The Winter of Our Discontent (1961) Steinbeck’s last novel, incredibly modern and relevant, although the action takes place in the 60’s in New England, in a fictional small town.

The protagonist, Ethan Allen Hawley, a descendant of a once very wealthy family, a World War II veteran, a man of education, decency and honesty, finds himself in a difficult position.

He is forced to work as a clerk in a grocery store. Iten, accustomed to a completely different life, is not easy to accept such a fall. Then he makes a deal with his conscience to regain his former status and position. But will this make him happy?

«Readers seeking to identify the fictional people and places here described would do better to inspect their own communities and search their own hearts, for this book is about a large part of America today.»