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From the title, I had thought the story would be about the canning industry or set in a cannery, so I was wrong on that account. It turned out that the characters included a mercenary scientist, a pack of bums and a houseful of prostitutes! Silly me. There wasn't a very strong storyline or any evil characters. I had wondered if the banning of The Grapes of Wrath with its (negative) portrayal of Californian citizens had influenced Steinbeck in any way to showcase goodwill among a local population that would not normally be associated with warm and fuzzy feelings. I felt the book was well-written but not overly entertaining or thought-provoking. My favourite character was Lee Chong the grocer, who was good for a few chuckles.
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