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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I have never known a better villain than the one in this book. This one is hard to put down.
The story amazing , about boundaries being crossed
One of the best books I have ever read.
It was a good story and the characters seemed real. the time period was interesting an the story was fascinating;;his characters are interesting. amd found myself living though the story. He is a wonderful story telle; the people seem real. I plan to read all his others. Steinbeck is truly a great writer of our time.
A masterpiece! This multi-generational saga will have you doing the “just one more chapter” thing before you finally reluctantly give in, only to find it is the first thing on your mind the following day. A beautiful story of family, enduring love, fractured relationships, and the evolution of American society through the decades of the 1800’s through the early 1900’s in Steinbeck’s home turf of Salinas, California. The family dynamics still ring true today, which gives EAST OF EDEN a timelessness that will appeal to today’s generation.
Steinbeck’s characters are multi-faceted and he reveals them to us with subtle glimpses into the deeper, hidden, places of their souls, those places they would rather no one sees. Do not be surprised when you see yourself in some or all of them.
If you have not already seen the movie (which covers only 1/4 of the book), read the book first! There are so many exquisite layers here that Hollywood could never explore in the short time of most films.
I love this novel so much, it is on my KEEPER SHELF. I will read this book again, and maybe many times; it is that good.
Beautifully written.
Possibly the greatest novel ever written. Steinbeck reaches a plateau higher than his past novels, delivering one of the most important novels of American literature.
It doesn’t need my review…what’s to say? It’s gorgeous…should be mandatory reading for the whole planet.
This book is a classic, and for a very good reason. It’s a gripping story that doesn’t let go of you even after you’ve turned the last page. Steinbeck explores evil in a different way in this book, but somehow you are better for having gone with him on the journey.
At over 600 pages, this was a long book and it took a while to finish it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. But when I think back, I realize I’ve always enjoyed books by Steinbeck.
Wonderfully written.
This is my favorite Steinbeck story. The characters and place pull you in. It’s been a few years since I read it but I feel like I can still smell the sun baked dirt of the valley.
Just a sad depressing read all.and all.
I remembered the movie just a little, but this wasn’t what I remembered at all.
Some was like the movie but there was a lot of history of the Salinas valley. It kept my attention from first to last.
I know its a 70 year old classic but it is as relevant today as it was when it was written. I first read it in 1981, and I reread it every couple. If you only know the story through the 1955 movie starring James Dean, you’re only getting about one third of this epic masterpiece. Steinbeck’s greatest novel, even over his also brilliant “The Grapes Of Wrath.”
Finally finished reading this, and my head is still spinning.
Timshel.
The book can basically be summed up in the one word that Lee so carelessly translated for the readers: you may. In the context of the story, it means that a person has a choice as to whether or not they will overcome sin instead of the more popular translation that shows a command of the same passage.
The entire story shows the arcs of good and evil, brother versus brother, first with Adam and his brother than with Adam’s sons, Cal and Aron. The way the plot builds from one generation to the next, showing the way that sin may or may not conquer a person really leaves you thinking.
For some of the characters, such as Cathy, there was no doubt that she would make the choice to follow sin, to revel in it. As a self-proclaimed monster feeling as if there was something missing from her, she felt as if she had no other choice in the world. Stuck between her as his mother, and his kind-hearted father choosing kindness after the horrors Cathy inflicted on him left Cal at a crossroads as to how to approach the darkness he believed himself to possess.
And at the end, after his brother’s death and his father lays dying, Cal is once again presented with the choice to hate himself and drown in his loathing for what he’s done, or to live an honorable life, cherishing those he’s lost.
A powerful, powerful story.
Love the theme that we can choose and the end is great but Cathy Trask is such a weird,unbelievable character that I can’t rate this higher.
It is one of his best and always good to read a classic now and then.
A wonderful tale with a great story line and characters that surprise you all along the and an ending that is both tragic and hopeful. Steinbeck at his best.
One of my favorite John Steinbeck books. It has partial truth involving his childhood.