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East of Eden

John Steinbeck

4.38 · Rating details · 439,873 ratings · 20,177 reviews

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 intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of A ...more

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Kindle Edition, 620 pages

Published February 5th 2002 by Penguin Classic (first published 1952)

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Aug 21, 2012 Emily May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2016

“All great and precious things are lonely.”

Such an amazing book. An instant all time favourite.

I'm sure you've heard of this book. Often touted as one of the "greatest novels of all time" or "books you must read before you die". For some reason, I've been putting it off. Maybe because I was made to study Of Mice and Men to death in school, or maybe because I thought The Grapes of Wrath was a little overrated. But I've been missing out.

A closer look should have told me that. Because I love fa ...more

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Apr 18, 2007 Frank rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: any American lit fan

Shelves: favorites, to-reread

This book is mind blowing. It is John Steinbeck at his sharpest. He said that every author really only has one "book," and that all of his books leading up to East of Eden were just practice--Eden would be his book.

I could write a summary of the book, but it would be more trouble than it's worth. You will often hear it referred to as a "modern retelling of the Genesis story of Cain and Abel" but that is too simplistic. Steinbeck takes the story of Cain and Abel and makes Cain (in the form of Ca This book is mind blowing. It is John Steinbeck at his sharpest. He said that every author really only has one "book," and that all of his books leading up to East of Eden were just practice--Eden would be his book.

I could write a summary of the book, but it would be more trouble than it's worth. You will often hear it referred to as a "modern retelling of the Genesis story of Cain and Abel" but that is too simplistic. Steinbeck takes the story of Cain and Abel and makes Cain (in the form of Cal Trask) the sympathetic character. Cal Trask does not act destructively for the sake of destruction, but he is desperately clawing for approval and love from his father, Adam, who prefers Cal's twin brother, Aron. The story isn't that pat, though--Cal and Aron really don't make their entrances as major characters until the last quarter of the 600 page novel. So, to say that this book is simply the retelling of Cain and Abel is to oversimplify the book. The main theme of the book is the desire within everyone for love, and how this desire can make people turn to destructive behavior.

This book has been criticized for being too verbose, meandering, inconsistently paced, and heavy handed in its parallel with the story of Cain and Abel. Yes, it is verbose and meandering, but that's Steinbeck. It gives a full picture of the Salinas valley. It gives you insights and perspectives you might not otherwise have. If anything, Steinbeck's constant forays into unrelated sidebars give the reader a break in pace, a rest that makes the more important parts of the books feel as though they flow more smoothly. As for the parallel with Cain and Abel, it is heavy-handed. That being said, the heavy-handedness didn't bother me. Going in to the novel with the expectation of it being a retelling of Cain and Abel (at least for some of the narrative) is enough to make the obvious references to Cain and Abel seem natural. If Steinbeck had given the impression that he was trying to hide the parallel, it would have been insulting. But Steinbeck isn't trying to hide it--he makes it clear that the story of Cain and Abel are an integral part of his story.

East of Eden is an amazing novel. Its strong points more than compensate for the very few shortcomings. Steinbeck is such a tremendous writer that his shortcomings become strengths. I highly recommend it. ...more

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Mar 10, 2015 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, favorites, borrowed, 2016, book-a-book-club

Very easy for me to rate this book 5 stars. It is amazing. There is so much in it and it is not hard to read. It just tells it like it is and does it so well.

It is like a high priced, high quality buffet with lots of different stations. At each of those stations is a main table with an awesome featured food (thick cut prime rib, chocolate fondue fountain, Mongolian BBQ bowl, etc.). In layman's terms, there is SO MUCH awesome story here with a HUGE payoff every 50 pages or so. I am very satisfied ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 Muhtasin Oyshik rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classics, 601-700-pp, 5-star, read-in-2020

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
description

I bet this book will change how you see humanity and how you think about good and evil. If you are a father, or a son, or especially a father of sons, then I imagine this story will be so full of truth it will shake you to your core and leave you lying nervously in bed at night, praying for your children. Praying perhaps for yourself.

And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.

