East of Eden
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- Create Date：2021-10-05 13:21:10
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：John Steinbeck
- ISBN：B09G6SZJR3
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Summary
Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley， this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel。 Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity; the inexplicability of love; and the murderous consequences of love’s absence。
Reviews
Josh
，
A simple sentiment: the classics are classics for a reason。 One that couldn't ring more true than with this masterpiece from Steinbeck。 It's the kind of work that you have to sit with for hours on end to process fully once you finally read that last line。 'East of Eden' is tragic， terrifying， funny， inspirational， morose， thoughtful， beautiful， ugly， and so much more on any given page。 It covers the sins of the father， the ties that bind， familial curses， familial bonds， poverty， wealth， race， e A simple sentiment: the classics are classics for a reason。 One that couldn't ring more true than with this masterpiece from Steinbeck。 It's the kind of work that you have to sit with for hours on end to process fully once you finally read that last line。 'East of Eden' is tragic， terrifying， funny， inspirational， morose， thoughtful， beautiful， ugly， and so much more on any given page。 It covers the sins of the father， the ties that bind， familial curses， familial bonds， poverty， wealth， race， education， love， hope， depression， hopelessness， jealousy， ambition， and of course， death。 Although it is molded with allegorical ties to the Bible， it takes care not to turn itself into heavy-handed moralizing or dogma-peddling in the process。 Characters we are prone to be sympathetic or hopeful for take tremendously realistic turns that later drive us against them。 And characters we find despicable we find respect and empathy for。 When it's all said and done， Steinbeck has given you a multi-generational epic that will cut any reader to the bone。 Cannot recommend enough。 。。。more
Maye
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A well written book。 Enjoyed reading it。
Paul Crary
，
A generational epic steeped in American lore that examines the good and evil of the individual， community， country， and world。 Complex characters entangle in Northern California as they relish in an endless pool of newfound hope， despair， triumphs， travesties， and disappointments。 With obvious nods to the religious genesis stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel， East of Eden examines the idea is sin and love， and if humans even have a choice in such matters。 It’s through this deep （and long） A generational epic steeped in American lore that examines the good and evil of the individual， community， country， and world。 Complex characters entangle in Northern California as they relish in an endless pool of newfound hope， despair， triumphs， travesties， and disappointments。 With obvious nods to the religious genesis stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel， East of Eden examines the idea is sin and love， and if humans even have a choice in such matters。 It’s through this deep （and long） character examinations that Steinbeck poetically reveals this confusing， ever-shifting duality， is in fact， what makes us genuine spirits of humanity that are alive and beauty even after we leave our bodies。 In a meandering plot， he elegantly describes how this resiliency in us all should be celebrated and shared with generations of old， and for generations to come。 。。。more
Quinn Fotheringham
，
East of Eden has been on my to-read list for many years。 Partly because it is a classic， one of the great American novels， and so forth - but for me， it was mostly because of what Steinbeck himself had to say about his own work， having once remarked that， "I think everything else I have written has been， in a sense， practice for this。" There are novels that capture us and hook us in， novels that teach us something about history， novels that make us laugh。。。 and there are novels that remind us th East of Eden has been on my to-read list for many years。 Partly because it is a classic， one of the great American novels， and so forth - but for me， it was mostly because of what Steinbeck himself had to say about his own work， having once remarked that， "I think everything else I have written has been， in a sense， practice for this。" There are novels that capture us and hook us in， novels that teach us something about history， novels that make us laugh。。。 and there are novels that remind us that writing is art， something that is at once a gift and a lifetime of study。 Steinbeck certainly posited this work in such a way， and with such high expectations from the author， it is hard not to wonder if you as the reader may be disappointed。 I have always been very taken with books that are centered on institutionalized religion， fiction or otherwise。 