From the Bookshelf of Reading the Chunksters…

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Start date: October 2, 2011

Finish date: December 17, 2011

Discussion leader: Loretta

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Jun 09, 2022 Jake rated it it was amazing

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Decided to reread this for the first time in a few years and I am certain that East of Eden is probably the greatest achievement ever written in the English language. The way Steinbeck opens a chapter is so special—explorations of man, good and evil, generational trauma, then connecting them to the story. All the characters, even the smallest ones, feel so lived-in and nuanced. This book alone has probably four of my favourite literary characters ever (Cathy, Lee, Sam Hamilton, and Cal). Every p ...more

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Oct 03, 2025 Esther rated it it was amazing

I feel as though Steinbeck would be properly introduced to high schoolers with his multigenerational magnum opus. Grapes of wrath was great, but East of Eden….. man.

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

“Was this some kind of joke or did things balance so that if one went too far in one direction, an automatic slide moved on the scale and the balance was reestablished? “

“When a child first catches adults out… his world falls into panic desolation”

“You’re going to pass som ...more

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Sep 11, 2024 Nathan B rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a book I put off for years, and I’m so glad I finally read it. One of the greatest books I’ve read, by far. I’ll be thinking of this story for a long time.

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