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A review by griffinsaurus
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i truly think that this book is marvelous. it is 600 pages of hope, disappointment, sadness, anger and a sense of overwhelming life, and those 600 pages pretty much changed me.
the book feels very Christian, so i did not think i was going to resonate so much with the book. however, despite it being written over 70 years ago, i felt that the emotions, thoughts and themes touched on were timeless. as the book drifts from family to family, from person to person, i felt an odd sense of connection with all the characters in the book. i especially empathised with Cal Trask.
east of eden is a story about the people in salinas valley, and how unexpectedly inter-connected their lives are. with so many characters, i expected to feel overwhelmed by everyone yet i found myself flipping through each page, eager to read each one of their stories. each story held a sense of hopelessness that just seemed to build on as the book progressed. it definitely climaxed near the end, and i felt as if i was in salinas valley myself. east of eden is a book about failure, disappointments, real fear, evil, and love where you least expect it.
there's so much to say about this book yet i have no words. i'm forever grateful that i picked up this book.
the book feels very Christian, so i did not think i was going to resonate so much with the book. however, despite it being written over 70 years ago, i felt that the emotions, thoughts and themes touched on were timeless. as the book drifts from family to family, from person to person, i felt an odd sense of connection with all the characters in the book. i especially empathised with Cal Trask.
east of eden is a story about the people in salinas valley, and how unexpectedly inter-connected their lives are. with so many characters, i expected to feel overwhelmed by everyone yet i found myself flipping through each page, eager to read each one of their stories. each story held a sense of hopelessness that just seemed to build on as the book progressed. it definitely climaxed near the end, and i felt as if i was in salinas valley myself. east of eden is a book about failure, disappointments, real fear, evil, and love where you least expect it.
there's so much to say about this book yet i have no words. i'm forever grateful that i picked up this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, and Racial slurs
i think it is good to note that this book was a product of its generation. as such, the language and descriptions used were, i felt, 'fitting' for a book published in the 1950s.