East of Eden in Read the Movie

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 these 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 central 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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Mar 05, 2013 Abigail rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2013-goodreads-book-challenge, james-books, audiobooks, top-10-favorite-audiobooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book hits me on a personal level in a couple of different ways. Before I ever read this book, I came to know this story when I worked at a video store many years ago and I used to always put on the mini series version of it to watch in the store while I worked. Not the James Dean version, which isn't really like the book at all, but the 1981 mini-series http://tinyurl.com/belyeph which from what I know is a much more true adaptation of the story. However as the movie is so long, I would usu This book hits me on a personal level in a couple of different ways. Before I ever read this book, I came to know this story when I worked at a video store many years ago and I used to always put on the mini series version of it to watch in the store while I worked. Not the James Dean version, which isn't really like the book at all, but the 1981 mini-series http://tinyurl.com/belyeph which from what I know is a much more true adaptation of the story. However as the movie is so long, I would usually only see the beginning and so I came to be most familiar with just the FIRST part of the story and never knew the ending, which was good for me going into my reading of the book.

My favorite character from the mini-series [and now the book] is Cathy, who I have always been truly fascinated by as I can't recall ever reading a character so cold, evil and inhuman to the point that can send chills down your spine. Now that I finally read the book I came to know the many other lovable characters in the story such as Lee, Samuel Hamilton, Adam/Charles and Aron/Cal. Not only did I get to know these characters, but I KNOW these characters from real life. Well mostly Cathy I should say, as I mentioned I know this book on a personal level - I actually have seen with my own eyes a person very similar to Cathy and when you meet someone like that in your life you will never forget them. I give this book 5 stars because of the moments. There is a biblical message here but I saw past that and what I took from the story are those special "moments." Just like Steinbeck has done in previous books, he will take his characters, place them in a situation that he guides you through then suddenly smacks you on the head with a sometimes subtle, sometimes shocking and earth shattering "moment" of revelation, surprise, humor, or sadness. **spoilers** A couple of these scenes I enjoyed the most involved Lee, one of the most lovable and "good" characters in the story. I loved when he told his origin story involving his parents incredible and amazing struggle when his mom was pregnant with him. Also one of my favorite scenes in any of the Steinbeck books I've read [I've read around 3 prior to this one] is when Lee decides to leave the Trask family, but as the boys knowingly predict, he comes back after only a few days. When Lee really shines is in his early interactions with Sam Hamilton, the other truly "good" character in the story, and I saw Lee and Sam together as somewhat of a balance to the deep evil of Cathy. One more of my most favorite scenes is when Sam and Cathy are alone in the room together as Cathy is giving birth, which, in an unintentionally funny personal coincidence reminds me of another good vs. evil bedroom scene I saw in a book I read last month The Exorcist! There are dozens of these types of moments as we witness entire lifetime spans of some of these people from birth to death. It was an epic and beautiful story to me and I am left feeling good and satisfied after completing the journey. ...more

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