He and Steinbeck had collaborated earlier on “Sea of Cortez” (Steinbeck had studied marine biology and gone on collecting trips with Ricketts between 19), but a rift developed between them over a screenplay Steinbeck was writing that “Doc” criticized in his usual outspoken fashion. Ricketts had never complained about being used in Steinbeck’s books, even though he was a sensitive and private man, but the three years that elapsed between the tremendous success of “Cannery Row” and his tragic accident must have been uncomfortable if not downright painful for him. A few feet away from the corner of the building, up the hill where Drake Avenue and Wave Street intersect, Ed Ricketts’ car collided with the evening Del Monte Express train on May 8, 1948, and he died three days later, just before his 50th birthday. Nevertheless, taking “Cannery Row” in hand and setting off through glass doors whisked open by the Monterey Plaza’s white-liveried doorman, you shift almost at once into the reality of the row. The luxurious hotel has dedicated its site to John Steinbeck, who would probably be both flattered and wryly amused to be remembered amid so much marbled elegance. The aquarium, now the nation’s largest, honors the memory of Ed Ricketts with its spectacular exhibits devoted exclusively to Monterey Bay marine life. The eloquence of Steinbeck’s writing really shines in Cannery Row.But suddenly this raffish, snaggle-toothed street, still dotted with vacant lots where pampas grass blows in the fresh salt air, has been bracketed with $100 million worth of bookends, the wildly successful new Monterey Bay Aquarium on one end of the row and the just-opened, 290-room Monterey Plaza Hotel on the other. The story is simple, yet charming, funny, and sad. Mack and the boys are the kind of people that many of us ignore, and because of that we might miss out on meeting someone wonderful. This quote pretty much summarizes the whole book for me. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. “It has always seemed strange to me…The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. He has such a great heart, but he is unlucky! In spite of this, he remains positive and optimistic. He is one of those people that always means well but seems to mess things up in the process. Mack is my favourite character of all time. I have mentioned Cannery Row so many time on my blog, so I figured it was about time I reviewed it! It is Independence Day so I thought it would be an appropriate time to talk about a book written by one of America’s greatest authors! Cannery Row is one of Steinbeck’s lesser known novels and I hope this inspires at least one person to pick it up! I am not going to write my typical review with Loves and Dislikes because this is my all time favourite book- obviously there is nothing I dislike!Ĭannery Row is all about the characters! The cast of characters are just so wonderful! Many of them are struggling and in desperately difficult situations, but they manage to persevere. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said, “Saints and angels and martyrs and holymen” and he would have meant the same thing.” Its inhabitant are, as the man once said, “whores, pimps, gambler and sons of bitches,” by which he meant Everybody. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses. “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. First published in 1945, and drawn from Steinbeck’s memories of real inhabitants of Monterey, California, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is-both the loneliness of the individual and the exuberance of community. Cannery Row is just a few blocks long, but the story it harbors is suffused with warmth, understanding, and a great fund of human values. Lee Chong stocks his grocery with almost anything a man could want, and Doc, a young marine biologist who ministers to sick puppies and unhappy souls, unexpectedly finds true love. Henry the painter sorts through junk lots for pieces of wood to incorporate into the boat he is building, while the girls from Dora Flood’s bordello venture out now and then to enjoy a bit of sunshine. Goodreads Summary– Unburdened by the material necessities of the more fortunate, the denizens of Cannery Row discover rewards unknown in more traditional society.
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