Two generations of a family in the Salinas Valley in California. Love! Hate! Lust! etc. etc.

Oh man. This is a good example of why Hollywood should not be allowed to get their hands on books...this is one of the worst movie adaptations I have ever seen, and although it has some of the same characters as the book, and a few of the same plot elements, it's almost completely different.

There were a couple of characters who were pretty good...the actors playing Cal and Abra were both likeable (and the young Julie Harris, very very cute!), as was Will Hamilton... on the other hand, they cut out Lee and Samuel, the two best characters from the book...now granted, they were mostly there for philosophizing, but still...

And why did they move Cathy/Kate's whorehouse to Monterey? that was a big question among the Book and Movie review group members who watched it...the only reasons I can think of would be A) because Steinbeck is connected with Monterey (although he grew up in Salinas, so there's just as big a connection there) and B) to show a lot of footage of James Dean riding on top of a train...

James Dean. Megastar. Icon of the fifties. Tragic hero.

HE WAS A WHINEYBOY. Wimpy, sulky, pouty, icky. Pretty much an anti-honey. What on EARTH did teenagers see in him to make him a star? sigh.

Anyway. I can't imagine what people think of this mishmosh of characters and plot if they HAVEN'T read this book, but having read it, it was purely awful.

Don't do it. Trust Otter on this. Just don't do it.