In Monterey, on the California coast, Sweet Thursday is the day that follows what we call "the cursed Wednesday" - one of those days that carry misfortune from dawn...

John Steinbeck takes us back to the setting of "Cannery Row", to the barren fields, to the heaps of rags and to the battered houses of Monterey; he resurrects the characters of a "lost" world, a world that mingles laughter with tears - from Fauna, the new manager at "The Flagpole Restaurant", to Funny, the prince of Palace Hani, the rogue of Monterey.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]