It has been my firm belief for quite some time that John Steinbeck is the greatest writer of the 20th century. I love his books and this one did not disappoint.
Sweet Thursday is the sequel to the brilliant 'Cannery Row' and picks up again a few years after the events of the first book. A few of the characters have died or moved on and have been replaced with others every bit as interesting and colourful (sometimes more so) The Second World War has happened in between the two books and has taken its toll on the people living in the row.
Some old favourites such as Doc and Mack return and I'm delighted to say there is every bit as much mischief and mayhem as the first book and just as much human feeling goes into it. Steinbeck has a way of really bringing his characters to life, you feel like you know these men and women and that they could be as real as anyone else.
Love, happiness and loneliness are central themes with great highs and lows included. There is more humour here than the first book and, perhaps because it is longer, I felt the story was more substantial in some ways, less in others.
The ending is brilliant and just what i'd hoped it would be. I strongly recommend reading both 'Cannery Row' and 'Sweet Thursday' as it is some of the very best Steinbeck has to offer.
Final verdict 5/5
Chris
I am seriously lacking in the area of Steinbeck which I find rather embarassing. Sweet Thursday sounds very good and I'm a little ashamed to say I didn't even know Cannery Row had a sequel.
ReplyDeleteI love your review and you do a great job of reminding me why John Steinbeck should be very high on my list of upcoming books to read.
Thank you!
I'm lacking in the area of Steinbeck as well. I'm going to have to do something about it. Like Amy, I didn't even know Cannery Row had a sequel. Great post Chris.
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I didn't realize this was a sequel of sorts to Cannery Row. I've yet to read either of them (my next Steinbeck will be Winter of our Discontent) but am looking forward to both!
ReplyDeleteI was just eying this one as I've been on a John Steinbeck kick in 2011--reading and or acquiring many of his books. This one is a must read which I hope to get to soon. Thanks for the nice review.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love John Steinbeck ... he is such an amazing writer. I haven't read this one yet - will need to remedy that :)
ReplyDeleteSounds great - I sometimes wish that there weren't so many fabulous authors out there. Steinbeck is one of those authors that I know I should read but somehow he never makes it to the top of the list!
ReplyDeleteIO loved this but still think cannery row is his best novel so gritty and real ,all the best stu
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love the cover! I've not read any Steinbeck yet, but I reckon I'll start with East of Eden. This sounds fantastic, and I feel embarrassed that I've not read anything by him. Ample time to change that though, methinks.
ReplyDelete@ Amy: Thank you, no need to be embarassed or ashamed, I had no idea either until I started buying his books :o) I love Steinbeck books so much I have to ration myself otherwise i'll read all of his in a few months!
ReplyDelete@ Man of la Book: Thanks, I hope you do pick up some Steinbeck soon, you won't be disappointed! :o)
@ Amanda: I have Winter of Our Discontent on my TBR list but as i've mentioned above I'm trying to slow down with Steinbeck so I probably won't get around to it until next year. I am looking forward to it though
@ Diane: Sounds like fun, Steinbeck is definately my favourite author. I'd love to go on a Steinbeck binge but don't want to run out of his books! lol
@ Wendy: This and Cannery Row are fantastic, very much worth picking up!
@ Becky: You will have to remedy that! lol I know what you mean about there being so many great authors. So many books, so little time!
@ Winstons Dad: I loved Cannery Row too, I don't think it's his best (for me personally that is East of Eden) but it's certainly up there.
@ anothercookiecrumbles: It's a good idea to start with East of Eden as, personally, I think it's his best work. That may change in future as I haven't read all his books yet but of the five I have read it was the best. Loads of time to rectify that situation, get reading! lol ;o)
Chris
I read Cannery Row last year and loved it. I've been meaning to get to this one, so I'm glad for the reminder. Steinbeck has really grown on me. The Pearl was my first experience with him and it wasn't great. But over the years I've come to love and admire his workd. He creates epic novels like Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, heartbreaking moral tales like Of Mice and Men, wonderful characters in books like Cannery Row and even brilliant nonfiction like Travels With Charley (my favorite). Thanks for highlighting another one of his books!
ReplyDeleteGlad to come across another Steinbeck fan. Sweet Thursday is so great, I love how Steinbeck uses such a simple character like Hazel to save the day. I'm currently reading through Steinbeck's books in chronological order at the rate of one per month.
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@ Avid Reader: I've not read 'The Pearl' yet but obviously it's on my TBR pile. The weakest Steinbeck book for me so far has been 'The Moon is Down' it's not a bad book but certainly not one of his best. Jess is a member of the Folio Society and they have a lovely copy of 'Travels with Charley' which I intend to order soon.
ReplyDelete@ Myke: As i've mentioned above I've decided to pace myself with regards to Steinbeck. It will be a sad day when I go to find another of his books and discover I've read them all. Why do great writers have to be mortal?? :o(
Chris