East of Eden by John Steinbeck
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Book Reviews of East of Eden
Book Review: Treasure Chest - Steinbeck Lives On
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book twice and intend to read it again. The first time was when I was 10. It, along with Tobacco Road (Erskine Caldwell) was forbidden me as unfit literature for children (my mother was an avid reader, but she protected my childhood as long as she dared) so naturally, it became my goal to find where she had hidden them, and read both, which I did, having wasted nearly all of one summer looking for them. Finding them buried deep beneath some old clothes in her large Cedar chest, I curled up on the old sofa beneath the sunny kitchen window where the yellow June blooming roses were alive and vocal with the buzzing of bees, eagerly opened the pages and began to read........
This book, obviously, parallels the story of Caine and Abel in many mortal ways. It's an incredible tale of betrayal, that I understand had roots in truth, woven around the totally depraved character of one woman, who, though amply endowed with charm, intelligence and ambition, it's but an outward veneer, and she is without the things that make such a person whole - conscience, loyalty, mother love, or any other human emotion that separates us from the primitive - and gets what she wants by using others. Killing someone is not something she worries much about.
This woman, taken in by the Trask brothers after being found nearly beaten to death on their doorstep, marries one, beds the other and bears two boys who are by the brother not married to - twins - just before she leaves the good man who thinks he is their father - from her childbed, without a backward look. The story gets better and more incredulous with each passing page. You are given insight into any number of human conditions, characters, motivations, and finally, betrayal of yet another trust between brothers.
It's one of Steinbeck's best works. He is a master of the written word - one who can pull you into the story even if you come from a different world than the one you are in as his fascinated reader - and ask you to feel it move you all the way there and back. There are these others by Steinbeck that number among my favorite reads and grace my personal library:
"Grapes of Wrath"
"Cannery Row"
"The Red Pony" which is an unusual story about a young boy and his horse - of a love lost, but with responsibility and maturity painfully gained - book from my youth, but which is much more than a child's story.
Book Review: AFTER THE FALL
Summary: 5 Stars
I usually do not read the comments of fellow reviewers at this site (or, in some cases, at least not until after I have written my own). I was, however,interested in finding out whether Steinbeck and his tale still held interest for today's readers. The answer seems to be yes. Moreover, I was also interested in what other people had to say about the symbolic nature of the clash between brothers and its relationship to the old oft-told biblical tales going back to the `first family'.
Damn, life has definitely been tougher since the `fall' from the garden. The morale to be derived from Steinbeck's novel is, apparently, that while the `fall of man' under the spell of earthly temptations had its downside humankind is better for the struggle. A strong argument can moreover be made that without that struggle by fallen humankind no serious progress would have been made. That struggle here is epitomized by the characters, tensions and actions of the two brothers (in both generations father Adam's and son Aron's) which makes me believe that that Steinbeck may see this process an eternal struggle and that we are endlessly doomed to roll that rock up the hill just to have it come crashing back down on us.
Those who have only seen the 1950's movie version of this novel starring, among others, James Dean and a young Julie Harris have missed some great writing about the effects of the struggle to rebuilt and attempts at redemption in the wake of the fall of Adam Trask and his struggle to change his ways. And through him, his sons. The movie (that I had seen long before reading the book) skips over the compelling first section which deals with the seemingly pre-ordained destruction of Adam, by his `wife', and his own character, among others. Moreover, in the movie the demonic role of the `wife' Kathy is glossed over (probably due to the less tolerate and more squeamish mores about `fallen women' in the 1950's). She is not a `nice' person. However, in the book she is positvely evil. Read the book and see why we, even the best of us, are all living just East of Eden.
Book Review: Rich language, beautiful imagery and heavy symbolism
Summary: 5 Stars
By the time Steinbeck wrote "East of Eden," (EOE) he had already written several American classics including "Of Mice and Men," "The Grapes of Wrath," and "Cannery Row" to mention only a few. By then, he was a recognized master of the use of language. He could and did create complex images that evoked a wide range of thoughts and emotions. The first chapter of EOE - where he describes the setting of the Salinas Valley - lets any doubter know that they are reading the product of a magnificent writer.I have sampled a few scholarly reviews of EOE, and I was dumbfounded by the negative tone that critics have used in reference to this novel. Their problem seems to be with the heavy-handed use of symbolism. There are one-sided characters that can be nothing more or less than the idea that they are representing. Cathy is probably the clearest example of this, evil and nothing but evil. Steinbeck also portrays two sets of "Cain and Abel" brothers who act out variations of the themes of brotherly murder and being a "brother's keeper." So, this is an interesting and valid observation.
