I've read a lot of Steinbeck at this point and this collection of short stories feels like an outlier in the oeuvre. The characters feel darker and less resilient than his normal fare with mixed results. Some of the stories read like juvenilia: the themes that would be treated with more care and depth later are present here, but wooden and mismanaged. On the other hand, there are some real shining lights in the collection as well. "The White Quail" is a beautiful portrait of a marriage and an insight into its damning moment that feels relevant today. "The Harness" is certainly a lurid, but fascinating window into the pressures and responsibilities of independence. I wonder if this particular story was inspired by Steinbeck's career as a writer. Making a choice that could pay off handsomely, but has just as much chance to bankrupt and destroy sounds like any creative endeavor or the pursuit of a creative career. I hope that Steinbeck enjoyed the process, but at this early point in his career it must have felt unbelievably nerve-racking.

Very nice collection! I liked "Johnny Bear" the best.

Like most short story collections there are hits and misses in here but the hits are so good that I've already forgotten the average stories.