Timshel. ...more

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Jul 12, 2007 Laura rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: overrated, fiction

I hate this book. Hate. Ponderous, pretentious, melodramatic, self-satisfied, patronizing to its readers, with ultimately nothing to say. Can be summarized thus: a bunch of people with no formal education whatsoever sit around discussing the time they read the Old Testament in Hebrew. They then tell us all how to live. Uh...right. I knew we were in trouble with the unbelievably lame introduction -- some forced, self-congratulatory metaphor about a box, if memory serves -- but it's hard to believ ...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Vit Babenco rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One of the most appropriate epithets that apply to this novel is ‘monumental’. Indeed East of Eden stands as a monument to the entire epoch and those people that lived in those troubled days. This is a chronicle of generations – of parents and children.

When a child first catches adults out – when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not have divine intelligence, that their judgments are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just – his world falls into panic de

...more

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Mar 08, 2016 Luca Ambrosino rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

English (East of Eden) / Italiano

«The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay»

"East of Eden" is a powerful novel, thick with biblical reference, in which the characters seem real and not fictional, protagonists of a generational saga about good and evil. About pure hatrded and unconditional love. You will love all the characters of the novel,

...more

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Jun 25, 2014 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, havanas-en-masse, nobels, monster-mash-of-a-mess, so-good-it-hurts, unforgettable, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die

I have no words to describe what this novel did to my reading self!

It was my first Steinbeck, and it made me fall in love with his writing, his ideas, his cry for individual freedom and social justice. It made me ache for goodness in a world of evil, and it made me respect the power of storytelling to explain the inexplicable difficulties of family life.

It was the first time I felt scared of a fictional character!

I don't think I have ever been so deeply shaken as by Cathy/Kate, and she remai ...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Henry Avila rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Adam Trask was a weak but kind boy and later man, his father treated him quite badly even his jealous, sadistic half- brother younger but stronger hit him repeatedly , barely surviving one brutal vicious fight. Born in the middle of the American Civil War, in a Connecticut farm he and brother Charles are turned into good little soldiers at a very tender age. Cyrus their father lost a leg in the war, boasting of being in every major battle (which is physically impossible). In fact the private was Adam Trask was a weak but kind boy and later man, his father treated him quite badly even his jealous, sadistic half- brother younger but stronger hit him repeatedly , barely surviving one brutal vicious fight. Born in the middle of the American Civil War, in a Connecticut farm he and brother Charles are turned into good little soldiers at a very tender age. Cyrus their father lost a leg in the war, boasting of being in every major battle (which is physically impossible). In fact the private was only in a blue uniform six months, getting his appendage shot off during the first day of his first battle. But Cyrus becomes such a good liar, that people begin to actually believe him as he, does as well! Yet writing marvelous but fictional war articles, in the major American newspapers. Consequently he receives a job with the Grand Army of the Republic an influential veterans group of Union soldiers, in Washington. His first wife commits suicide, the second dies of illness let's say Cyrus was not a very lovable person. Adam is forced by his father at sixteen, to join the army to make him a man and save his hide from Charles. Running down the few scattered renegade Indians in the plain states, Adam hates his job still does it bravely and well. When the father dies both boys inherit a vast sum of money, was their father not only a liar but also a thief ? Out of the military good Adam marries a woman of ill repute Cathy, a lady so evil that Satan would be ashamed to be associated with her. Adam buys a farm in northern California's rugged Salinas Valley , Cathy gives birth to twin boys non identical Caleb (Cal) and Aaron (Aron), shoots Adam and abandons the newborns. Not mother of the year material, the wife's manners could also be improved. Cathy takes up residence in a home which you can guess what kind it is, but Adam lives and goes into a deep funk ... Lee the much loved Chinese servant, takes over and raises the kids better than the moody, distant, bitter father could ever do ...Thoughts: This story is an allegory of the Bible's Adam and Eve , being thrown out of The Garden of Eden but also about wicked Cain and his good brother, Abel. Steinbeck was born in the frontier town of Salinas the Old West was still alive, the few settlers struggled to make a living in the harsh land. The world changed forever, as the book says when the year 1900 arrived,"Ladies were not ladies anymore and you couldn't trust a gentleman's word". Sam Hamilton a neighbor of Adam and soon friend, was different like a Patriarch out of the Bible with his nine children, wise and tough but not practical thus always poor ... Nevertheless these people are needed as Steinbeck believes, to give guidance to others, which is very lacking today. ..The author's most ambitious and his favorite work. Love and lots of hate, much conflict and a little peace all there. Sam Hamilton was the writer's grandfather. ...more