In a social and cultural environment that is increasingly atheist or agnostic or even spiritual， I think we often fail to fully appreciate the enormity of the impact of institutional religion （i。e。 the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old and New testaments） on western society。 The Book of Genesis is only 150 pages， and the myth of Cain and Abel itself only 16 verses， and yet it has profoundly shaped western society， for good or for ill。 Perhaps that is what has touched so many readers， if not early critics， about East of Eden – it is a recreation of a foundation story that we know intimately， even if not consciously。 The novel has a long ramp up， with lengthy tangents that don’t immediately appear central to the story arc。 East of Eden does require some patience in this sense。 In the opening chapters， it is never explicitly violent， but the implications are there。 In this way， it also requires forgiveness， or at least an acceptance， that it was written in a different time about a different time。 I found it hard to read in places for this reason， and I’m sure I am not the only one。 One of the strongest critiques of the novel is that Steinbeck’s portrayal of good and evil is hyperbolic and oversimplified。 To me， the more interesting consideration is not whether good and evil are too black and white， but through what vehicles these absolutes manifest – for instance， the implications of reproducing the origin story of temptation and evil through the female character。 Although East of Eden and the story of Cathy is a deliberate attempt to recreate Genesis and the fall of Eve， it can serve as a touchpoint for the reader to examine less conscious reproductions of this story in media， academia， and in art， and how this story， perhaps more than any other， has influenced the gendered nature of our society today。 Much like Genesis， the crux of the novel perhaps lies in a single set of passages， in a debate over whether God had ordered or promised that Cain would triumph over sin in different translations of the declaration。 The beauty of the story lies in the two lone words of the third translation – that “thou mayest” rule over sin。 In this translation， if we inherit Cain’s curse， then we also inherit the ability to redeem ourselves。 In “thou mayest”， the exercise of free will lies in the coexistence between good and evil， and the responsibility for one choice or the other is squarely on the individual’s shoulders。 This is， perhaps， too much of a simplification that does not necessarily fit with how society today understands （or sometimes understands） the external forces that shape and even determine an individual’s choices and circumstances。 Yet whether one agrees with Steinbeck or not， “thou mayest” is a beautiful and remarkable idea。 It makes East of Eden a novel about ideals – it is an American novel， a democratic novel – while at the same time， perhaps unwittingly， a novel that is the antithesis of those ideals – one that is racialized， gendered， segregated。 It is a modern novel but impossibly old， too simple to some but controversial and incredibly complex to others。 Perhaps it is in these contradictions and conflicts that one finds art; if that is so， then Steinbeck certainly created a masterpiece here。 。。。more
Zack Formby
，
This book was lovely and brutal。 My heart aches。
Jill J。 Burzynski
，
Way too long
Imani
，
Not the style of book I traditionally。 I've picked up other Steinbeck's and put them down within the first chapter but a friend recommended this。 I really liked the way the concept of Timshel in Genesis 3 guess through the whole book。 It's all very contemplative and an interesting story from a time I never read about。 Still too long for me though had to audiobook it Not the style of book I traditionally。 I've picked up other Steinbeck's and put them down within the first chapter but a friend recommended this。 I really liked the way the concept of Timshel in Genesis 3 guess through the whole book。 It's all very contemplative and an interesting story from a time I never read about。 Still too long for me though had to audiobook it 。。。more
Dimitris Tsachidis
，
I rarely write reviews but I have to sat this is one of the best books written！ Steinbeck managed to create a story riveting with meaning and full of interesting stories that reflect life better than anything I ve read so far！
Asma
，
3。5/5 stars
alicer
，
