Въздействаща, философска, библейска. Прочетох я на един дъх. Удивителна история, разказана майсторски от неповторимия Стайнбек. Едва ли мога да кажа нещо, което вече да не е казано. Бих добавил само следния малък, но изключително важен детайл, който обикновено се губи в преводите. Оригиналният текст завършва с думата "Timshel" (иврит: תִּמְשָׁל)

Преводи:
- "and thou shalt rule over him", King James, 1611
- "но ти трябва да го владееш", Протестантски превод, 1940
- "и ти ще владееш над него", Цариградски превод, 1914
- "но ти владей над него", Православна библия

Оригинал:
הֲלוֹא אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת וְאִם לֹא תֵיטִיב לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל בּוֹ:

Оригиналът е преведен на английски от Jewish Publication Society по следния начин: "but thou mayest rule over it", буквално ти можеш да го владееш.

هرگز به خوبی نخواهی رسید مگر ابتدا شیطان درون خودت را بشناسی. ما همه فرزندان قابیل هستیم.

کتاب‌هایی هستن، مثل "جنگ‌وصلح"، مثل "برادران کارامازوف" که نمی‌شه بسادگی راجع بهشون چیزی نوشت. این کتاب‌ها خیلی آروم و تدریجی ایده‌شون رو در مغز خواننده میکارن و خیلی پرحوصله به پرداختن تمامی جزئیات صحنه‌ها می‌پردازن. مثل همون خوابی که توی فیلم اینسپشن (کریستوفر نولان) لازمه هرچه بیشتر واقعی بنظر بیاد. شما با خوندن این کتاب‌ها به یک خواب عمیق فرو میری و به تدریج فراموش می‌کنی که اصلا با یک دید جدی رفتی سراغ کتاب. چنان قصه و جزئیاتش شما رو در خودش غرق می‌کنه که همه حواست به شخصیت‌ها و سرنوشت‌هاشون جلب می‌شه. تا این که به خودت میای و می‌بینی کتاب تموم شده و سرت پر از افکار درهم و برهمه. از کتاب خیلی خوشت اومده و خیلی ازش متاثر شدی ولی حتی دقیقا نمی‌تونی بگی چرا. نویسنده، اون موقع که تو افسون قصه شده بودی یک ایده‌ رو توی مغزت کاشته و حالا داره توی وجودت رشد می‌کنه. شرق بهشت هم همچین کتابیه.

داستان روایتگر دو نسل از دو خانواده هامیلتون و تراسک در منطقه‌ای به نام دره سالیناس هستش. هامیلتونی که به عنوان مهاجر از ایرلند مهاجرت می‌کنه، سایرس تراسکی که توی جنگ داخلی آمریکا زخمی می‌شه. هر کدوم خانواده‌ای و بچه‌هایی. پدرها به تدریج پیر می‌شن و می‌میرن. و در این بین هم آمریکا در حال شکل گرفتن و تبدیل شدن به یک قدرت اقتصادیه. راه‌آهن داره میاد. شهرها دارن در کنار مزرعه‌ها شکل می‌گیرن. پسرها بزرگ می‌شن و ازدواج می‌کنن. بچه‌هایی از خودشون بجا می‌ذارن. عشق. نفرت. حسادت. پستی. بخشش. عذاب وجدان. تبعیض. جنگ جهانی اول. داستان بسیار مفصله. با این همه داستانی که سایش روی کل کتاب سنگینی می‌کنه، داستان هابیل و قابیله.

کل کتاب از نظر من به دنبال اینه که تعریفی از "درستی" ارائه بده. تعریفی که البته بسیار متفاوت‌تر و پیچیده‌تر از کلیشه‌هایی هستش که تا حالا دیده بودم. اما همونطور که گفتم این تعریف صاف و پوست‌کنده به خواننده تحویل نمیشه. چیزی هست در خلال رفتار شخصیت‌ها، سرنوشت‌ها و قصه‌ها. چیزهایی هست که آدم وقتی میخونه خیلی متاثر می‌شه اما وقتی می‌خواد برای دیگران تعریف کنه رنگ و لعابش از دست می‌ره. و اینم بخاطر اینه که ظرف وجود آدم گنجایش اون رو نداره که بتونه کل فهوای کلام نویسنده رو منتقل کنه و ناگزیر لبریز می‌شه و بخشی از کلام از بین می‌ره. لازمه خودتون بخونید.

