East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
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Book Reviews of East of Eden
Book Review: No comparison to the film
Summary: 5 Stars
"East of Eden" is a beautifully written, sprawling, three generation saga of the men and women who settled the Salinas Valley in California. The story begins far away in the East, on the farm of the unscrupulous Cyrus Trask and his two sons, Adam and Charles. Adam is an upright, honest young man who naturally draws people to him, while Charles has an angry, violent spirit.
Charles tries in vain to earn the love of his father, and takes his anger at his failure out on Adam. Adam is sent by his father into the army as a sign of his love, but Cyrus keeps Charles close to home, knowing that war would release something dangerous and violent in his other son.
Adam wanders for many years across the country after his service, and some of the most lyrical passages in the book describe his life as a tramp, closely mirroring Steinbeck's own experiences during the Depression. Finally he returns to the farm and exists in uneasy partnership with Charles until the mysterious Cathy arrives. The more astute Charles quickly realizes her true nature, but innocent Adam marries her and they move to California.
Adam expects Cathy to pursue his dream of life on a ranch, but Cathy is a vicious, evil character with no redeeming qualities, and after the birth of twin sons she escapes only to re-emerge much later when her sons are grown. Adam hibernates for many years on the ranch, broken-hearted over Cathy's desertion, and convinced he must hide the secret from his sons forever, which become an impossible task. Repeating the pattern of their father's life, the twins Aron and Caleb vie for their father's love, with Aron effortlessly winning it while Caleb comes to believe there is something evil lurking in his spirit. But this time around, Caleb is redeemed in a way Charles never was.
Steinbeck's prose is masterful, and his descriptions of the Salinas Valley, lush with the rains, brutal with the drought, capture exactly why men were drawn to the west. His portrayals of character and motives--sadly lacking in the movie--are totally convincing, and his Adam is a flawed but admirable character.
Steinbeck has been a bit out of favor--at least until this was chosen as an Oprah book. As an English-as-a-second-language teacher I recently taught "The Pearl," and that book too surprised me with its gorgeous writing and subtle imagery. (We all read it in high school but I now realize it went right over my head.) Try Steinbeck again--you won't be disappointed--my book club wasn't!
Book Review: John Steinbeck's East of Eden is based on Genesis and is a mammoth and marvelous saga of an American family
Summary: 5 Stars
The Bible deeply influenced John Steinbeck winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. In "The Grapes of Wrath" he takes his inspiration from Exodus; in East of Eden it comes from the primeval stories of Genesis.
The long 602 book was published in 1962. The novel begins in Connecticut where Adam Trask and his older brother Charles live on a farm owned by their father Cyrus. Cyrus is a bigwig in the GAR and has a wooden leg from his Civil War service. We later learn he stole money from the GAR. The Vice-President of the USA and Secretary of War attend the old man's funeral. Adam enters the army for ten years while his irascible brother Charles stays on the farm making a fortune. There are shades of Cain and Abel in the tumultous relationship between these brothers.
Adam marries Cathy Trask who has burned her parents to death in a fire at her New England home. She has the face of an angel and the mind of a devil. After Adam and Cathy move to Salinas California she becomes pregnant. She gives birth to Cal and Aron but deserts the boys. She shoots Adam running away to a whorehouse. She later murders Faye the madam and becomes rich. She is one of the most evi women in American fiction. She will later meet Adam and her two sons in bitter confrontations. Cathy's suicide takes her to the secret place where she believes Alice in Wonderland waiths for her! Cathy is a greedy, horrible, cruel and devious witch!
Adam and the ever faithful Chinese servant Lee raise the two boys. On the night Cal takes Aron to the house of prostitution owned by Cathy the two boys engage in a fight. They also resemble Cain and Abel from the Bible. Aron elists in the World War One American Army and is killed in combat. Cal falls in love with Abel's longtime girl friend the beautiful and kind Abra Bacon. Adam who has suffered a stroke following the shocking death of Aron forgives Cal for his sins. As the last page ends we know Adam is at peace with his oldest son.
The novel is a big three masted ship which also looks at the family of Samuel Hamilton, his faithful wife Liza and their brood of nine children. The Hamiltons are good people and are friends with the lonely Adam Trask.
East of Eden is one of the greatest novels ever written in the United States. This reviewer has read it several times and enjoys it each time. It deals with such big subjects as love, hate, sin, forgivenss, the love of the land and what it means to be an American. This book is essential reading!
Book Review: "And by the way, what's the story about?"
Summary: 5 Stars
The riches fill up fast and frequently in East of Eden, so much so that you're almost certain to call it one of the best books you've ever read long before you approach the end (which won't take long either). I feared how I'd react to a book so venerated - now, at 29, I'm long past the ability to read a book I'm "supposed" to read and appreciate the dimensions of. Besides a love of great writing, what makes East of Eden so easy to read is a nimble grasp - if not an embarrassing ease - Steinbeck seems to have on the fundamental understandings of life. I can't remember the last time I read a book like this that truly made me think, "Holy crap, the secrets of life are in here!"
