificant hopes, desires, lusts and follies of the everyday person into novel form.
mrears0_0's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The man doesn’t miss
_traveler_'s review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
isabellesbooks's review
4.0
I have no idea why I am giving this 4 stars instead of 3 or even 3.5. It didn’t stand out, I didn’t deeply care about the characters, the plot was middle-of-the-road, but it was just so...charming. I kinda loved it and I don’t know why.
alexprzy's review against another edition
The intro/first chapter/first few pages of Cannery Row alone might be some of my favorite stuff Steinbeck has written. Pure poetry.
michelleann_xo's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
miyothecat's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
audreyxwg's review
4.0
Frog scene was horrifying and so brutal. Tide pool and environmental descriptions were cool