. Book club re-read. Even better second time around.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a wonderful read.

I believe that Steinbeck wrote this book for his sons Thorn and John who were just small boys when it was written. Steinbeck hoped that as they grew up the novel would show them their roots in California’s Salinas Valley and guide them through their lives . What a wonderful book with just about all the elements a good story needs, we have father son relationships, and sibling rivalry, murder, greed, sex, love and lust and throughout all this we find a values of life in the real world and the struggle between right and wrong.

Why have I not read this novel years ago? For some reason I have been ignoring it on my book shelf and am so glad I finally took the time to read and enjoy this novel. It took me longer to read this novel than normal but that was my choice as I wanted to take my time to savour and enjoy it.

I loved the characters and the depth which Steinbeck forms his characters, I love the description of people and places and the warmth of his writing. This is a sweeping, dramatically told story which captures images of the land and its people but mostly you get a story of good and evil of which people are capable, I especially loved the character of Samuel and what he and his family stood for.

Excellent book club read and I think this book has great discussion topics.

This is my 4th Steinbeck novel and so far my favourite.

Alright friends, here's the dealio.

When I read this book, lots of things in my personal life were a hectic. When I finished this book, things were still hectic. I'm writing this now, and things are still a little hectic, but slowly they are leveling out (so no worries.)

The thing is, because of all that hectic, I did not document my thoughts about this book the way I normally would do. I also made the fatal mistake of waiting far too long to sit down & write my review upon finishing.

Usually, if I wait too long the reviewer in me just quietly slips an I.O.U. note into the brain inbox & then goes back into hibernation until the next book is completed. She's a finicky sort.

My point is, this review will very likely will not do the book justice. If you're looking for a review that does do the book justice, I'd consider going to read my darling Celeste's review because she's basically the wordsmith we all aspire to be. But if you'd still like to read my late to the game drivel, you're absolutely welcome here!

So, anyway, about the book. It's super freakin' great.

I literally love generational tales. The way we get to experience & live through the evolution of the Trasks & the Hamiltons is a thing of pure beauty even when the going gets rough.

Every time I put the book down, I was excited for the next chance I'd get to pick it up. It was just that engaging.

One of the more standout elements of this novel is it's inclusion of two very unique minority characters - a Chinese man named Lee, and a woman named Cathy. These two are almost a complete antithesis to one another & they are both so incredibly central to every major plot point in the story, even as it spans across many years.

While both definitely became favorites of mine in their own respect, Cathy is an especially wonderful character & probably one of the most terrifying/intriguing I've ever come across in any novel. It was terribly fun to watch these characters swirl & rage around our main cast in their storms of light & darkness.

Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed is its observance of nature vs. nurture & how the sins of the parent can be passed down to create a stain on the soul of the child. It's simultaneously a lovely reminder that we have a choice in how we react to the brokenness we may inherit.

Finally, all the Biblical parallels here were just so much fun to point out especially since I read this book with a wonderful group. The strongest recurring theme has to be the dynamic between Adam's sons, Cain & Abel. It seems as though this novel seeks to explore the "what ifs" of every possible combination there.

As far as classics are concerned, I spent a lot of time reading them in high school & I accidentally conditioned myself into thinking that all classics are super deep & super complex & require a formal essay (12 page minimum, single spaced) upon completion.

I subsequently avoided them for a couple years because I had a hard time viewing them as approachable from a casual reader's perspective. Now that I've dipped my toes back into the genre, I'm realizing that classics can fall anywhere on the approachability spectrum.