Here's what it does right, I think, right off the bat. It's not Adam Trask, the conflicted, haunted protagonist at its center, it's his brother, Charles. In the early pages of the novel, Adam and Charles get in a fight for which Charles is to blame. Yet as you get to know the two of them, something about Charles' rage and loneliness is compelling even as he sits in the background of the novel. East of Eden moves in and around their relationship, then moves away, as Adam falls in love with Cathy, which does not go well. Yet with each movement through Adam's life, the book cuts a little closer to the nature of what makes each person tick. Not just tick, but feel, think, and keep moving.
There are themes in East of Eden that are important, that I want to talk and talk to anyone who has read the book about, but I think it best you read them for yourself. What I will say is that ultimately what makes East of Eden the most humane, insightful, perhaps best book I've read is that every truth is grasped through a character, specifically conceived, always presented as an individual, never spared the difficulties of life, and never responding as any other character would. East of Eden is beautiful, brisk, orchestrated like a magnificent concert, but what it is above all is the human experience, in all is breathtaking complexity. The book had won me over long before it follows Adam's son Cal into the deep ambivalence of his own thoughts of good and evil, a man who, as one character puts it is "packed to the brim of every good and evil instinct a man's ever had." That it becomes Cal's story is the coup de gras - a statement that life is never more vital and beautiful than when it's full of contradiction and uneasy answers.
Book Review: East of Eden
Summary: 5 Stars
Detailing the intertwining stories of the Trask and Hamilton family, John Steinbeck weaves an amazing story of the many aspects of life. Steinbeck chronicles the development of the Hamilton and the two generations of the Trask family, providing a thorough outlook on life as seen through the characters. Although the volume of the book is daunting, the chronology of events is extremely interesting and enjoyable to read.
The first installment of the story centers around the development of the Trask family and the relationship between brothers Charles and Adam Trask, covering a variety of themes that are common to daily life. Charles is extremely competitive and constantly seeks to prove his physical prowess by defeating Adam in matches of ability. Adam, on the other hand, tries to escape his brother's anger by letting Charles take the upper hand, but arouses Charles's jealousy when he wins their father's attention. Charles however, loves his brother, but is incapable of expressing this affection, an issue common amongst siblings. The theme of sibling relationship and rivalry is present in these early chapters of the book, along with motifs of jealousy and love.
As the story progresses, Adam falls in lust with Cathy, a beautiful and manipulative girl, quickly advancing the plot. Cathy epitomizes evil as she uses her beauty to her benefit. Upon the birth of their two sons Cal and Aron, Cathy abandons Adam and leaves him to sulk about the house. However, their Chinese servant, Lee assumes responsibility of caring for Cal and Aron, and helping Adam get back on his feet. Throughout the incident, Adam and Lee develop a relationship with and receive help from the Hamilton family, who are of Irish descent, and thus intertwining the two families.
In the second installment of the book, Steinbeck chronicles the growth of the second Trask generation, Cal and Aron, who are replicated after the figures of Cain and Abel in the bible. While Aron receives praise and revel in the love and attention of those around him, Cal is enshrouded in his brother's shadow and grows dark and mysterious. However, the progression of events accompanies dramatic changes within each character, emphasizing themes of dark and light and the affection between brothers. The intricate plot makes the book a great choice for those seeking high quality writing and a great read.
Book Review: Cain and Abel Parts II & III
Summary: 5 Stars
John Steinbeck's work deserves the attention it receives. In the masterpiece "East of Eden", the reader looks deep into the human soul to see tragedy over two generations of a family. With a story that parallels Cain and Abel from the Bible, readers may have familiarity with the general theme. However, the final story takes a more modern twist.
Even in his childhood, Adam Trask is simple. He is dominated by a military minded father and an intimidating brother. Motherless since his birth, he learns many of life's lessons the hard way. After returning from a tour of duty in the military forced by his father, destiny literally comes to Adam's front door. After being badly beaten by a client, Katherine crawls to his front porch for help. Having inherited money from his father, Adam takes in Katherine and cares for her despite his brother Charles's objection. Katherine and Adam eventually marry and move to California. When they arrive, Katherine becomes pregnant. After giving birth, she leaves her husband and newborns to start a brothel. This leaves Adam alone and devestated again.
The twins are a reflection of their father and his brother. Cal is rough around the edges much like Charles. Aron is soft much like his father. With their mother absent physically and their father emotionally vacant, the boys are raised by their father's Asian housekeeper Lee. As they grow, the boys are unaware of their mother's career. Cal learns first. When he tells Aron who has returned from college, Aron is so devestated that he joins the military to fight in World War II. In effect, Aron loses his will to live. When Aron is killed in action, the boys' father has a stroke. Cal takes the burden of his brother's death and his father's stroke on himself in much the same way his brother and father accepted various burdens. Had he not told Aron about their mother, Cal feels that Aron would have never joined the military. As a result, the burden of guilt and sin lives in another generation.
While the book runs off track at times, the story and its human interactions are fascinating. I remain undisappointed by any work by John Steinbeck. Certainly, this is among his best works.