Nikki D'Aloia

The shifting in perspectives, and the particular absence of one, was enough to pique interest all throughout. There are also certain scenes (spoilers, spoilers!) that had me rooting. Robert Jordan has this knack for spreading out the different chapters in a manner where, even if you don't necessarily like the POV that you're reading, you continue to read in order to get back to the chapters you do. And I'm not disappointed yet. I am a bit uncertain about certain character arcs, not quite sure how some (who are lagging behind) are going to catch up, but I suppose that's what the rest of the books are for.

An exceptional dive back into the fantasy realm that I didn't realise I was sorely missing. I watched the show first, and then have picked up the novels after feeling both scintillated and disappointed enough in certain parts of the show, upon recommendation from someone. (Who has been recommending them for several years, but here we are.) And I can see why.

The world-building is sublime, and somehow, easier to follow than most of the novels I've read, despite how there is so much of it all at once. Robert Jordan is a crafter at these tidbits, not ever truly succumbing to information-dumping. His characters read as real, true people. There was so much dialogue, I was a bit uncertain if it would become dried out, or redundant; but it was balanced, and the interactions were enough to whisk you away right into them. The pacing was also excellent; for me, I never felt bored. There were enough pause moments, arguments, and developments in silence, that I felt like things were slow; but there was also the endless sense of urgent danger, of the chase, of the shadow following after, that it was never a wondering of whether or not there was a point.

All in all, I'm looking forward to travelling alongside them as they continue their adventures. I'm already gleaning my favourite characters out; and despite some things perhaps being a bit “I saw that coming,” it's delivered in a method that makes me feel satisfied for guessing. There are also plenty of things that I didn't really see coming.

I first read this novel at university for a various-genres literature course. I didn't quite understand it then, although the analytic lens I acquired during the class definitely helped me understand it now, and appreciate it even better. This is the epitome, for me, of a slice-of-life novel; Steinbeck, as I wrote in the margins of one paragraph, “continues to be ingenious,” and that stands for me. The switching of different perspectives ( of different slices of life ) in-between the chapters wasn't boring, and there was nothing that rambled on that didn't come back around full circle. Each character, no matter how minor or major, had a distinct personality and a distinct purpose in the place of Cannery Row as a whole. Reading about this kind of place for me was the definition of relatable, even some near-one-hundred-odd years later. And it's because of this ability that Steinbeck has, to continue to be found and relatable, that makes me apt to give it five stars. I recommend Cannery Row for anybody who is older, and has had life happen to them, and needs to see it written down somewhere.