2024 update: Read it again - it's somehow better than I'd remembered.

A magic book, an everything book, both like and unlike everything else Steinbeck wrote. I can never quite manage to stop reading it - the naming scene and the ending are about as good as writing can get.

Classics are classics for a reason
I was too busy to write a proper review of this last year after I'd finished it, but let me try now. It's Steinbeck's epic look at two families – the Trasks and the Hamiltons – in the Salinas Valley, California setting of his own childhood. (Steinbeck himself is a minor character in the book.)

There are lots of biblical echoes: Cain and Abel; the sins of the father; etc.

What amazed me was how contemporary the book's language and insights felt. This is not some dusty, fusty classic.

I'm not sure about the character of the depraved Cathy, who seems to have been born simply evil. But she's certainly a powerful figure in the book, and the mystery around her drives a big chunk of the book. Also of interest is the character of Lee, the Chinese-American cook, who speaks in a pidgin English (even though he's well-educated) because he says that's a reality the people can accept.

East Of Eden is like a lot of great art; it feels like it's always been around. When you read it, it will resonate deep in your bones as something essential, true and disturbing.

Note: the famous James Dean movie only covers a fraction of the novel. I tried watching it afterwards, but found it overwrought and unduly melodramatic.

DNF 45%
I just cannot get myself through this book. I’ve never been so miserable listening to an audiobook. I can’t bring myself to even care about any of the characters in this incredibly racist story, so I’m out.

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

A modern retelling of the story of Cain and Abel, East of Eden brings to life the intricate details of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons.

No review I could ever write would do this book justice. I was almost tempted to just have my review as this simple statement: “if you haven’t read this, just do it.” But.... incase you haven’t noticed, I often have a lot to say.

Where to begin? I’ll start with Steinbeck’s writing. This was some of the most gorgeous writing I’ve ever read - it’s readable yet breathtaking. Especially when he is describing the Salinas Valley, or when he is providing commentary on human nature. It simply blew me away.

And the characters!! This is an epic, multi-generational tale that focuses on two families and they are all so exquisitely developed and BELIEVABLE. My favourite was Samuel (of course I’m going to go for the Irishman!), but they were all so incredible. Even Cathy, who was so dark and twisted!

I’ve been thinking about this one ever since I finished, pondering the concept of good and evil, and free will. My brain just cannot deal with how fucking amazing this book was. 700+ pages and yet perfectly paced and wonderfully crafted. Please do not let the length put you off, it is worth every goddamn page.

East of Eden has firmly cemented its place in my top 5 books of ALL TIME.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. The characters are wonderful from the wise Samuel, naive Adam, astute Lee and the entirely evil Cathy.

Cathy is truly one of the most evil and despicable characters in literature. It shows beauty does not necessary mean goodness. Her parents and then becoming a mistress to a brothel owner who beats her after discovering her true character when she has a few to many drinks. She finds herself on the farm of Adam and his brother Charles. They nurse her back to health and while Charles recognizes she is bad to the bone Adam becomes infatuated and marries her. They then move to Salinas in California where Cathy gives birth to twins Arun and Caleb. She then reveals her true colors to Adam and leaves him to go back being a whore.

With his Cantonese cook Lee, Adam raises the boys.
The two families of the wealthy Trask's and the poor Hamilton's are great contrasts. The biblical themes throughout are used well in comparing good with evil all set in the Salinas valley.

This epic novel tells the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. The mystery of who we fall in love with and the path life takes us. Loneliness, identity, betrayal, depravityand passion this novel has it all.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It isn’t the first one I’ve read by Steinbeck (but it is the longest). John Steinbeck has the exceptional skill/talent/expertise of being able to describe landscapes, situations, events, individuals, all of humanity with equal perfection. You know his characters personally and you live in their surroundings. This brilliant saga — of several families (not just the Trask family), about a beautiful valley in California and about a country at the turn of the last century — concentrates all of Steinbeck’s genius in one book.

«Ανατολικά της Εδέμ» γεννιέται μια ιστορία, τόσο παλιά, γνωστή, ανθρώπινη και θρυλική όσο και ο Θεός που πιστεύει καθένας.
Μία ιστορία, για την αντοχή της ανθρώπινης ψυχής μπροστά σε αδυσώπητα διλήμματα και φαρμακωμένες σκέψεις, απο αυτές τις αδίστακτες,που γεννούν αποφάσεις τοξικές,με εγκληματική μεγαλοπρέπεια και κίνητρα αξόδευτης,βαθιάς, σκοτεινής, αγάπης.