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May 06, 2017 Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nobel-lit, fiction, novels, classics, american-20th-c, pulitzer-fiction, favorites, made-into-movie

Steinbeck's classic East of Eden is a masterpiece and one of his finest books. It tells the history of Steinbeck's own family, the Hamiltons, and that of the Trask family. The epic is set in Steinbeck's native Salinas Valley in California and the beauty of the region is described in endless, passionate detail.
The characters are all beautifully drawn and the story is captivating.

I'll add some quotes here before returning the book to the library, but it was extremely pleasurable to read cover to Steinbeck's classic East of Eden is a masterpiece and one of his finest books. It tells the history of Steinbeck's own family, the Hamiltons, and that of the Trask family. The epic is set in Steinbeck's native Salinas Valley in California and the beauty of the region is described in endless, passionate detail.
The characters are all beautifully drawn and the story is captivating.

I'll add some quotes here before returning the book to the library, but it was extremely pleasurable to read cover to cover.

For example, concerning faith: "The proofs that God does not exist are vert strong, but in lots of people they are not as strong as the feeling that He does." (P.69)
Concerning monsters: "I believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents...To a criminal, honesty is foolish. You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous." (P.71)
On progress: "in our time,, mass or collective production has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religion, so that some nations have substituted the idea collective for the idea of God. This in my time is the danger." (P.131)
On racism and dumbing down, Lee: "If I should go up to a lady or gentleman, for instance, and speak as I am doing now, I wouldn't be understood...Pidgen they expect, pidgin they'll listen to. But English from me they don't listen to, and so they don't understand it." (P.161)

Time flies: "The clock struck nine deliberate strokes and they were swallowed up." (P.449)
Frustration with time scheduling: "One thing late or early cab disturb everything around us, and the disturbance runs outward in bands like waves from a dropped stone in a quiet pool." (P.530)

East of Eden uses a plethora of Biblical analogies starting with that in the title referring to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden - here Adam is expulsed from his home (though it was hardly a paradise) and thrust into the hell of a senseless war. Like veterans of other senseless wars, he comes back to a civilization that does not appreciate or understand what he lived through and he lives maladjusted for most of the rest of his life. His conflict with his brother Charles (Note: most of the major conflicts involve character names starting with an "A" (Adam, Aron, Abra) with character names starting with a "C" (Charles, Cal, Catherine)) is epic and sets many of the books major themes into play: rivalry over sex and power, jealousy, favoritism. There are many parallels throughout the book to Biblical stories and repetitive behaviors. This begs the question on whether anything is learned? I would say that despite the tragedy at the end, Lee does give us a sense of progress by taking the long view. It is significant that the last word in the book spoken by Adam is that which Lee and his Chinese scholars worked on together from Hebrew: Timshel "thou mayest".

Steinbeck was a masterful writer who beautifully evoked the Salinas Valley of his youth populating it with endearing and occasionally frightful characters that bring history alive. I would have to reread Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, but East of Eden is certainly one of Steinbeck's best if not the very best. ...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, united-states, 20th-century, classics, novels, literature

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

East of Eden is a novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, published in September 1952.

The story is primarily set in the Salinas Valley, California, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of World War I, though some chapters are set in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and the story goes as far back as the American Civil War.