However, for readers who may be stuck in the same mindset I'm breaking out of let me just tell you this novel is super approachable! I found the writing style easy to absorb & very sincere without losing any of its beauty.

There are a couple places where I feel certain character chapters didn't add much to the overall story, and some lengthy descriptions of the Salinas Valley could've been shortened without sacrificing much in the way of atmosphere.

This is definitely a must-read for anyone in love with reading & one I will revisit in the future!

Read this with TS, Haifa, and Celeste in our mission to conquer some classics! ☺️

Adam Trask was a weak but kind boy and later man, his father treated him quite badly even his jealous, sadistic half- brother younger but stronger hit him repeatedly , barely surviving one brutal vicious fight. Born in the middle of the American Civil War, in a Connecticut farm he and brother Charles are turned into good little soldiers at a very tender age. Cyrus their father lost a leg in the war, boasting of being in every major battle (which is physically impossible). In fact the private was only in a blue uniform six months, getting his appendage shot off during the first day of his first battle. But Cyrus becomes such a good liar, that people begin to actually believe him as he, does as well! Yet writing these marvelous but fictional war articles, in the major American newspapers. Consequently he receives a job with the Grand Army of the Republic an influential veterans group of Union soldiers, in Washington. His first wife commits suicide, the second dies of illness let's say Cyrus was not a very lovable person. Adam is forced by his father at sixteen, to join the army to make him a man and save his hide from Charles. Running down the few scattered renegade Indians in the plain states, Adam hates his job still does it bravely and well. When the father dies both boys inherit a vast sum of money, was their father not only a liar but also a thief ? Out of the military good Adam marries a woman of ill repute Cathy, a lady so evil that Satan would be ashamed to be associated with her. Adam buys a farm in central California's rugged Salinas Valley , Cathy gives birth to twin boys non identical Caleb (Cal) and Aaron (Aron), shoots Adam and abandons the newborns. Not mother of the year material, the wife's manners could also be improved. Cathy takes up residence in a home which you can guess what kind it is, but Adam lives and goes into a deep funk ... Lee the much loved Chinese servant, takes over and raises the kids better than the moody, distant, bitter father could ever do ...Thoughts: This story is an allegory of the Bible's Adam and Eve , being thrown out of The Garden of Eden but also about wicked Cain and his good brother, Abel. Steinbeck was born in the frontier town of Salinas the Old West was still alive, the few settlers struggled to make a living in the harsh land. The world changed forever, as the book says when the year 1900 arrived,"Ladies were not ladies anymore and you couldn't trust a gentleman's word". Sam Hamilton a neighbor of Adam and soon friend, was different like a Patriarch out of the Bible with his nine children, wise and tough but not practical thus always poor ... Nevertheless these people are needed as Steinbeck believes, to give guidance to others, which is very lacking today. ..The author's most ambitious and his favorite work. Love and lots of hate, much conflict and a little peace all there. Sam Hamilton was the writer's grandfather.

John Steinbeck conceived East of Eden as a gift to his two young sons - Thomas and John. I am choosing to write this book to my sons, he wrote to his friend and editor, Pascal Covici, They are little boys now and they will never know what they came from through me, unless I tell them. It is not written for them to read now but when they are grown and the pains and joys have tousled them a little. And if the book is addressed to them, it is for a good reason. I want them to know how it was, I want to tell them directly, and perhaps by speaking directly to them I shall speak directly to other people.

In the same letter Steinbeck also confined to Covici that in East of Eden he wanted to tell the greatest story of all: the story of good and evil, of strength and weakness, of love and hate, of beauty and ugliness, and to show how these doubles are inseparable - how neither can exist without the other and how out of their groupings creativeness is born.. Steinbeck though that this would be the most difficult book that he has ever attempted, and that he will have to squeeze the maximum out of his talent and ability - he viewed everything that he has written as being merely a preparation for it. He said that the book is The big one as far as I'm concerned. Always before I held something back for later. Nothing is held back here. He started working on the novel in 1948 and completed it in 1951; it was published in 1952, and became a bestseller. Three years later a loose adaptation would follow, now famous for starring James Dean in his first major screen role; 10 years later he would be awarded the Nobel Prize.