I loved this holy shit。 East of Eden is centered on the recurring narrative of mankind—of the universal struggle between good and evil within ourselves and in society at large。 The coexistence of both of these things and the capacity to exert free will （timshel） is what Steinbeck sees as fundamental in the emergence of character or greatness。 The biblical story of Cain and Abel and the idea of Original Sin is explored within the families of the novel particularly with the Trasks。 We see how even I loved this holy shit。 East of Eden is centered on the recurring narrative of mankind—of the universal struggle between good and evil within ourselves and in society at large。 The coexistence of both of these things and the capacity to exert free will （timshel） is what Steinbeck sees as fundamental in the emergence of character or greatness。 The biblical story of Cain and Abel and the idea of Original Sin is explored within the families of the novel particularly with the Trasks。 We see how even though these stories are rooted in who we are， in our nature， no one is predestined to be evil or to carry the sins of their ancestors。 These are just misconceptions that we are fed time and again to restrict and hold us back from taking responsibility for our actions and control over our lives。 At its core the book sheds light on mistranslations from the original Bible which then changes the whole meaning - which makes you question how much of what we know is actually wrong and misleading。Shoutout to Samuel Hamilton and Lee they deadass have my heart + Cathy （the orig gone girl） was so interesting and crazy ❕ Just wished Steinbeck dived waay deeper into her character and showed us exactly why she is the way she is to make her seem more believable。 4/5 stars 。。。more
Lena
，
It was beautiful， I’ll admit it。 It was long， borderline pretentious and I’m pretty sure John was terrified of women。 One of the only long， classic novels I’ll ever consider rereading， it was that good。 It was also that long， I feel a lot of the main message was overshadowed by the plot and the characters and their long lives。 So a reread will definitely let me decide if it’s a favorite or not。
C
，
Powerful
Leonard
，
Interesting classic novel of an earlier time in this country。 Well-written， but the characters are a little strange and engage in some very violent behavior toward each other including family members。 If you like Steinbeck you'll probably like this novel。 Interesting classic novel of an earlier time in this country。 Well-written， but the characters are a little strange and engage in some very violent behavior toward each other including family members。 If you like Steinbeck you'll probably like this novel。 。。。more
Erica
，
Steinbeck non sbaglia un colpo。
Karen
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Yes， I did enjoy this book。 Unfortunately all the intricacies may have passed over me。 It is long but flows well and I did return to some pages to reread。
Lilly
，
*4。5
Erin
，
This one didn’t hit me as hard as grapes of wrath but I still really enjoyed it。 Loved how biblical it was; it made everything feel so grand。 Samuel Hamilton will stick with me for a while。 And unfortunately Cathy as well。
rowan
，
"And I feel that I am a man。 And I feel that a man is a very important thing—maybe more important than a star。 This is not theology。 I have no bent towards gods。 But I have a new love for that glittering instrument， the human soul。 It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe。 It is always attacked and never destroyed—because 'Thou mayest。'""All great and precious things are lonely。""And now that you don't have to be perfect， you can be good。" "And I feel that I am a man。 And I feel that a man is a very important thing—maybe more important than a star。 This is not theology。 I have no bent towards gods。 But I have a new love for that glittering instrument， the human soul。 It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe。 It is always attacked and never destroyed—because 'Thou mayest。'""All great and precious things are lonely。""And now that you don't have to be perfect， you can be good。" 。。。more
Adelka
，
'East of Eden' was a phenomenal literary masterpiece， and the culmination of a mind so wondrously accomplished and creative that Steinbeck's writing had me jumping for joy on every page from how vivid and amazing it was。 I would not say this is a book that every person should read before they die; rather， I would say that it is a book every writer should read before they publish a book。 Reading it was an education in authorial skill。 70% of why I loved it so much came from pure admiration of the 'East of Eden' was a phenomenal literary masterpiece， and the culmination of a mind so wondrously accomplished and creative that Steinbeck's writing had me jumping for joy on every page from how vivid and amazing it was。 I would not say this is a book that every person should read before they die; rather， I would say that it is a book every writer should read before they publish a book。 Reading it was an education in authorial skill。 70% of why I loved it so much came from pure admiration of the author's talent。Of course， the story itself- passing over many decades and never something I thought I'd be into- was amazingly put together。 To be honest， anybody who manages to interest me in the lives of totally random families over a course of many years has to have something special about their talent。 The characters were so well fleshed out and crafted， with such care taken over weaving their backstories and motivations， that I felt severely emotionally attached to them all- even to the ones that I hated。 As an idea， also， it was a unique and creative one。 