Cannery Row: Amazon.co.uk: John Steinbeck: Books

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Lee Chong's grocery, while not a model of neatness, was a miracle of supply. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
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4.7 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Poem, 19 Jan 2003

By	"scribeoflight" - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Cannery Row (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

Although 'Cannery Row' is short compared to Steinbeck's better known novels, it is packed full of the powerful and delicate, beautiful and insightful writing which Steinbeck is the master of. There is no single story or plot binding the novella together, but the structure of the narrative is found in the many stories which Cannery Row has to tell us. Through clever and precise writing Steinbeck reveals to us characters both unique and universal, colourful and natural. There is happiness and sadness, a little tragedy, and a lot of hope - a picture is painted not just of American people before WW2, but of people who while shaped by their nationality, are not defined by it. Through all of 'Cannery Row' there is a sense that some sort of fundamental humanity will see to everything being okay in the end - Steinbeck comes across as being a great believer in the human spirit, pure and simple, stripped of all its pretentions and possessions, anxieties and angers, nationalities and politics. Steinbeck looks at the world and sees things we don't always see, and he writes honestly about evil when he sees it and unsentimentally about good when he sees that. 'Cannery Row' is the sort of book which makes you look at things a little differently, and leaves you with a peaceful smile on your face when you put it down at the end.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars aren't nearly enough for this masterpiece., 30 Aug 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cannery Row (Steinbeck "Essentials") (Paperback)

John Steinbeck was (and still is, although he's dead) one of the most respected and revered writers to come out of America and, if you read this book, you'll see why. Set in a tiny comunity attached to the tuna canneries near Monterey in California during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the reader is introduced to a magical world where friendship and camaraderie fill empty bellies. Mack and the boys, Lee Chong and Doc are the central characters, around which Steinbeck has built a literary cathedral of 'belly-laughter' humour, pathos and subtle wit. This was the first of Steinbeck's books which I read and I found it to be the perfect introduction to his others. I challenge anyone with a soul to read this work of pure brilliance and not want to be there, be part of the story. If you can read this book without laughing out loud, go and see your doctor, because there's something wrong with you. After reading Cannery Row, read Sweet Thursday and Tortilla Flat, then you're ready for The Grapes of Wrath.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just mesmerising., 12 Feb 2006

By	Mr. R. Fisher "vinylrichie" (Surrey, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cannery Row (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

Steinbeck is one of literatures greats. He breathes such life into his characters, especially here, that every page is a joy to behold. Cannery Row is a book you hate to finish as it is so beautifully written. Never before have a bunch of small town wastrels seemed so beguiling. You know you are in the midst of writing genius as you read it and you will be left with an enveloping feeling of sadness and warmth. This little book will stay with you forever and prompt you to indulge in some of Steinbeck's more challenging masterpieces as well as his equally enthralling novellas. Steinbeck, I salute you and cannot thank you enough for sharing your wonderful, almost poetic writings with the world.
Buy this, people. Read and re-read as I'd be surprised if you are disappointed.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Lacks plot, but interesting, funny, beautiful, and definitely memorizing.
This is the first book I have read by John Steinbeck. It is also the first book that I have read with no determined plot. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Sean Gainford

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannery Row, a hidden gem of a book by John Steinbeck
Cannery Row is a beautifully written book. It was the first novel that I read by John Steinbeck a few years ago and so being comparatively short is a great introduction to the... Read more

Published 2 months ago by surfer pete

4.0 out of 5 stars Realism at its best
With well-rounded characters as is the usual case with Steinbeck, this shorter read is a great introduction to this "earthy" author. Read more

Published 4 months ago by William the Almost Great

4.0 out of 5 stars A great intro to Steinbeck
Gentle but quite compelling. This is much lighter reading than East of Eden or The Grapes of Wrath but helps to show Steinbeck's unusually wide range. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Top Banana

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannery Row
'Cannery Row' is Steinbeck at his best. From the first page you know you are in for another beautifully written book with his lush descriptions, wry sense of humour and wonderful... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Spider Monkey

5.0 out of 5 stars Steinbeck at his finest but be warned - Cannery Row will live on in your head.
Cannery Row is the fourth Steinbeck novel I've read in succession, and for me it stands out as the finest; quite simply I've never been more captivated by a fictional place, or... Read more

Published 10 months ago by Robert Burdock

5.0 out of 5 stars Poverty, alienation and loneliness portrayed with compassion and hope
Cannery Row consists of a series of vignettes linking an exuberant set of characters who reside on the Monterey seafront in northern California during the Depression era: Lee... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Trevor Coote

4.0 out of 5 stars A heart-warming book
Steinbeck's novel, based on the area in and around Cannery Row, Monterey is a jigsaw puzzle of lives and events. Read more

Published 15 months ago by C. Longworth

4.0 out of 5 stars WAW!!!!!
If you want to know the plot, read the book...you will not be dissapointed! To be honest, I don't think that there is a plot, as Steinbeck said himself he just "opened the pages... Read more

Published 23 months ago by Review's review.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, funny, warm and inciteful
On appearances this book appears surprisingly small. Once opened though every sentence grabs you. Steinbeck describes scenes and characters so vividly, with such unusual imagery,... Read more

Published on 19 Jul 2006 by KJ

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	86% buy the item featured on this page: Cannery Row 4.7 out of 5 stars (25)
	6% buy East of Eden (Penguin Modern Classics) 5.0 out of 5 stars (28) �6.49
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	3% buy The Winter of Our Discontent (Penguin Modern Classics) 4.3 out of 5 stars (6) �6.49


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Cannery Row (Paperback)

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