East of Eden is an epic which clearly aims to be both intimate an majestic in its scope: it covers the history of a nation from 1862 to 1918 - for more than half a century, from Civil War to World War I - through telling the story of three generations of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons - the Hamilton family is named and based after the real-life family of Steinbeck's maternal grandfather, Samuel Hamilton. Steinbeck inserted himself into the story, both as a character and the narrator who tells it. He decided to set the story against the backdrop of the county that he grew up in; he returned to the city of Salinas in California and read the old numbers of Salinas Index-Journal for research. He wanted to describe the Salinas Valley for his two sons in detail, its sights, colors, sound and smell. He called the book a sort of autobiography of the Salinas Valley.

Like The Grapes of Wrath, the novel is inspired by the Old Testament - Steinbeck reaches for the Biblical story of Cain and Abel from Genesis both for the main theme - the eternal struggle between good and evil - and the title (And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the Land of Nod, on the east of Eden - Genesis 4:16). The Bible pours out from a Steinbeck novel once again - and to what effect?

I have read The Grapes of Wrath and enjoyed it - and wrote a very long review where I tried to emphasize why it was - is - an important book. Grapes put Steinbeck in very real danger because of what he did: he exposed the viciousness and greed big business - particularly of California's wealthy growers and owners of immense fields, and their cruel exploitation of poor migrant workers, whose only choice was to either obey or perish. I think that Steinbeck's book was important historically - it drew attention to an important issue which was unknown to most people and grabbed their attention. It provoked a reaction - showed the brutality and harshness with which the workers were treated by their employers, and exposed them to the nation. Steinbeck received death threats and was a victim of a malicious smear campaign set in motion by the infuriated California growers, who aimed to turn him into a figure of hate. But he endured, and so did the book - perhaps even more relevant now than when it was first published.

Steinbeck's approach to and treatment of a big and important subject - exploitation of the very poor by the very rich - worked in The Grapes of Wrath. Because of its importance readers were able to overlook the few literary flaws that it had (the saintliness of the Joad family which never, ever succumbs to temptation of doing something wrong - such as stealing) and it entered the canon of great American fiction. East of Eden did too, but I felt that the big and important subject - the struggle between good and evil - wasn't explored and presented as powerfully as the one in Grapes.

Steinbeck's reminiscences about the Salinas Valley of his youth, its inhabitants and the lives they led, his descriptions of the valley's different regions and their unique characteristics, the fertility of the fields and the behavior of the river which runs through the valley are all the best aspects of the novel, as they show us a place as he remembered it and as it was many years ago, and the people he knew well - the Hamiltons. The Trasks are another matter, though. The Trask family serves as Steinbeck's way of conveying the Cain and Abel story, which is why the conflicts and interaction between the characters looks staged - because it is. Like in The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck wears his heart on his sleeve, but here even more so - the characters's names start with C, and Steinbeck isn't satisfied with drawing the story of Cain and Abel in one generation of the family - he does that in the second generation as well. So there's the relationship between Charles and Adam but also between Cal and Aaron, later complimented by an Abra (who's not a Pokemon) and the devilish character of Cathy Ames, who receives both C and A as her initials. All these characters struggle with their morality and decisions they make, but it's difficult to be drawn to their dilemmas as one realizes that they're just symbols used by Steinbeck for what turns out to be a rather longish sermon about god, evil and free will.