A bible story retelling， interwoven with Steinbeck's own family history？ Sign me up。 Yes please。I must say， despite the fact that I rated EofE five stars （because to award it anything less feels slightly criminal）， my knowing that it was an Abel and Cain retelling gave me a much higher expectation fore the climax at the end。 I think I was expecting something along the lines of a brutal murder， because of the murder in the bible story itself。 What we as readers got instead was much more humane- and meant that I was able to preserve my love of Caleb Trask， who deserves justice and everything he wants in the world- but felt slightly anticlimactic。 All the same， it didn't make me love the book any less。 It certainly doesn't lower my overall rating。Honestly， many thanks to Emma Chamberlain for reading this book in a video and inspiring me to pick it up。 I would recommend it to anybody who wishes to get into literary fiction， or just has great admiration for complex works of art。 It is quite thick and dense， and therefore a long one to get through， but it's worth it。 。。。more
Tyler Fitt
，
I found the book to be a bit lengthy。 For some reason the version I read was over 800 pages。 Overall I can see why some people view this as one of their favourite books but I just didn't find it that impactful。 Yes there are some good ideas in regards to thou mayest（timshel） highlighting it is the individuals choice of whether to overcome sin or not but is that idea enough to carry 800 pages？ I think not。 I will say my lack of interest in religion definitely impacted my opinion。 Yes the book res I found the book to be a bit lengthy。 For some reason the version I read was over 800 pages。 Overall I can see why some people view this as one of their favourite books but I just didn't find it that impactful。 Yes there are some good ideas in regards to thou mayest（timshel） highlighting it is the individuals choice of whether to overcome sin or not but is that idea enough to carry 800 pages？ I think not。 I will say my lack of interest in religion definitely impacted my opinion。 Yes the book resembles the story of Cain and Abel but that really did not make me ponder any thought or have any revelation。 I simply accepted it for what it was and moved on in search of a resolve that never came。 。。。more
Cathryn Conroy
，
Quite simply， this is a literary masterpiece。 It is close to being the perfect novel and is something to truly cherish。 It is impossible to read this book and not be deeply affected by it。Written by John Steinbeck in 1951， this is a modern take on the biblical story of Cain and Abel， but with an intricate plot development and philosophical depth that far exceeds that ancient tale。 Spanning some 60 years and three generations， the anchor characters are Adam Trask and Samuel Hamilton。 Adam is a tr Quite simply， this is a literary masterpiece。 It is close to being the perfect novel and is something to truly cherish。 It is impossible to read this book and not be deeply affected by it。Written by John Steinbeck in 1951， this is a modern take on the biblical story of Cain and Abel， but with an intricate plot development and philosophical depth that far exceeds that ancient tale。 Spanning some 60 years and three generations， the anchor characters are Adam Trask and Samuel Hamilton。 Adam is a troubled young man living in Connecticut whose unforgiving father forces him into the Army to fight the Indians。 Eventually， he returns to live with his brother Charles on their family farm， but the experience of war drastically changes Adam。 He marries an unlikely woman and moves to a farm in the Salinas Valley of California， where her evil personality sets off a series of events both good and bad。 Meanwhile， Samuel Hamilton， the married father of nine children， lives and works on a farm in the Salinas Valley that doesn't produce much， but Sam is a creative inventor and dogged optimist。 The two families' stories are told separately， although they often intersect。 （Samuel Hamilton is Steinbeck's maternal grandfather。 Steinbeck himself makes several cameos in the book。）What makes this book so special is the philosophy and wisdom offered for living a good life and for being a good human being in a world that can be truly evil。 Steinbeck explores timeless themes of identity， love and its absence， envy and guilt， and self-destruction and heroism。 Bonus: The last few sentences took my breath away。 Pure genius。This book will touch your heart AND make you think。 。。。more
Kate Sexton
，
Wonderful literature！ Entertaining and challenging in the best ways。 Includes elements of love， jealousy， hatred， sociopathy， relationships， and more。 Wrestles with the truth than people are not all good OR all evil， but a more complete mix of both。 It is our responsibility as humans to choose which nature to act on。
Ryan Williams
，