In the beginning of East of Eden, before introducing his characters, Steinbeck carefully establishes the setting with a desc ...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Dolors rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Thou mayest

Shelves: best-ever, dost, read-in-2016

East of Eden is a uniquely fragmented hotchpotch. A fantastical fable, a retelling of the biblical tale of the original sin, a documented testimony of early settlers in the Salinas Valley through the perspective of three generations, a fictionalized biography of Steinbeck’s own grandfather, a subversive political text, an essay that blends modern philosophy with ancient wisdom.
It’s probable that Steinbeck’s ambitious scope and his need to reach universal meaning might encumber the narration with East of Eden is a uniquely fragmented hotchpotch. A fantastical fable, a retelling of the biblical tale of the original sin, a documented testimony of early settlers in the Salinas Valley through the perspective of three generations, a fictionalized biography of Steinbeck’s own grandfather, a subversive political text, an essay that blends modern philosophy with ancient wisdom.
It’s probable that Steinbeck’s ambitious scope and his need to reach universal meaning might encumber the narration with some faults.

The pace, the tone and the structure are uneven.
The book starts off in the first-person narrative, ostensibly Steinbeck himself, only to suddenly disappear and give way to an anonymous omniscient narrator.
Women appear opaque recipients of inherited constraint and duty. Gender is a question to be typified.
American history is treated as a casual backdrop without cohesive continuity. Racism is approached superficially and drawn to easy stereotyping.
Characters are not constricted by their roles. Some of them remain indecipherable. The causes that lead them to act a certain way are not fully acknowledged. It’s the moral dilemma and the consequences that matter, but it’s precisely the freedom Steinbeck grants to his characters that enables the allegorical quality of this tale to take its direct flight to the reader’s heart.

Truth is I couldn’t have cared less about the formal delivery of this book. My heart surrendered willingly and was bleeding from the first page.
Because it is Steinbeck’s aim that is faultless.
Because his ideals, which refuse to be pigeonholed by religion, double morale or self-complacency, and sincere passion shine through the naked, earnest prose that makes the stories of the Trasks and the Hamiltons a powerful parable that pulsates with unwavering faith in humanity.
Steinbeck reconstructs the architecture of the human spirit with all its weaknesses and cruelties, defies dogmatic predeterminism and elevates his characters’ struggles beyond any restrictive literary scheme. In placing the responsibility of the actions on human beings instead of an almighty presence, he is challenging the reader to call into question his own beliefs on fate, free will and guilt.
Hatred, envy, revenge, self-doubts and misguided fears haunt the heroes of this story, and they fight the dehumanizing effects of such visceral feelings with the only weapon Steinbeck approves of: love. Love in the widest sense of the word. Fraternal, filial, platonic, romantic. Much can be achieved if one is courageous enough to love even when rejection shatters wistful expectations. A childless man can have a daughter, genetic predisposition can be overpowered, instinctive meanness controlled, the gravest crime can be forgiven.

So many questions and no certain answers.
In all his wisdom, Steinbeck exposes his high principles and allows the reader to decide for himself. The possibility to choose, to pick this path or the other when we are at a crossroads is the most precious gift we are given along with life. We cannot choose to be made part of this world, of this bewildering place we seldom understand, but we can exert our goodwill and trust that others will do the same.
Love might cripple us, might make us fragile and defenseless, but it is the only way to reach the end of the journey without regret or remorse. Exile can’t befall on us if we dare to love. Paradise might not exist, but Steinbeck proves that loving others selflessly is the safe path to save us from ourselves. ...more

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Feb 03, 2015 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, classics, literary-stuff, made-me-think

An amazing book! East of Eden, a 1952 novel by John Steinbeck, is a long, sprawling, sometimes slow but often very intense read. Steinbeck considered it his magnum opus. It begins at the turn of the century in Connecticut, telling about the difficult childhood of Adam Trask and the pains and troubles caused him by his half-brother Charles. Adam meets and marries Cathy Ames, whom he blindly loves, but who is a truly evil, completely self-centered woman at heart.

They move out to the Salinas Valle ...more

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Apr 08, 2019 Annemarie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-english, favorites

I'm ashamed that it took me four months to write up this review, but I just couldn't find the right words to describe how I feel about this phenomenal book. Because it was absolute perfection!

I did watch the movie adaption first (ages ago) and loved it, and it has a very special place in my heart because it started off my obsession with James Dean (who I now call my favorite person of all time, so yeah, it's a pretty big deal to me). I've been wanting to read the book ever since, but I was a bit ...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Adam Dalva rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A magic book, an everything book, both like and unlike everything else Steinbeck wrote. I can never quite manage to stop reading it - the naming scene and the ending are about as good as writing can get.

