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)

The total is Greater than the Sum of its Parts

Take one of the finest and most warmly whimsical books ever written and couple it with a virtuoso reading and you have "Sweet Thursday", read by Jerry Farden. As with "Cannery Row", Jerry brings each character to life in a way that allows the listener to see them surely as Steinbeck saw them. They spring to life with a flavor and sensory dimension that transcends both the written and spoken genres alone. The listener can see, hear and smell the life at that time during those events at Cannery Row. Surely one of the finest couplings of written works and audio performances to be found here at Audible or indeed anywhere. I cannot recommend this book enough. I have listened to this performance on cassette hundreds of times and worn out the cassettes. Each listen is as fresh as the first. I am delighted to find a digital copy of this timeless performance. You may ask; how can you listen to a BOOK that many times? Well, like an outstanding symphonic performance; each listen allows the ear to catch nuances unheard before and to revisit old favorites yet again. The same can be said here. Give it a listen a few dozen times and see if it is not true with this performance as well. Enjoy!!!!

I JUST LOVED IT AND WISH FOR MORE !!

I just cant tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It conveys a time , place and feel that seems to come right out my dreams. This is the follow-up book to cannery row, and I would say that if you liked cannery row, you'll like sweet Thursday even more. God how I wish I lived in that beautifully simple time and place. I'm sure I did in a previous life cause I've dreamed about it my whole life. Early thirty`s america- poor, simple and happy Is what and where I was and Ive been trying to find it or the likes of it my whole life. cept the poor part, I couldn't handle poverty at my stage of age

This book jumps to the early post ww2 years but nothing has changed in terms of progression to cannery row. New characters appear and the opera continues. I dont think these 2 books are for everyone, there will be some who wont appreciate them but If your like me you'll eat them up and morn there ending. Damn why didnt he keep writing this series oh- well notin but spilt milk.... It seems like. I'm going through a steinbeck frenzy. Ive read grapes of wrath, East of Eden, travels in america, cannery row ,sweet thursday and am now on winter of our discontent.

East of eden is my favorite in the one extreme- its remarkably complex,deep and rewarding. while sweet Thursday is the yang- its fun,funny and warm. Both will be listened to again SUPERB NARRATION ON this whole series,! and the cover art is amazing in this penguin publishers collection!! They're hopper-like and stunning... least Im a thinkn so.

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.

Jerry Farden is excellent

I don't know if Jerry Farden was put on this Earth just to read these books aloud, but it sure seems like it. Amazing.

Delightful! Characters & Story

Getting back to John Steinbeck's straight forward story telling with his lovable & well meaning but clumsy family of misfits in Cannery Row was pure joy. Jerry Farden, the narratior, had the perfect tongue in cheek delivery for the piece and although we know where this story is going from the opening pages we don't know how we are going to get there. It was a delightful journey.

If you like Cannery Row, you will love this

Steinbeck's writing is wonderful. A great slice of America that is often not seen nor appreciated.

What's Not To Love?

Where does Sweet Thursday rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not applicable; my first book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Characters! Doc is the 'protagonist' but the story isn't 'about' him, it's about the place, the time, the joys of living and learning to love.

What about Jerry Farden’s performance did you like?

I liked him; didn't love him; it's very tough not to let one's interpretation of a story get too far into the reading. He does an over-all very good job.I would listen to him again.

Any additional comments?

Steinbeck in joy; lovely to read and to hear.

fantastic

i had not realised that cannery row had a sequel and come across this by chance-so glad I did- these characters are amazing warm spirited human beings and now feel like my close friends!

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!