Title: East of Eden
Author: John Steinbeck
Finished: March 15, 2009
Pages: 601
Published: 1952
I’ve heard a lot about this book, and even the movie, for the past few years so it was my first choice when it came to picking a Steinbeck I had never read. After I started reading, many people commented on their like of the story.
I will admit that in the beginning it took me some time to get used to the Steinbeck style of writing and the story because it jumped around quite a lot before settling into the main focus.
East of Eden tells the story of the Trask family beginning with Adam and Charles Trask, two brothers who couldn’t be more opposite, their relationship, and their father and mother. The story continues through their lives until they are grown men.
It was very interesting as the story developed and not realizing until near they how how history repeats itself and how her parents create who we are. The development of Adam’s sons was most intriguing because Steinbeck never came out and said Cal is like this and Aron is like that. He showed the reader until all of a sudden a lightbulb clicked and you realized you were almost watching Adam and Charles relationship.
But it’s not just about this one family, it’s also about a familiar relationship with neighbors (the Hamiltons), the scenery (Salinas Valley), and working craft (farming).
What started off as a struggle to fully grip onto the story, turned into quick page turning and giving up all other novels to read only this. I highly recommend it.
*Challenges: Steinbeck Challenge, Chunkster Challenge, Book Into Movie Challenge, A-Z Challenge, 999 Challenge, 50/100+ Challenge, Casual Classics Challenge, Book vs. Movie Challenge, Banned Book Challenge
Other Reviews: Devourer of Books
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