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Sep 05, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, favorites, year-2017

Alright friends, here's the dealio.

When I read this book, lots of things in my personal life were a hectic. When I finished this book, things were still hectic. I'm writing this now, and things are still a little hectic, but slowly they are leveling out (so no worries.)

The thing is, because of all that hectic, I did not document my thoughts about this book the way I normally would do. I also made the fatal mistake of waiting far too long to sit down & write my review upon finishing.

Usually, if ...more

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Aug 24, 2007 Lucy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone!

Shelves: favorites

I finished this last night and afterwards, I lay back on my pillow extremely satisfied just thinking about it. It's so rare that I read something that delights me from beginning to end. While there were a few turns on the journey that confused me and seemed to take the book in a different direction, his connecting all the characters, the stories and do it with profound meaning is nothing short of brilliant. And to do it through his own person history, and one of the oldest stories of the Bible o I finished this last night and afterwards, I lay back on my pillow extremely satisfied just thinking about it. It's so rare that I read something that delights me from beginning to end. While there were a few turns on the journey that confused me and seemed to take the book in a different direction, his connecting all the characters, the stories and do it with profound meaning is nothing short of brilliant. And to do it through his own person history, and one of the oldest stories of the Bible only adds to his brilliance.

I'm always surprised when I love a classic. Perhaps because there are a lot that I haven't liked, or merely tolerated, but this was a joy to read. The characters are so multi-dimensional and interesting that their stories and development become almost personal. Adam, Samuel, Lee, Abra, Cal, Aron, Kate/Cathy and even Liza were real for me. Their homes were real. Their towns were real. Best of all, the consequences to their actions were real.

How do you summaraize East of Eden? It's a story about good and evil. But most of all, it's a story about choice. For me, the central part of the book was the realization made by Lee, Adam and Samuel when they were dissecting the story of Cain and Able and their offerings. In one translation, the Lord rebukes Cain's offering by saying, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."

It was while reading a different translation that Lee, a Chinese servant, noticed a difference. In it, rather than saying "thou shalt rule over him" it said "do thou rule over him" They noticed that it wasn't a promise, it was an order. Such a difference got Lee wondering what original word different translations came from.

After years of studying with Chinese philosophers and a rabbi, the consensus was that the original Hebrew word, Timshel, actually means "Thou mayest". Therefore, the bible does not order that man triumph over sin or promises that it will. It says that the way is open. For if thou mayest...that mayest not.

Brilliant! Because that's what I think! Agency is so important to Heavenly Father that he allowed 1/3 of His children to leave him permanently. Of course we have a choice over sin.

Steinbeck leaves the story briefly in Chapter 34 when he writes a short essay about the one story that exists. He says,

Humans are caught - in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too - in a net of good and evil....A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well -- or ill? In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love. When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influences and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror. It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world. We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.

This is what his book is about it. Man's struggle over good and evil. In a completely human story, Steinbeck captured THE story with his characters and storylines. This is a book I happily recommend to anyone and will buy for my all-time greatest books library. ...more

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Mar 20, 2008 Kristin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone!!

Shelves: all-time-favorites, classics, book-club-books

I am on a golden roll of amazingly fantastic books!! East of Eden by John Steinbeck was our book club pick for this month. I almost didn't read it. You see, it's an old friend...and I ALMOST didn't re-read it... and that would have been tragic.

East of Eden is an epic story about good and evil. It tells the story of two families: the Trasks and the Hamiltons. It spans 3 generations and retells the Biblical story of Cain and Abel set in the Salinas Valley of Northern California.

