Sweet Thursday

By: John Steinbeck

Narrated by: Jerry Farden

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

In Monterey, on the California coast, Sweet Thursday is what they call the day after Lousy Wednesday, which is one of those days that is just naturally bad. Returning to the scene of Cannery Row, the weedy lots and junk heaps and flophouses of Monterey, John Steinbeck once more brings to life the denizens of a netherworld of laughter and tears—from Fauna, new headmistress of the local brothel, to Hazel, a bum whose mother must have wanted a daughter.

©1954 John Steinbeck (P)2011 Penguin

Critic reviews

“An emphatic and clear-cut statement of Steinbeck’s greatest theme: the common bonds of humanity and love which make goodness and happiness possible.” ( The New Republic)

"“A postwar continuation of Cannery Row, [ Sweet Thursday is] every bit as juicy and relaxed as the original.... This is comedy—bawdy, sentimental, and good fun.” ( The Atlantic)

If you read Cannery Row, you've gotta read this!

Sweet Thursday, is the sequel to Steinbeck's more well-known novella, Cannery Row! If you've read Cannery Row, then you'll know that the ending seemed like it didn't wrap things up quite right. That's what I love about Sweet Thursday, it picks up after several years have gone by, right after World War II ended. The narration of both Cannery Row & Sweet Thursday were incredible, what I particularly liked about the narrator and the narration was the fact that it's not written in the first-person point of view of any of the main characters, which helps immensely to keep you from becoming bias towards any of one particular character! One thing I will say though, as good of a story as Sweet Thursday is, I wouldn't recommend reading it without having already read Cannery Row beforehand! Thanks for reading my review & I hope you'll enjoy these stories as much as I did!!

like seeing an old friend

This was like seeing old friends after a time apart...
"But whereas most men in their search for contentment destroy themselves and fall wearily short of their targets, Mack and his friends approached contentment casually, quietly, and absorbed it gently"
Cannery Row

Another gem

Steinbeck and the human condition. Always comforting. A good sequel. Narrator is spot on. I also learned some new things about butterflies and California

Excellent sequel to Cannery Row

An terrific follow up to Cannery Row. Highly enjoyable and recommended. The narrator is excellent too.

Rarely five stars are not enough....

Wonderful. A wonderful reading of a wonderful book by an exceptional writer with some of the most pleasant characters in all of fiction. Vibrant, humorous, subtly deep, pleasantly light. Sweet. Read Cannery Row first.

AND WE HAVE ANOTHER 5 STAR NOVEL FROM STEINBECK!

If you could sum up Sweet Thursday in three words, what would they be?

CANNERY ROW SEQUEL

What did you like best about this story?

THE CHARACTERS WERE SO COLORFUL. THE STORY WAS WELL WRITTEN. THERE WAS NOT A MOMENT OF THIS BOOK THAT I WOULD WANT TO MISS. I WILL READ IT AGAIN AND AGAIN, THE STORY HAD HUMOR IN IT. THE ENDING WAS SATISFYING.

Which character – as performed by Jerry Farden – was your favorite?

GEE THERE WERE SEVERAL: HAZEL WAS GREAT, SO WAS DOC AND MAC. I LOVED THEM ALL.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

THE PARTY AND PREPARING FOR IT WAS A GREAT PART. ALSO I LOVED THE WAY HAZEL HAPHAZARDLY TRIED TO HOOK DOC UP WITH SUZIE. THERE WERE MANY MANY MORE!

Any additional comments?

I WISH STEINBECK HAD WRITTEN MORE BOOKS. I HAVE ELEVEN OF THEM AND THERE ARE NOT MANY MORE LEFT AFTER THAT. BUT I WILL READ THEM MANY TIMES!

Amazing Performance!

The performance was fabulous! I’ve read the book before, but this brought the whole thing to life! I found myself belly laughing by myself while driving to Monterey to volunteer at the aquarium!

Wonderful narration of a heartwarming story

The world is a sad and terrible place. It especially seems so these days but Steinbeck's world of simplicity and kindness will rejuvenate your faith in your fellow humans.

The narrator is the best I've ever heard. He captures the tone of each character and the tone of the book magnificently. I loved everything about this selection.

Just about Perfect

Sweet Thursday is a sequel to Cannery Row. Read them both. Excellent characters, ones you care about. Serious and funny. Although I read CR, I expect Audible's audio version read by Mr. Farden is just as good as this audio. Surprising at times. Try not to dwell on the occasional politically incorrect references.

Wonderful story, great narrator

This is my favorite gem of John Steinbeck, a sweet beautiful simple tale. The characters are both hilarious and great moral philosophers in an Everyman sort of way. The narrator does great justice to the varied characters and their foibles. Overall, a great listen.