However, the wonders of the book clearly overshadow all else. In addition to the imagery, which is arguably unsurpassed in American writing, he has used the story of his mother's family, the Hamiltons of Salinas Valley, to serve as an historical backdrop for the story of the symbolically challenged Trasks. He has painted a picture of his own beginnings with flair and insight while interweaving the morality tale that creates the tension and vehicle that moves the plot along. This feat is handled seamlessly. Each family is colorful and interesting. Each individual is fully developed. As a result, each page is anticipated and savored.
In the end I would say that the "scholars" need to be careful. Like all subjective evaluations, the judgement of the quality of John Steinbeck's work is relative. Perhaps he did not surpass his greatest accomplishments with EOE. On the other hand, very few novelists have come close to the artistry that flows through this book from beginning to end.
Book Review: Sooooooo worth it
Summary: 5 Stars
East of Eden is well-written book, a classic deemed worthy of reading. Steinbeck does a great job of making the piece of literature entertaining. I felt glued to the book many times because the plot would be wonderfully constructed, leading readers on an adventurous journey through the lives of the characters in the Salinas Valley.
What surprised me the most were the characters in the story. Each individual character had his or her own unique personality. Each person seemed real and true to life. I would be going through the book and start saying to myself "oh this character reminds me of so and so." Plus, the characters are dynamic and many of their personalities are not at the extremes, but instead they have both the good qualities and bad qualities of mankind. I love how I can read into each character and judge him or her through his or her actions. The subtlety in revealing the motives behind each character was astonishing. The way Steinbeck depicted the characters through their dialogue and actions was overwhelming as I soon developed my personal opinion on each character. It made me feel like I was involved in the story itself.
Adding to the amazing characters is in intricate, well-developed story line. The plot was complex in that there were many subplots running through the main action. However, when I was reading, the complexity of the story did not hinder my progression because everything seemed to flow. The story was being pieced together in a rhythmic fashion as one event leads to another. The biblical allusion to Cain and Abel was also a fun thing to locate. After reading the story of Cain and Abel, I would go through the East of Eden and get excited when I would notice the similarity or the differences between East of Eden and the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck truly does a fascinating job of weaving his story together.
Although the book is rather long, the wonderful characters and amazing plot line makes up for it ten times over. East of Eden makes you appreciate good writing.
Book Review: The best book I've read
Summary: 5 Stars
It's always difficult reading a book that has been praised to the skies without expecting too much, and that's why it usually fails to deliver. Those who read it after this book became an Oprah Book Club selection seem to have come to it with just such expectations.Try, however, to always approach a book or movie, however much it has been praised, as any other. Simply pick it up and read it without any expectations. This is how I read it, and gosh, was I pleasantly surprised.
The characters are people I wish I could know personally--especially Samuel, I wished I could be one of his many children just to have him as a father; Lee, so taciturn yet wise and always there, such a comfort to have and know such a person; and Caleb, whom we tend to identify with in so many ways.
True, the story might have extremes, and be predictable if you were able to keep yourself so uninvolved in the story. Those who commented on the 'plot', perhaps such a book is not what you ought to read. Pick up a Grisham or some other fast-paced 'plotty' book.
East of Eden is for those who think, who care about who they are and who they want to be or ought to have been. People have talked of its being depressing. It's not. I hate depressing books myself. At least it's not a meaningless depression in which you can't identify with the story at all, but it simply sucks you down. This book made me cry at many points--from empathy or sympathy for the characters, from the beauty of the language, and from appreciating the wisdom in it.
I admire passages, descriptions, dialogues so much in this book that I re-read them, and re-read the entire novel already, and may do so again. I'm not the kind who likes to re-read books either. There's simply so much wisdom and simplicity and reassurance in here that it's a treasure--for me, at least. I think I'm lucky to have a book that means so much to me.