Perspective...life ...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: chunkster, classics, 2014-super-favorites, read-2014, buddy-read-susan, inspirational, favorites

Wow! I just don't know how to express the overwhelming power of this inspirational story! It is one of those novels that really isn't over when you finish reading it as it stays with you inside your head and heart forever. There is so much to ponder: Just a simple question like, "What am I here for?" or to feel the story of Cain and Abel come to life; and gosh, I don't think I will ever forget the meaning of the Hebrew word Timshel (thou mayest) a very important symbol in this book meaning we ha ...more

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Dec 09, 2017 Helene Jeppesen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I read this first when I was at university and I loved it.
I read this again now as a 30-year-old avid reader who has become much more critical when it comes to books.
I’m happy to say that while this was a bumpy revisit, “East of Eden” remains one of my favourite books!
This novel is about inheritage and how hard it sometimes is to develop away from your inheritage. What makes you good? What makes you bad? And do some of us contain more of one or the other? Those are some of the questions that C ...more

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Jan 01, 2021 Brian rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the slow, eating agony of a lie is never lost.”

Like the Book of Genesis, where it pulls its inspiration from, “East of Eden” is the story of us. The good and the bad, and our struggle to be ruled by one or the other, acknowledging that both are inherent in our natures. It is a beautiful book filled with people I felt strongly about, and all of them so fully and wonderfully human.
Steinbeck continues to impress me with his ability to create a complete ch “The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the slow, eating agony of a lie is never lost.”

Like the Book of Genesis, where it pulls its inspiration from, “East of Eden” is the story of us. The good and the bad, and our struggle to be ruled by one or the other, acknowledging that both are inherent in our natures. It is a beautiful book filled with people I felt strongly about, and all of them so fully and wonderfully human.
Steinbeck continues to impress me with his ability to create a complete characterization in only a few sentences. Even cameo roles in this text are flesh and blood people. One of the joys of this book was that I genuinely enjoyed peeking into the lives of many of these characters. One highlight is the character of Samuel Hamilton and his wife and various offspring. I fell a little bit in love, and the parts of the book that focused on them soared in my opinion. The Trask twins are also well rendered and what Steinbeck does with the two of them (no spoilers here) is brilliant!
The people of “East of Eden” are so real, that at the death of a truly unsavory character I felt unexpected sadness. This was not a good person, a monster even, but they still had a humanity. I love when a novel forces me to remember that.
Chapter 34 of this text is everything. One of the best summations of what the human story is that I have come across in a novel. And the closing paragraph of this chapter…
“We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.”
Wow!
At one point Steinbeck writes, “In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved.” There is a lot in that statement, and a hopefulness that I (and I hope all of us) refuse to yield.
When you read a novel, and you see yourself reflected in many ways, in bits of many characters, you know that you are reading a great story of the human condition.
“East of Eden” is such a book. ...more

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May 17, 2016 Perry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: stela-eða-láni

Colorful Biblical Tale of Flawed Humanity

East of Eden, Steinbeck's apex of his awe-inspiring talent, is based loosely on the tale of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel.

There is NO more evil, morally-corrupt female in the entire canon of Western Literature than Cathy Ames.

Cathy Ames

All Steinbeck’s characters seem so real. His novels achieve all this mastery despite being comfortably accessible reading. This novel keenly affected me and transported me to the lush open country of California in the early 20 ...more

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Aug 20, 2017 Samra Yusuf rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fav, historical-fiction

Those who are hurt most have the tremendous ability to heal, but what if a bruised heart defies to heal and turns indifferent by the time, what if a hand castoff once never advances again, what if a child lulled fallaciously to sleep never believes in fairies again, what if Cain abandoned God who rejected his sacrifice and preferred Abel over him. God was rejected in exchange and rightly so!

East of Eden might be taken leisurely as the re-telling of biblical tale of original sin, or a family biog Those who are hurt most have the tremendous ability to heal, but what if a bruised heart defies to heal and turns indifferent by the time, what if a hand castoff once never advances again, what if a child lulled fallaciously to sleep never believes in fairies again, what if Cain abandoned God who rejected his sacrifice and preferred Abel over him. God was rejected in exchange and rightly so!

