Rating: 
Summary: Cannery Row is Great
Review: John Steinbeck wrote this incredibly vivid and lucid portrayal of a cast of characters in the economic hard times of the depression, in California, with great care and passion. This reader feels like he is right there, in that community, with Mack, and Doc, and the others. One of the wonderful aspects of reading this book was feeling that even though many of the characters had relatively isolated, hard lives, they were still living in some sort of true community. I had the sense that they all shared the same spiritual sky (for lack of a better description), and I have never had that sense about any other characters in any book. This book is magnificent, and it illuminates what human nature we all have in common, while playing masterfully on the mysteries of individual character, in each of the characters, and in all their individual and collective pasts.This is a GREAT book, and I recommend it to everybody.
Rating: 
Summary: Ahh...Flophouse Philosophy with a Jug of Old Tennis Shoes
Review: A little more than halfway through John Steinback's 'Cannery Row', a biologist gives the following speech about a group of bums relaxing in the shade of a tree: "Look at them. There are your true philosophers...I think they survive in this particular world a lot better than other people. In a time when other people tear themselves to pieces with ambition and nervousness and covetousness, they are relaxed. All of our so-called successful men are sick men, with bad stomachs, and bad souls, but Mack and the boys are healthy and curiously clean. They can do what they want. They can satisfy their appetites without calling it something else." ...a manifesto that rings particularly poignant in this, the beginning of a new century, the riches and ruins of the 'New World Order' . In style the book resembles Steinback's earlier 'The Pastures of Heaven,' alternating between characters and situations to construct an overall glimpse of a working community--but the characters of 'Cannery Row' are less eccentric and the writing is more polished, and where in 'Pastures' Steinback sought to show the cracks and flaws within the small-town facade, the theme of this particular book is the true meaning of wealth. Wealth is often confused with material possessions/excess, rather than spiritual and physical health. Thus we have a vast American middle-class working countless crushing hours to obtain that new SUV and thus gain the illusion of success--which, of course, keeps out economy 'growing' and the shareholders happy, not to mention the fastfood chains and the hospitals busy. Nor is this a new manifestation of public consciousness in the high-speed information era: Steinback undoubtedly saw it taking place in the steady urban sprawl of southern California, and wrote his reaction on the printed page. The wealth Steinback champions in 'Cannery Row' are simple, subtle values: the respect of friendship, giving unconditionally, forgiveness, accepting others for who they are, enjoying what you have rather than fretting about what you do not, minimizing negative stress through selfless actions and negotiations...all 'shown' rather than 'told', the mark of real talent. I give 'Cannery Row' four stars because it is a bit on the light side, and not quite in the league of Steinback's five-star masterpieces (Grapes, Winter), but this is certainly a worthy read in and by itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Hate to oppose the tide, but....
Review: Sorry, but CR is not the essential Steinbeck. It is a fairy tale where everyone is happy, there is damage but no pain, and CR is a sort of Eden where the salt of the earth ... bums and whores and biologists ... live together in harmony. I have discussed CR with a friend whose favorite author is Steinbeck. He describes it as Steinbeck's problemmatical novel, a reaction to WWII and to the intensity of his earlier work. He reports that Steinbeck was disturbed when critics and readers asked him what CR was about; Steinbeck said it was evident. It wasn't to me. My buddy has talked me into reading "Sweet Thursday". He promises it will be a sequel to CR. He tells me that there will be some darkness where CR is all light. He tell me that the same characters and their substitutes will show some warts instead of being inherently good and fine, if a bit unpolished. CR is a fun, comic read, but it isn't great literature and it is a Steinbeck anomoly.
Rating:
Summary: You Won't Forget This Setting or These Characters!
Review: Cannery Row is almost like a book of short stories. There are some central stories that follow main characters, such as a gang of jobless, penniless hooligans known as "Mack and the Boys", and a marine biologist named Doc, but interspersed between these chapters are very short tales about everything from two sailors on a date with two blondes to a gopher who decides to build his home under the ground on Cannery Row. Steinbeck explains this story-telling format in the first chapter by asking the reader, in terms that warn the reader of his similarity to the character of Doc in the novel: ... The style of the Cannery Row - like most of John Steinbeck's fiction- is easy to read and free-flowing, which can be deceptive, because the characters and themes are quite deep. Take Mack and the Boys, a group of friends the town views as worthless, though friendly and fun-loving, do-nothings. A lot of the book centers on their attempts to do good things that continually turn out bad. ..." In this way Mack and the Boys seem like simple, pitiful characters. However, Steinback uses them as examples of people who are truly content with themselves and their lives, and who don't try to rely on money to achieve happiness. ... Because of his ability to show the humanity of all his characters, even those viewed negatively by others, Steinbeck has a true gift of characterization. This is also seen in Doc, a good character whom everyone in Cannery Row likes and relies on. Although he has many friends and allies, Doc is portrayed as a lonely, solitary man who is more at home while dissecting animals or reading books than at the bar or a party with his friends. Doc's character comes to life near the end of the book when Mac and his friends finally throw him a successful party and for the first time in the novel he relaxes and lets himself go while in the presence of other people. There is also a mentally challenged child named Frankie who shows Doc what real love is, and this is a good way to show that although many people can need and want a person, very few actually care for him or her unconditionally. Steinbeck's literary gifts do not stop at characterization of people. He constantly uses personification throughout the novel, so that animals seems as real as the other characters. And of course, by titling the novel Cannery Row, Steinbeck promises readers a great description of the setting and surroundings of the novel, and he does not disappoint them. I have been to Cannery Row and although it has changed a lot since Steinbeck's novel was published in 1945, I am still able see it come to life again in my mind while reading the novel. Anyone finding the first paragraph intriguing will be just as intrigued by the end of Cannery Row, because John Steinbeck expertly shows all of these things and more throughout the entire work.