The character of Cathy Ames has been said to be modeled after Steinbeck's second wife, Gwyn Conger. Gwyn asked for a divorce in 1948, just after Steinbeck returned from an emergency trip to see his fatally injured friend - he died hours before Steinbeck could reach him. Both the death and subsequent divorce put Steinbeck in deep depression. He famously modeled his most evil creation after Gwyn, who tried to stop him from going to Europe during the war as an American correspondent by accusing him of choosing war over her, his new bride, and then pretending to be pregnant.She wouldn't answer his letters and would pretend to have many other suitors while he was away. Not that Steinbeck was an angel - he met Gwyn when he was still married to his first wife, Carol, and had a secret affair with her. He eventually revealed Gwyn to Carol and actually put both women in one room to let them sort out which one will get him - surprisingly he ended up staying with Carol, but just for a short while. The couple split for good and Steinbeck married Gwyn, who gave him two boys - the same ones for whom he wanted to write this novel, Thomas and John. Steinbeck's divorce from Carol was bitter, complete with her revelations of infidelity. She used the custody of his sons to squeeze alimony out of him, and even filled a malicious suit for increase in financial support just four years before he died. Steinbeck hated Gwyn with a passion, and Cathy Ames's loathsome character is the reflection of his hatred - he feared that his wife's negative influence might be too large for his sons to overcome, which is directly reflected in the novel.

Lee, Adam's Chinese servant is another interesting character - at the beginning he is introduced as a pure stereotype, a white man's version of a Chinese servant which would give Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's a run for his yellowface. But under the surface we learn that Lee is an educated man, who uses his preposterous pidgin to hide his true self from others. Although he is an American, born and raised, few see him as one and are unable to look beyond his appearance and treat him as a foreigner - just like the Japanese Americans were judged to be the enemies after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, taken from their homes and imprisoned, purely because of how they looked. Steinbeck's presentation of Lee is actually much more nuanced and understanding of his experience than the one of a typical person's from the period (just remember Tiffany's and the portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi), but even he cannot stop himself from giving Lee a sob story of his heroic parents and their inhuman efforts at his upbringing and making him incredibly intelligent and calm in all situations, always ready to serve with what ancient Chinese wisdom - kind of giving in to the stereotype of the Other of the time. A positive one, but still a stereotype.

Biblical allusions aren't limited to the character's names and their actions. In several scenes Adam Trask, Samuel Hamilton and Lee actually discuss the relevant part of the Bible in great detail and ponder on whether the translations that they have been reading actually reflect the original Hebrew. Let me remind you that this is happening on a farmer's ranch in a California valley, and none of these characters has any higher formal education (not to mention a degree in Hebrew and Bible studies). Was this really necessary?

I like Steinbeck a lot, but much preferred when he was sticking up for the proletariat in The Grapes of Wrath rather than trying to have his characters ponder over philosophical questions and trying to achieve wisdom. The Grapes of Wrath made an impact because it touched on real and important issues by making them the background of its fiction. Its biblical allegories were much more subtle and fun to pick out and analyze, while East of Eden is basically spelled out for the reader and doesn't offer any new surprises or insights - just goes on for more than six hundred pages. The Cause which was the blood of The Grapes of Wrath is absent in East of Eden
Grapes is full of compassion for the weak and poor and anger directed at the rich who abuse them. I and most of other readers are willing to give Steinbeck's sentimentality a pass as he is shouting for those who couldn't be heard. But that's not the case with East of Eden, which was described by the theThe New York Review of Books as "bloated", "pretentious" and "uncertain" - and I find myself being more in agreement with these statements than not.

This is my second reading of this John Steinbeck epic masterpiece (over 50 years apart) and it is just as good, if not better, the second time around. Steinbeck's writing is clear, beautiful and incredibly moving. He tells a story like no other. He is a testament to the fact that one can win a Nobel Prize in literature without being obscure and pretentious.

A masterful and interwoven epic story and a half that takes the reader on a journey of grand proportions. Steinbeck knows how to weave a tale. This novel is rich in symbolism, the biblical references the thread that runs throughout this novel. I don’t know how Steinbeck does it, he gets inside the most intricate parts of the human soul, he knows how to show the human and the beast side. Also that ending got me good. To be honest I don’t even know how to review this book. For me after reading The Grapes Of Wrath I knew I was in safe hands as I was left in no doubt at the literary mastery that is Steinbeck, it also became a firm favourite, undoubtedly this novel much like the bible will stand the test of time as it’s a work of immense skill and I think I’m just feeling a little in awe right now that my words hardly seem worthy.