East of Eden might be taken leisurely as the re-telling of biblical tale of original sin, or a family biography , the tone of author in throughout this elephantine volume (took me eternity to wind up) is of a lover who longs for his lost love, Steinbeck’s California is more like a character than the mere setting, it breaths and reeks and bleeds like other characters of the tale, they are prone to trust and betrayed, to love and befooled, fallible figures with all the flaws a perfect human can come with, the wars they wage within themselves on the daily basis does little to crack the outer shell, some are exhausted by the instinctive meanness in them, to be good is an effort sedulous:
Released in September of 1952, the reading public certainly confirmed the merits of Steinbeck’s masterpiece. East of Eden is arguably his most problematic work, an attempt to weave together the history of Steinbeck's family and an invented story that is a modern parallel to that of Cain and Abel, the structural flaws of the story, the intrusive narrative, forced text, lack of unity between the tales of two families the Hamiltons and Trasks, and sheer evil in the form of only female character is what makes us doubt its high merits, but yet it echoes through ages and to this day is not out of print.
We might acclaim this magnum opus of Steinbeck, for its breadth and scope, we eventually come to condemn the seemingly incoherent structure of the tale, the people who populate the story are writhed and broken, rejected and dismayed, abandoned and repudiated, and every one of them is chained in his own hell, pondering over the only one colossal confusion that ever struck human mind, what the potent victor in His rage can else inflict, do I repent, or change, and they are given answer in “thou mayest”
Amid the cacophony of its uneven tone and structure, the tale has never ceased to fascinate our relentless hearts, who identify these characters, know them, and have been them at some point of time, Steinbeck’s characterization of the main antagonist in the text, Cathy Ames Trask. Simultaneously a prostitute and a mother, a masochist and a coward, a manipulator and a loner, Cathy is the catalyst for the plot of the novel. Her actions wreak havoc on the lives of everyone, she is a monster in true sense of the word, and she delights in causing destruction. Cathy’s behavior is indeed diabolical, and she is introduced to us as a congenital monster who has always been evil.

But then, there is this hope a thing with feathers, even inborn monsterity can be placated with words of love, Love the godforsaken epidemic that makes us uniquely vulnerable, the power we give someone to completely mess up with our heart and hurt it in the places, where no other can reach: this fragility and defenselessness makes it a fortress unconquerable, love never aims to achieve anything, nor even love in return, paradise might not exist, might there not be God, as long as we breathe love, the world is a place worth living even for monsters, because all is not lost! ...more

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Jan 02, 2008 umang rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: loathsome

This is a long, long sermon masquerading as a novel. Its aim seems clear- to be the great American novel. In spite of, or maybe because of this overreach, it is completely unsatisfying. The characters are mere symbols. Most of the themes pertain to the characters’ moral dilemmas, but it is difficult to be drawn into these since the characters lack any real complexity. The men are various superlatives (greatest, kindest, wisest). There are two women characters, one evil and exaggerated to the poi ...more

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Jun 22, 2017 Natalia Yaneva rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Bulgarian review below/Ревюто на български е по-долу
Human life is a repetition. It repeats the lives of old and it repeats itself. Human life is also a spiral. Sometimes it seems we are walking in circles, but actually we’re getting ever so slightly closer to the center. We make mistakes that people smarter than us and people more stupid than us also made, but we continue moving towards our own centers. Everything that could ever be done has already been done, we only change it a bit and ada ...more

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Sep 28, 2013 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite

So FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Mar 20, 2019 Johann (jobis89) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

A modern retelling of the story of Cain and Abel, East of Eden brings to life the intricate details of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons.

No review I could ever write would do this book justice. I was almost tempted to just have my review as this simple statement: “if you haven’t read this, just do it.” But.... incase you haven’t noticed, I often have a lot to say.

Where to begin? I’ll start with Steinbeck’s writing. This was so ...more

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Apr 04, 2019 Glenn Sumi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, nobel-winners, 1900-1960, guardian-1000

Classics are classics for a reason
I was too busy to write a proper review of this last year after I'd finished it, but let me try now. It's Steinbeck's epic look at two families – the Trasks and the Hamiltons – in the Salinas Valley, California setting of his own childhood. (Steinbeck himself is a minor character in the book.)

There are lots of biblical echoes: Cain and Abel; the sins of the father; etc.

What amazed me was how contemporary the book's language and insights felt. This is not some d ...more

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Jun 08, 2015 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, classics

"And now that you don't have to be perfect you can be good."