Ο Στάινμπεκ γράφει, δημιουργεί, μιλάει, ψιθυρίζει, κραυγάζει με τα αρώματα και τα χρώματα του κόσμου, της φύσης, των συνθηκών της ζωής και και τις δυνάμεις του ουρανού και της θάλασσας, περιγράφοντας ως ανάξιος αφηγητής την συμμετοχή των θνητών στα μεγαλεπίβολα σχέδια της μοίρας ή του απαράβατου θεϊκού νόμου.
Στην επική ιστορία που ξετυλίγεται αργά ανάμεσα στην δικαιωματική έναρξη της ανθρώπινης βούλησης, την συγχώρεση, την λύτρωση και την απελευθέρωση της επιλογής, υπάρχει ένας μακρύς δρόμος, με απίστευτα πολλές διακλαδώσεις αποτελεσμάτων και παράδρομους αιτιών.

Ένα αίσθημα που κυριαρχεί εξ αρχής και συνοδεύει την εξέλιξη της δυναστείας των ανθρώπινων ικανοτήτων, είναι το βαρύ αίσθημα της απώλειας.
Όλα χαμένα και αρκούντως προσδιορισμένα, καταλλήλως στολισμένα, ευστόχως ειπωμένα με πολύτιμες Διαθήκες ομολογίας.
«Μπορώ να το κάνω» ή «μπορώ να μην το κάνω» και αυτομάτως η προδοσία ή το χαμόγελο αφοσίωσης να οδηγεί με
κάθε νόηση και αίσθηση στο σκοτάδι της ψυχής που ευδοκιμεί η εγκατάλειψη,η παραίτηση, η παρεξηγημένη θυσία και το παράπονο της αγάπης που στο μέτρημα πάντα χάνει απο το ατομικό συμφέρον ή την προσωπική επιλογή.

Τα λόγια του Στάινμπεκ βρίθουν συναισθημάτων και αυτό κάνει την ειδοποιό διαφορά ανάμεσα σε μια χιλιοειπωμένη ιστορία οικογενειακών δραμάτων και αντιπαλότητες αίματος και σε αυτό το υπέροχο δημιούργημα που δίνει νόημα στην ανθρώπινη ύπαρξη.

Σε αυτή την Εδέμ ο συγγραφέας επαναλαμβάνει την αέναη μάχη των αντιθέσεων κυρίως ανάμεσα σε καλό και κακό σε ένα περιβάλλον που είναι στην πραγματικότητα ένα ατελείωτο μέρος του συνόλου.

Δεν ζούμε μονάχα μέσα στην φύση, προερχόμαστε απο αυτή και χάνουμε ή κερδίζουμε μονιμότητα, δυνατότητα, αλλαγή, διάρκεια, πνευματική ουσία, κλονισμό,θεραπεία και εμπειρία, καταβροχθίζοντας την επιθυμία της επανάληψης με βουλιμία, σαν γλυκόπιοτο ελιξίριο για την ευτυχία της ψυχής μας.


* Ωστόσο «Τα σταφύλια της οργής» μου έξυσαν βαθύτερα την ψυχή, έψαξαν και βρήκαν φως *


Καλή ανάγνωση.

I read this first when I was at university and I loved it.
I read this again now as a 30-year-old avid reader who has become much more critical when it comes to books.
I’m happy to say that while this was a bumpy revisit, “East of Eden” remains one of my favourite books!
This novel is about inheritage and how hard it sometimes is to develop away from your inheritage. What makes you good? What makes you bad? And do some of us contain more of one or the other? Those are some of the questions that Cal asks himself in the second half of the book, because it takes the first half to lead us up to his, and his brother Aron’s, story.
John Steinbeck remains one of my favourite authors because his books are raw and honest. I remember reading “The Grapes of Wrath” last summer and it left a deep impact on me that makes me think of the book now and then even today. “East of Eden” is different and I had forgotten most of it when I started my reread, but once I got started everything came back to me, and towards the end it became clear to me why I love this story so much.
Cathy, who is mean, selfish, and pure evil, is one of my favourite fictional characters of all time - believe it or not! She’s perfectly described as this devilish woman with small, sharp teeth and she makes for a perfect contrast to Adam.
Lee is another absolute favourite character of mine who surprises you and takes you by storm, and he’s one of the characters I’m going to miss the most after having finished this novel.
I know that I must get my hands on more books from Steinbeck because he’s simply brilliant! The only question is where to go next and what book of his to pick up? Let me know if you have any recommendations because I would truly love to know :)

“The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the slow, eating agony of a lie is never lost.”

