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Sweet Thursday

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In Monterey, on the California Coast, Sweet Thursday is what they call the day after Lousy Wednesday - one of those days that's just bad from the start. But Sweet Thursday is sunny and clear, a day when anything can happen. Returning to the scene of Cannery Row, Steinbeck brilliantly creates its bawdy, high-spirited world of bums, drunks and hookers, telling the story of what happened to everyone after the war. There are colourful characters old and new, all united by love, laughter and tears: Fauna, the latest madam at the Bear Flag brothel, Doc, still there for everyone else but feeling strangely sad himself, and Suzy, the new hustler in town who might just be the girl to save him.

© John Steinbeck 1954 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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I wonder if I shall ever read a better book. the wonderful characters from "Canary row" are back. each of them wonderfully and empathetically described. but the real miracle is the language. there is a memorable quote on every page (i presume - every few minutes in the audio!). the pretty criminal who from a young age didnt believe in property rights on removable items. if you dont have too much integrity, could you rig. the horoscope? "thinking is painful. but for Hazel it was heroic. a picture of the process would make you seasick." the brothel owner teaching her girls to eat with 5? different kind of forks to become ladies. dumb Hazel feeling the burden of his horoscope predicting he shall become President of the United States. Doc trying to show octapussies can become angry, by giving them cocaine. No review can do justice to this epic masterpiece.

the audio performance is amazing. giving different voices to the broad spectrum of characters.

I wonder if I shall ever read a better book.

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Steinbeck is a genius. His simplistic yet detailed characters are deep and compassionate and enriching.

beautifully narrated

sheer brilliance

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I loved everything, the depiction of the characters, the settings, the depiction of human nature!

The story and its characters.

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If I could award more than five stars I would. Everything about this novel is life enhancing. Considering it was written nearly 70 years ago it is as fresh and relevant as the day it was published. Sure, modern attitudes and tastes have changed but sadly not always for the better. I would like to think that kindness, generosity and love will always endure but I know that in the modern world that is often not the case. This novel is a love song to life, friendship and kindness. I absolutely love it to bits.

Sheer Perfection

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Bizarrely I burst into tears when I finished this book, not because it’s sad but because I had come to its end. It was such a joy to listen to. Love Steinbeck’s style & the narration was perfect.

Brilliant

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