A masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America’s most enduring authors, in a commemorative hardcover edition In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the … 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.
The masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love’s absence. Adapted for the 1955 film directed by Elia Kazan introducing James Dean, and read by thousands as the book that brought Oprah’s Book Club back, East of Eden has remained vitally present in American culture for over half a century.
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The saga that Steinbeck entangles the reader in is amazing. The reader takes an extraordinary voyage through a family’s struggles and accomplishments. A MUST READ.
Honestly this book should be required reading for everyone. I love it so much.
On the anniversary of John Steinbeck’s death, I want to recommend East of Eden to all serious fiction readers. I’ve read it three times now and each time I get a new and more powerful take-away from it,
Epic in scope, profound in message!
One thing I like about reading a classic literary great like John Steinbeck is he seems to break almost every literary or storytelling convention and get away with it. An example is point of view (POV). Many editors will say stick to one POV per chapter or at least put a page break in if you decide to suddenly switch POV. They say it’s jarring for the reader to snap back and forth from one POV to another too quickly.
But Steinbeck shatters that convention and the tale still flows nicely. It’s gripping and compelling in so many ways. He breaks a number of other storytelling norms throughout the novel but, at least for my part, I became so engrossed in the story it didn’t bother me at all.
Set in the Salinas valley, California, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Steinbeck intricately weaves the lives of two families together through generations of triumph, turmoil, and struggle.
Steinbeck considered East of Eden to be his magnum opus. It certainly is epic in scale and imparts several life lessons masterfully along the way.
A great read. Highly recommended.
I first read this after seeing the James Dean movie when I was a teen. The movie is only the tip of the iceberg. What a wonderful book. I recently read it again and it was even better this time. Ageless classic.
East of Eden is arguably Steinbeck’s greatest achievement. In this monumental work, he reenacts the myth of man’s Biblical fall from grace and the tragedy of the first murder. The patriarch of this epic novel is Adam Trask. He has two sons, Caleb and Aron, both of whom possess varying degrees of good and evil. The sons love each other, but Caleb believes their father loves Aron more. This sets in motion the consequential fate of their lives. For Steinbeck, at the core of humanity is a flux between the forces of good and evil and the between the forces of right and wrong. His keen eye captures the most striking examinations of the human soul. Although full of sadness, guilt, and death, the story offers hope in the end. Ranking alongside other classics such as Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and Morrison’s Beloved, there is hardly an American novel that gives more to the reader than East of Eden. It is an unparalleled literary accomplishment.
This is the first book that comes to mind when I think of my favorite reads while I was in high school. It’s a Steinbeck classic. Well, that statement goes without saying – all of his books are American classics. The James Dean film perfectly captures moments, but it could never compare to the whole novel.
This maybe what people mean when they talk about “the great American novel.” East of Eden reads like a soap opera, but it’s characters are far from hollow stereotypes. You’ll find yourself truly empathizing with their plights, genuinely disgusted by their actions, and full of tears at their pain. Its familiar and surprising all at the same time, truly making readers wonder if they ever really know or understand anyone else.
My favorite John Steinbeck novel!
Does one choose to be evil or is one born evil? That is the question of this novel, and the answer is more complicated than a straight yes or no. Great book. Kathy is one of the best female characters I’ve ever come across. John Steinbeck is a genius.
One of the few books that I have read twice.
The writing is so beautiful and the characters so well wrought this is writing at its highest level
Topics and themes explored shocking for its era.
My all-time favorite book. Lyrical. Beautiful. Moving.
One of the reasons he received the Nobel in Literature
A story that is eerily familiar with unforgettable characters
Even though it’s been quite a while since I’ve read this book, and I don’t remember details, it has left me all this time with a wonderful feeling of reading it. I think that’s a sign of a great book!
It makes you feel.
all of steinbeck books are wonderful but East of Eden drew me into the book more than most.
I loved this book. I think most people prefer Of Mice and Men or Grapes of Wrath but for me East of Eden was more interesting. The characters were rich. The family dynamic complex. I’ve been meaning to reread it but frankly it’s $14 on Kindle and I keep forgetting when I get to the library. Note to self.