This book is one of the masterpieces of literature. A story that will stand the test of time, with vivid, unforgettable characters that will haunt you long after you've closed the book. East of Eden is the story of life. It's a story about brotherhood, jealousy, anger, pain, love, evil, sacrifice, redemption. It's one of those books you want to thrust into the hands of your friends, family, neighbors, peers and shout, "Read this, it's g ...more

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Jun 13, 2009 Dan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-philosophical-literature

My first encounter with Steinbeck was The Grapes of Wrath. I didn't enjoy the encounter. Had my first encounter been East of Eden, I most likely would have already read everything else he's written.

This is the the age-old story of the struggle between good and evil, but with an interesting twist. Steinbeck sees the coexistence of good and evil as necessary for the emergence of character or greatness. He lays the responsibility for that emergence squarely on the shoulders of the individual and sh My first encounter with Steinbeck was The Grapes of Wrath. I didn't enjoy the encounter. Had my first encounter been East of Eden, I most likely would have already read everything else he's written.

This is the the age-old story of the struggle between good and evil, but with an interesting twist. Steinbeck sees the coexistence of good and evil as necessary for the emergence of character or greatness. He lays the responsibility for that emergence squarely on the shoulders of the individual and shows that the exercise of free will (timshel) is the key to that emergence. Some people (Adam, Aron, and Cathy/Kate in the story) possess within themselves only good or only evil. Achieving true character or greatness is an impossibility for them, because choice is not possible and is, in fact, meaningless. Rather than character or greatness, their lives lead inevitably to self-destruction. For others (Sam, Lee, and Cal) good and evil constantly struggle for domination. Even when the good naturally dominates, one must exercise free will to exhibit character or achieve greatness. Sam and Lee are both considered good men, but each must choose actions that hurt Adam and Cal respectively, to bring them to necessary realizations. Sam and Lee consider themselves cowards for having not chosen to act sooner or for not acting in instances where action was called for. In Cal, the evil tends to dominate and he tries to shift the blame for his actions to heredity. He uses the evil as a balm for his guilt...he feels better about himself by feeling sorry for himself. Through Lee's refusal to let Cal do either, Cal begins to take responsibility for his actions and choices.

Steinbeck develops the character (in more than one sense) of Lee throughout the book and uses him as the primary vehicle through which he expounds the concepts expressed above. Of all that can be said about Lee, two things stand out. First is the influence that Sam Hamilton had on him. In a passage near the end of the book, much of what Lee says to Cal is what he learned from Sam early in the book and sounds like Sam speaking to Cal through Lee. Second is that Lee understands the difference between heritage and culture. His life demonstrates that both are important and that they overlap but he never confuses or equates the two.

East of Eden should be required reading in every high school American Lit class. ...more

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About John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck

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John Steinbeck III was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937. In all, he wrote twenty-five books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories.

In 1962 Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Steinbeck grew up in the Salinas Valley John Steinbeck III was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937. In all, he wrote twenty-five books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories.

In 1962 Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Steinbeck grew up in the Salinas Valley region of California, a culturally diverse place of rich migratory and immigrant history. This upbringing imparted a regionalistic flavor to his writing, giving many of his works a distinct sense of place.

Steinbeck moved briefly to New York City, but soon returned home to California to begin his career as a writer. Most of his earlier work dealt with subjects familiar to him from his formative years. An exception was his first novel Cup of Gold which concerns the pirate Henry Morgan, whose adventures had captured Steinbeck's imagination as a child.

In his subsequent novels, Steinbeck found a more authentic voice by drawing upon direct memories of his life in California. Later he used real historical conditions and events in the first half of 20th century America, which he had experienced first-hand as a reporter.

Steinbeck often populated his stories with struggling characters; his works examined the lives of the working class and migrant workers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. His later body of work reflected his wide range of interests, including marine biology, politics, religion, history, and mythology.

One of his last published works was Travels with Charley, a travelogue of a road trip he took in 1960 to rediscover America. He died in 1968 in New York of a heart attack and his ashes are interred in Salinas.

Seventeen of his works, including The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), and East of Eden (1952), went on to become Hollywood films, and Steinbeck also achieved success as a Hollywood writer, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Story in 1944 for Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat. ...more