East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
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Book Reviews of East of Eden
Book Review: Intriguing and Interesting!
Summary: 3 Stars
This was an excellent novel, mainly because John Steinbeck made a clever, astute, and contemporary version of a modern Adam and Even/Cain and Abel story. The most exemplary attribute of East of Eden is how one can coherently see how the story of Cain and Abel is no different from the story of everyday people. Somehow I had a better understanding of Cain and Abel and the idea of "original sin" from reading this novel, which is something that's definitely worth acknowledging on Steinbeck's credit. However, there's also a major flaw to East of Eden. At times it felt a bit bombastic and pretentious. The characters were very interesting, however they felt more like biblical symbols than real characters. Obviously that was Steinbeck's purpose, but it made them appear VERY one dimensional (for instance: Why is Cathy all bad? Why is Cal the least loved? Why is Aron the most loved? Why is Cal the least liked because he has brown hair, and Aron the most loved because he has blonde hair and blue eyes?). So therefore, it made me a bit detached from the characters, and it felt a bit unrealistic and predictable. However, despite that, there are still many scenes in the novel that felt inspiring, so much that I nearly clapped for the character (Adam) when he finally confronted his fears. It doesn't really touch on new ground about the concept of good and evil, but East of Eden is a novel worth reading at least once.Book Review: Truly an American classic.
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh Steinbeck. You and your accessible classics laden with allegory!
This novel is an American classic in every sense that it can be: It's a going-out-west story. A family story. A foraging off the land story. A story of fortune. Of dreams and thwarted dreams. Of what makes a man (or woman) who they are.
Steinbeck "himself" narrates the story--though from a still-omnipotent perspective--giving a unique tie into the story and also increasing the feeling that (though we know their innermost thoughts and motivations) we are merely observing the characters. We are all players in the Great American Drama of our lives.
Steinbeck smacks the reader a little hard with the allegory stick--it's heavy handed and its explanations feel inorganic compared to the rest of the story--but the characters are so finely drawn that we forgive him. The players are in themselves flawed and good (or flawed and flawed), with depth--tragedy and fortune carefully portioned.
Through the novel, we get the sense that our lives will repeat on a loop; the scenery will change. The players will change. The times will change. But there will always be the same kind of people in the world playing out the same acts of their lives. Perhaps this makes the Cain and Abel biblical allusions (heavy handed!) not so far-fetched after all.
Book Review: Thou Mayest!
Summary: 4 Stars
John Steinbeck's East of Eden covers two families interwoven histories from the American Civil War to WWI. Most of the characters and events represent Biblical characters and events pretty overtly. One Biblical and philosophical theme constantly grappled with is the eternal question of good and evil. Steinbeck's answer to whether humans are destined to a life of good or evil is with a Hebrew word in the Bible: Timshel!, literally translating to 'thou mayest.' While the characters appear to be inherently good or bad, they are not that simple. As Steinbeck attempts to prove, humans dictate their actions.
At times East of Eden is jumpy and a mumble jumble of references and tangents. Yet Steinbeck's ability to cover the behemoth topic with pretty direct writing is impressive, and more than makes up for the wild tangential passages. After reading a brief synopsis of Steinbeck's personal biography, I see much of Steinbeck and his family comes alive in the characters. Steinbeck succeeded in covering an immense range of issues loosely following his own family history, and still maintaining his central thesis. Even though the first hundred pages are slow, I recommend this book, even to those with a lay knowledge of Genesis. Keep pressing through and enjoy Steinbeck's enlightening work and imaginative characters.
Book Review: Absolutely Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
Standing in front of monsterous shelves at Border's, staring at my summer reading list with 600 pages of Steinbeck in my hands, I think: "My teacher is trying to kill me." That was two years ago.
If I could pin down any one reason or instance that transformed me from the proverbial couch potato to avid reader, this epic novel would be it.
Steinbeck's East of Eden is absolutely spacktastuler (yes, so good, I just had to fabricate a word for it). The novel, set in the early 20th century, follows the story of the Trask family. A parallel to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, the conflicts between members of the family in two generations serve to explore the nature of good and evil and mankind's tendencies toward each. Steinbeck is able to envoke deep-seeded, universal questions while stunning the reader with a playful subtleness.
Perhaps most defined is the developement of character. The reader cannot help but fall in love (or undying disgust)with each of Steinbeck's masterfully crafted personas.
The book is long - 600 pages in four parts - but every bit the worth and more. The ending, not to be spoiled, even served to leave a beading tear in the eye of this hopeless "tough guy."
Truly a masterpiece of modern times.
Book Review: A masterpiece.
Summary: 5 Stars
In what is truly a masterpiece on many levels, John Steinbeck delivers with East of Eden a compelling tale of two families whose lives in the Salinas Valley are fascinating and seemingly intertwined. This novel began as merely a required piece for school, but as I read on, I found myself unable to put it down, often reading late into the night. The characters are realistic and masterfully tied together, their lives tied together, as if by fate. The plot provokes the mind, raising philosophical questions that opened to me different ways to view the world and choices in life. Steinbeck's story-telling is simply wondrous, saturating the novel with detailed descriptions and narration. The fact that this is the centennial edition, still wildly popular and discussed more than a hundred years after it was written, is testament to the allure of the novel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of age, as it is an exploration of some of the most important ideals in our society. Steinbeck even stores the essence of the 601 pages into one word- thimshel, a word as important and essential to the story as carpe diem is to Peter Weir's Dead Poets Society, both tales that have enabled me to view the world in a different light, and help me become a better person as a whole.