Cannery Row is still one of the most beloved and readable pieces of the classical literature, because of its overly sweet and somehow even naive atmosphere. Many critics call “Cannery Row” nostalgic, but the tone of their reviews is mostly positive. The town with clumsy but lovely Mack and his boys - who are former prisoners and generally homeless people from the one hand and behave like cute delinquent kids from the other - becomes even more charming than without them. They make the life of the town more lively, grateful for their new home given to them. Even despite they do wreak some havoc accidentally, they always try to fix it and finally win the approval of the whole town.

It seems that Doc - a classical mad scientist, ready to ride to the other side of the country to catch octopi for his experiments - is a counterpart of Mack, who is barely capable of reading. Still, when they form their relationship - from employer and employee to frenemies and then to genuine friends - we see that townsfolk consider them the same: a bit airhead, but harmless and good. Both he and Mack have their rough edges and the changes in their relationship and attachment to each other, quarrels and reconciliations make a major part of the plot tension. But such story as “Cannery Row” just can’t have a bad final. The ending of the story (we won’t spoil it here!) shows it to the most extent and in the most heartwarming way possible.

You should not search for any realism in this story, because it is made of pure nostalgia and positive emotions. “Cannery Row” is a great book for the calm evening, when everything you need to feel perfectly is a little warmth for your soul, some pleasant memories and a genuine smile.

Author: Frank Frazier