Mrs. Talbot

In discussions that I have had about Cannery Row, people have repeatedly asked me if I've gotten to the part about the lady who likes to throw parties. I finally arrived at Chapter 24 today and was very pleased with his description of dear, old Mary Talbot. The thing that I think Steinbeck has done so well throughout this novel is describe a character without passing or even hinting at judgment. He continues this with Mary and shows how she behaves, but doesn't pity or glorify her. I think she sounds incredibly interesting and absolutely fabulous for just being able to entertain herself both effortlessly and creatively.

Also, I wanted to revisit some previous thoughts on Steinbeck's glorification of Mack and the boys, who I see as the complex heroes of the town, even though they manage to destroy everything they touch. Doc's observations of the guys in Chapter 23 are beautifully written and I think once again reflects own vision of what life truly is and what should be valued in it. He writes from Doc's perspective, "They could ruin their lives and get money. Mack has qualities of genius. They're all very clever if they want something. They just know the nature of things too well to be caught in that wanting" Then later, "The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second."

Funny Line

I just read Chapter 11. I thought the paragraph about Model T's was not only well written but hilarious. He says "Someone should write an erudtie essay on the moral, physical, and esthetic effect of the Model T Ford on the American nation. Two generations of Americans knew more about the Ford coil than the clitoris, about the planetary system of gears than the solar system of stars."
It seems there are a lot of good lines, but that one in particular jumped out at me.

Chapter Two

So, I really like this book so far. I really enjoy the amount of detail he is pouring into the town. I'm sure by the end we will all feel like we have been there.
My only question so far is Chapter Two. I think it is beautifully written, but had a hard time trying to figure out what the point he's trying to get at is. I understand the religious metaphors but couldn't wrap my head all the way around it.

Any thoughts?

Great Success

So I definitely thought that the first meeting went really well. It is obvious that everyone in the group has read quite a bit. It was even difficult to find books that no more than one person had read. I can't wait for the conversations to come and feel like I have a lot to learn from the other women in the group. Also, I think that it is important to note that we have stumbled upon a very saucy group of ladies. I think that above educational, the club is going to be very entertaining, as long as we remember to bring more wine next time. Apparently, for future reference, Kevin won't go out at 12:30 to get us another bottle.

Does anyone know anything about this novel?

Getting Ready!

So we are finally ready to meet. The first meeting will pretty much just consist of setting a twelve month schedule and figuring out how we want to approach the books. We'll see how it goes!