John Steinbeck wrote East of Eden and many considered it a triumph and major success。 To him I believe it was more， and maybe less—it was the fulfillment of a duty to his family—one that he disclosed was far-reaching but never enough。This story is tethered to the story of Cain and Abel and the book of Genesis by the use of allegory， but still possesses enough of its own identity to not just be considered their successor but maybe even a peer。 East of Eden is sublime in storytelling， powerful in John Steinbeck wrote East of Eden and many considered it a triumph and major success。 To him I believe it was more， and maybe less—it was the fulfillment of a duty to his family—one that he disclosed was far-reaching but never enough。This story is tethered to the story of Cain and Abel and the book of Genesis by the use of allegory， but still possesses enough of its own identity to not just be considered their successor but maybe even a peer。 East of Eden is sublime in storytelling， powerful in allusion， and potentially all-encompassing in its link to the reader。 Steinbeck’s commentary on man’s rejection of one another is compelling。 He argues that rejection is the ultimate catalyst for revenge， which is then driven by greed。 This resonated with me deeply because I related to its truth—that no matter how far a man’s fall after giving in to the self-defeat of revenge and greed， the cycle is linked back to the initial rejection by one missing piece: guilt。 In East of Eden， the character， Lee， delivers a monologue on guilt and how it binds together all of mankind。 This unity among man is introduced in a transcendental paradox when Steinbeck soliloquizes the Bible’s translation of “Do thou” and “Thou shall” into “Thou mayest”。 Steinbeck offers a suggestion here of man’s only truth—that his overcoming of sin is both commanded and willed。 Herein is the author’s case for the indestructible nature of the human soul， and that makes his novel one of the most magnanimous and inspirational works I have ever read。 A mere star rating seems so inadequate; there is no scale for it。 。。。more
Susan Speed
，
I loved this book when I first read it many years ago， and it was just as wonderful to read again in 2021。 Absolutely beautiful writing， deep and insightful passages。 Wonderful character development and story line。 I highly recommend this book。
Hannah
，
Just not a fan of the story or most of the characters。 This story contains suicide， attempted murder， self-harm， adultery， and a slew of other things that don't appeal to my literary tastes。 Just not a fan of the story or most of the characters。 This story contains suicide， attempted murder， self-harm， adultery， and a slew of other things that don't appeal to my literary tastes。 。。。more
Kristin Ames
，
4。5 Stars
Afton
，
I don’t feel worthy to review this sacred text？！ I guess that’s emblematic
Kris Onstine
，
Favorite Quote: "And the books that came into the house， some of them secretly - well， Samuel rode lightly on top of a book and he balanced happily among ideas the way a man rides white rapids in a canoe。 But Tom got into a book， crawled and groveled between the covers， tunneled like a mole among the thoughts， and came up with the book all over his face and hands。" Favorite Quote: "And the books that came into the house， some of them secretly - well， Samuel rode lightly on top of a book and he balanced happily among ideas the way a man rides white rapids in a canoe。 But Tom got into a book， crawled and groveled between the covers， tunneled like a mole among the thoughts， and came up with the book all over his face and hands。" 。。。more
Talia
，
There’s nothing I can say about this novel that would do it justice。 The characters， the plot， （the inspiration for the novel） is filled with so much truth。 I saw myself in each and every character as they went through their storylines。 Some characters were good and some were evil but they all had so much depth that it was impossible not to see myself in each。 I felt transcended while reading this。 No novel has ever made me so emotional。 No quotes have ever impacted me this much。 In every chapte There’s nothing I can say about this novel that would do it justice。 The characters， the plot， （the inspiration for the novel） is filled with so much truth。 I saw myself in each and every character as they went through their storylines。 Some characters were good and some were evil but they all had so much depth that it was impossible not to see myself in each。 I felt transcended while reading this。 No novel has ever made me so emotional。 No quotes have ever impacted me this much。 In every chapter there were lines that made me want to stop reading， close the book， and just think about the quote。 I will never be the same。 And although I knew what was going to happen to the main characters， I was still hoping for happier endings for all。 Truly an incredible novel。 。。。more
krystel
，
good on steinbeck for making white farming people in the 1910s actually interesting I hate that I actually somewhat enjoyed this
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=East of Eden
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=East of Eden&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,East of Eden&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0