It depicts life at the University of California, Berkeley in a series of 20 "episodes" featuring a variety of characters.

[2] After graduation, he served in the army during World War I, and then pursued a career as a writer, publishing stories in a number of magazines.

He traveled to Paris in 1924 where he lived on a small stipend from an aunt while composing The Western Shore, his first novel.

[3] The New York Times gave The Western Shore a tepid review, describing it as "realistic, brilliant and sound, without being great or important in any respect.

[1] Other critics, including Van Wyck Brooks, Paul Rosenfeld, and Carey McWilliams gave more positive assessments.