Like the Book of Genesis, where it pulls its inspiration from, “East of Eden” is the story of us. The good and the bad, and our struggle to be ruled by one or the other, acknowledging that both are inherent in our natures. It is a beautiful book filled with people I felt strongly about, and all of them so fully and wonderfully human.
Steinbeck continues to impress me with his ability to create a complete characterization in only a few sentences. Even cameo roles in this text are flesh and blood people. One of the joys of this book was that I genuinely enjoyed peeking into the lives of many of these characters. One highlight is the character of Samuel Hamilton and his wife and various offspring. I fell a little bit in love, and the parts of the book that focused on them soared in my opinion. The Trask twins are also well rendered and what Steinbeck does with the two of them (no spoilers here) is brilliant!
The people of “East of Eden” are so real, that at the death of a truly unsavory character I felt unexpected sadness. This was not a good person, a monster even, but they still had a humanity. I love when a novel forces me to remember that.
Chapter 34 of this text is everything. One of the best summations of what the human story is that I have come across in a novel. And the closing paragraph of this chapter…
“We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.”
Wow!
At one point Steinbeck writes, “In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved.” There is a lot in that statement, and a hopefulness that I (and I hope all of us) refuse to yield.
When you read a novel, and you see yourself reflected in many ways, in bits of many characters, you know that you are reading a great story of the human condition.
“East of Eden” is such a book.

Una de las grandes de uno de los más grandes. No tengo más que decir.

One word: Remarkable.

Observations (note, I am deliberately avoiding the word ‘criticism’):
At times, the biblical analogies of Cain and Abel, good vs. evil were weighty, but Steinbeck peels away the layers of society in such an engrossing way that nothing can blemish the craft of his storytelling and character development.

Highlight: Steinbeck created a chilling, complex but, to me, fascinating female character who is unrivalled. Are there hints of misogyny? Maybe. Or just another biblical pretext to show the stark contrast between good and evil?

Regret: This should have been a Goodreads buddy read!
I needed to discuss, debate, marvel, rant, curse, question, clarify, talk, talk and talk about this novel.

Action: Looking forward to checking out more reviews (including the not-so-favourable ones for balance) and will seek out the film of the same name that features James Dean.

English (East of Eden) / Italiano

«The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay»

"East of Eden" is a powerful novel, thick with biblical reference, in which the characters seem real and not fictional, protagonists of a generational saga about good and evil. About pure hatrded and unconditional love. You will love all the characters of the novel, every last one of them. You will love the storytelling power of John Steinbeck. You will love his way of representing hope, falsehood, sadness. And you will hate, as if you were under the effect of a sick addiction, the moment you finish the book.

In my humble opinion this is the best Steinbeck. And also according to the author opinion, since he said that everything he did before was in preparation to this novel. "East of Eden" is the Great American Novel.

Vote: 10

«La Valle del Salinas, nella California settentrionale, è una lunga gola stretta tra due catene montuose: il fiume si snoda e serpeggia nel centro, finchè non si getta nella baia di Monterey»

“La Valle dell'Eden” è un libro potente, denso di riferimenti biblici, nel quale muovono i passi personaggi che sembrano reali e non di finzione, protagonisti di una epopea generazionale sul bene e sul male. Sull’odio puro e sull’amore incondizionato. Amerete tutti i personaggi di questo romanzo, dal primo all’ultimo. Amerete la capacità narrativa di John Steinbeck. Amerete il suo modo di rappresentare la speranza, la falsità, la tristezza. E odierete, come foste sotto l’effetto di una morbosa dipendenza, il momento in cui avrete finito di leggere.

A mio modesto parere il miglior Steinbeck. E anche a detta dello stesso autore, visto che affermò che tutto quanto fatto prima era solo in preparazione a questo romanzo. E' la "Valle dell'Eden" il Grande Romanzo Americano.

Voto: 10