Rating:
Summary: simply wonderful
Review: when reading this book, i fell into the present-oriented society that was cannery row. the plot may seem minimal but is so endearing because of the realism. nothing seemed to hit Mack and the guys too hard. you have to read this book. you'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't ask the "boys" to do you any favors!!
Review: What a perfect follow up to _Tortilla Flat_! While not borrowing all the characters from Tortilla Flat, we are obviously in the right place, Monterey. The times are the same, and they are not easy. People are poor, and everyone does what they must to get by. If that means they rent abandoned boilers and pipes as homes, so be it. Every opportunity is seized for the reward it may provide the finder. A lost rooster is someone's dinner, and someone else's truck, their ride. The shocking reality is that for most, a scam is a scam, and in the long run, all is usually forgiven by the victim. Opportunity is their credit card, and tomorrow's guilt, the interest due. The beauty of it is that for most of them, this was enough. Yes, they could see some had it better, but dwelling on this was not a pastime done. And for those women living in pipes and abandoned boilers it was a fact that now and then they longed for lace curtains, even though they had no windows. This could spark a temporary crying jag, and many walking by the boiler hut could hear them sobbing, causing an echo like wail. A particularly sensitive or desperate husband may soothe her with thrift store curtain rods, but be unable to figure out a way to attach them on the metal walls. These suggestions may not rectify the problem, but it does well to allude to it's solution. In these techniques, their strength was evident by getting through hard times and staying alert to any situation that can be manipulated, or favor that can be called in. Presenting, Cannery Row. On the main street, we have Lee Chong's grocery store open for buisness, and if you don't abuse the credit too much, he will allow you a tab. A sharp man who stations himself in front of the Booze Booth, he will maintain a military position there all day, careful to protect the expensive and coveted alcoholic beverages. Ever sharp to those trying to tempt him from his station, he is alert to those trying to distract him away from the shelves and bargain their way into his favor for a cheap bottle of booze they think he would never miss. Across the street is the popular bordello, run by Dora Flood. She runs a tight, efficient buisness. Her ladies are well fed and cared for and never thrown into the streets because they get a little long in the tooth. While targeted at least once a year by the proper ladie's groups, she never the less hangs on by being the top charity donor in town, otherwise known as political and civic blackmail. I can not conclude this review without mention of the beloved, Doc. He is a marine biologist, often confused on Cannery Row as a full fledged doctor. Therefore, being a kindly man, he is sought out by anyone for any cause that remotely relates to a living organism and illness, birth, death or advice. Not a man that indulges in luxury, he appreciates beer, food and music. He has done many favors for these people and asks nothing in return. For a group of local men, they decide to thank him and deliver unto him a party that will be the talk of the town. The skill is which these characters construct this party is pure Steinbeck poety and hilarity. I will not spoil one word of it's majic. Do yourself the favor to find out all about it!
Rating:
Summary: It's GOT to be his best work!
Review: Every time I read "Cannery Row" I can't help but get teary eyed or nostalgic for the "good ole, early 20th century". I may be a sentimentalist at heart but I promise that even the most unemotional will be moved by this beautiful piece of literature. The plot revolves around a California costal town full of the most wonderful characters you will ever meet. They are mostly rough-and-tumble bums, painted ladies, lower class citizens and perhaps the main character-a simple minded scientist. They are depicted as simply living their lives but their various philosophies are woven into the pages with incredible ease. There is no central storyline per se, but the day to day incidents rather drift along like poetry. His style is an easy to read balance between brutal Hemingway-like prose, and flowery froth of old. The mixture makes it pleasant to read, but hits you just enough to make its points. Throughout the read, Steinbeck's wry humor surfaces in all the right spots lest the readers minds be drugged by the sometimes depressing atmosphere. I can read it over and over without stopping and I believe most of Steinbeck's fans would agree that this is definitely one of his best works. I can think of no other who so definitely deserved the Nobel Literature Prize as Steinbeck.
Rating:
Summary: A moving and wonderful book.
Review: I feel that Of Mice and Men was and excelent book. It had every thing I could want in a book a fight, murder, and a twisted ending. But most of all it showed the power and importance of friendship.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book!
Review: This book's theme and style are not different than all of Steinbeck's previous novels. The tone is depressing, although you will be captivated by the lives of the people in Cannery Row. The main characters- Mack and the boys will hold your attention to the very end. The main theme- opposition to change is present throughout their lives and all the lives of the other people of Cannery Row. The interruptive chapters, which give backround information or provide the reader with a better sense of what is going on in the main story, shew the lives of the other residents of Cannery Row. There is Doc, of Western Biological, which will have you feeling sorry for him by the end of the book, the girls of the Bear Flag resaurant, and the man that skates on the flag pole at the general store, and the Chinaman. They will all have you interested in the book until the end.
Rating:
Summary: Steinbeck at his best
Review: If I had to pick only one Steinbeck book out of all of them, this would be the one. It's full of humor and drama. You'll love reading about Mack and the boys, along with doc and all the people in the bear Flag. You'll put the book down after reading it and fell like you just spent an hour or two in Cannery Row.
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