East of Eden in Around the World in 80 Books

Feb 04, 2016 Suvi rated it it was ok

Shelves: _north-america, 1940-1969, novels

East of Eden is a family saga, a story of fathers and sons, a tale of love manifesting in different ways and sparking different reactions, an examination of how people sometimes speak past each other without truly understanding, and really everything in between you can think of. It's a hefty tome, one that Steinbeck himself liked the most and considered his magnum opus, but also one that suffers from being uneven and not really knowing where it wants to go.

It never quite finishes all the threads ...more

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Dec 18, 2006 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, fiction

My favorite in Steinbeck's body of work. I love how he describes California in this novel. The rolling hills and swaying dry grasses he speaks of are dear to my heart. ...more

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Mar 12, 2007 superawesomekt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: american-literature, american-west, literary-fiction, favorite-books-read-in-high-school

I have forgotten how rough and raw this book gets, but it is still fantastic. I wouldn't recommend it without qualification, but it still one of the finer books I have read. ...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: male-author, historical-fiction

I really love John Steinbeck. I just find so many of his characters to be so lovable. And he always has so much wisdom about agrarian life, the changing times, human nature, good vs. evil, etc. I love the random passages in Steinbeck's books that aren't exactly about the characters, but rather a commentary on the setting or times in which the novel is set.

This book is a parallel to the biblical Cain and Abel story, but really so much more than that. I really loved Cal and his struggle with the ...more

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Aug 13, 2008 Jenny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: male-authors, favorite-favorites, classics, historical-fiction, american-lit, steinbeck-fitzgerald, deserted-island, andy-jenny-bookclub

I will never for the life of me understand the hype around The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men. Both of them bored me and I did not even finish Grapes of Wrath. But East of Eden... I am in love, bury me with it in case I get to read after I die. Maybe.

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