“Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck

I finished this yesterday. Below is the review I posted on Goodreads. By the way, you can follow me on Goodreads. I’ll be glad to follow you right back!

Let's talk about movies and how they ruin a good book!

Despite the fact that we used to live in Monterey, CA and visited Cannery Row on a daily basis I had never read this book. I have been listening to Clay Jenkinson's "Listening to America" podcast and he's been talking about Steinbeck a lot so it got me motivated to catch up on what I have been missing.

I had seen the movie, "Cannery Row" of course, and thought that I knew what I was getting into. I was certainly wrong. And I am glad.

This book/movie combination proves, yet again, that Hollywood will always ruin a good story by adding the one thing that kills a good story: ROMANCE.

There is no romance in the book. The movie is dripping with it.

Cannery Row is a book about MEN, and how they behave towards one another. The women in the book are all secondary. To add romance to the story changes it completely.

Cannery Row compares to Tortilla Flat in many ways. A group of men, living together, they all have good intentions but, generally, fail to fulfill them. Cannery Row is much more optimistic, probably because Mack and the Boys have the heroic Doc Ricketts to serve as their Pole Star.

This was a good read. It shows a glimpse of life from a world that is gone forever. It focuses on people who love and care for each other, but because of their flaws they often hurt one another.

If I were to name one aspect of this book that I'd like to people to take away from it is their ability to accept each other for what they are and that they can love and care for each other anyway, knowing all their flaws.

Don't read this book because of the movie. Read it instead of the movie!

"Read everyday and read for fun!"

PS If you're interested the Listening to America podcast is at: https://ltamerica.org/

The Old Timer says, "Check it out!"