A review by moseslh
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
5.0
Cannery Row was a lot of fun to read. Of the five Steinbeck novels I've read, it's the only one I would describe as "cute." It's not as heavy (emotionally or physically—it's quite short) as his other works, and it's the type of story that makes you smile even when the characters mess things up for themselves.
Rather than following one protagonist, the novel follows a working class neighborhood (Cannery Row) in Monterrey, with chapters focusing on a number of the personalities who reside there. Cannery Row immerses you in the neighborhood, and by the book's end you feel almost like you live there yourself.
Overall, I would categorize Cannery Row as the literary equivalent of comfort food, albeit on the more filling and nutritious end of the comfort food spectrum. While it didn't feel life-changing for me like [book:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322] or [book:East of Eden|4406], I really enjoyed it and would love to read it again at some point.
Rather than following one protagonist, the novel follows a working class neighborhood (Cannery Row) in Monterrey, with chapters focusing on a number of the personalities who reside there. Cannery Row immerses you in the neighborhood, and by the book's end you feel almost like you live there yourself.
Overall, I would categorize Cannery Row as the literary equivalent of comfort food, albeit on the more filling and nutritious end of the comfort food spectrum. While it didn't feel life-changing for me like [book:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322] or [book:East of Eden|4406], I really enjoyed it and would love to read it again at some point.