Set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

Among the most memorable characters John Steinbeck created in his novels set in the farm country and fishing towns of central California are those who appear in the two works contained in this volume. Danny, Pilon, Pablo, Big Joe, and their disreputable buddies and sweethearts who live in the uphill district of Monterrey called Tortilla Flat (although it isn't flat at al) are in a strange way a kind of band of heroes, and Steinbeck portrays their...