One of John Steinbeck's shorter novels, Cannery Row is a continuation of Tortilla Flat. Both of these stories are set in small-town Monterey, California.

This novel contains many sub-plots. You have the characters of Mack and the boys, who are good people who like to make others happy. Then you have quiet Lee Chong, a Chinese man who owns the local grocery store. There's also Doc, who's a marine biologist. Dora has a whorehouse/restaurant called the Bear Flag.

Though this book doesn't have an exciting or gripping plot, it's interesting to see how all of these characters compliment eachother and live together in such a close community.

Cannery Row was made into a movie in 1982, starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. Of course, some events had to be added to such a small novel to make it a full-length film.