Cannery Row

John Steinbeck · 1902–1968 · United States

Why it matters

A marine biologist, a genial band of bums, and a Monterey sardine-cannery street get an episodic, affectionate portrait instead of a plot. Steinbeck's warmest book finds dignity in the drifters the Depression left behind.

At a glance

Loosely linked episodic vignettes in plain, affectionate prose read quickly.