The Winter of Our Discontent: (Penguin Modern Classics)

Ethan Allen Hawley has lost the acquisitive spirit of his wealthy and enterprising forebears—a long line of proud New England sea captains and Pilgrims. Scarred by failure, Ethan now works as a grocery clerk in a store his family once owned.

However, his life is far from tranquil:

• His wife is restless.
• His teenage children are troubled and hungry for the material comforts he cannot provide.

Then, a series of unusual events reignites Ethan's ambition, pitching him onto a bold course where all scruples are put aside.

Steinbeck delivers a searing examination of the evil influences of money, immorality, greed, and ambition on America. This powerful narrative drew acclaim from the Nobel Committee, who hailed him as an 'independent expounder of the truth.'

"Returns to the high standards of The Grapes of Wrath and to the social themes that made his early work ... so powerful"
— Saul Bellow, author of Herzog