روح الإنسان
الشيء الجميل الفريد في هذا العالم
دائما ما تهاجم ولا تهزم أبدا‏

لي تاريخ قديم مع شتاينبك
وهو من أوائل من قرأتُ لهم بالإنجليزية

وقد أدمنته على الفور
تستطيع أن تقول أنه فهمني جيدا ففهمته جيدا
وأحببت حقا ما فهمت

هذه هي الرواية الأهم والأشهر
وإن لم تكن الأقرب لقلبي كما هي رواياته العظيمة الأخرى‏
اللؤلؤة،عناقيد الغضب،ورجال وفئران

;;;;;;;;;;;

جنة عدن
هي المكان الذي تبدأ منه كل الحكايات
كل ما هو قادم وكل ما هو كان
الخطوة الأولى في تاريخ الإنسانية
الخطيئة الأولى
الصراع الأول
‏"دم أخي لطخ يدي"‏

شرقي عدن ‏-المكان الذي ذهب قايين إليه
بعد قتله أخاه
ومحادثته مع الرب‏
المكان الذي يبدو أننا جميعا نذهب إليه
إن عاجلا أو أجلا‏

;;;;;;;;;;;

هناك أشباح في الخلفية تطوف
تصنع من اللاواقعي الأشد واقعية
تجبرك على الإنصات لهمساتها الحكيمة
يختلطا الجد والهزل
تندمج زوجة لي المتخيلة
مع دخان ورقات النقود التي يحرقها كال

بينما الغرفة الرمادية في الخلفية
تكاد ستائرها تصيح صيحات الفزع
الذي يغزو كايت ببطء حتى يبتلعها‏

;;;;;;;;;;;

هي رواية كلاسيكية مخلدة
تعطي من العظمة أكثر مما تعطي من الإبهار
يتشابك قدري عائلتين يسكنان وادي بسيط
تتناظر جبال الوادي مع حضن الأم
هذا الحضن الذي لا ينفك يحرم منه الأبطال بطريقة أو بأخرى

يعلمك شتاينبيك كيف تكون أكثر انسانية بخطاياك

لا دونها..

;;;;;;;;;;;

الشخصيات المعقدة في الرواية رسمت حقا ببراعة
أحببت تشارلز بشدة بكل شره وجنونه وعقليته الفاسدة‏

و برغم كل ما فعلَته ،فإنني قد أحببت كاثي
قطعة الثلج التي ما إن تلمسها حتى تتجمد بلا أمل في الخلاص
إنها قطعة من روح الشر ‏
بل خلاصته إن أردتُ أن أكون دقيقة

وقد رسمها شتاينبك كما لم يرسم شخصية من قبل
صنع كائنا جديدا ربما لم تصادفه في رواية قبلا
معالجته لها تستحق التأمل حقا
أما هذه الثنائية التي صنعها قرب نهايتها ‏
بينها وبين أليس بلاد العجائب فهي صدقا من أجمل ما قرأت‏

;;;;;;;;;;;

شخصيتي المفضلة هي لي
الطباخ الصيني الساحر بكل تأكيد
لقد أمتعني بحكمته
بنقاشاته
بحواراته الداخلية
بطريقته في التصرف
بعمقه وعاطفته وأصوله الغامضة
الممسوسة بشياطين لا مرئية
كان كل ما لي يفعله يبدو
وكأن هناك قداسة من نوع ما تسبغ عليه

;;;;;;;;;;;

هي ملحمة حب وحرب
تجمع رائع من الشخصيات الإنسانية
والتي تحارب قدرها ويحاربها

وينتصر دوما الأدب الجميل

‘There's more beauty in truth, even if it is dreadful beauty.’

Simply a masterpiece! Steinbeck is a masterful storyteller! I feel that this will benefit from rereading and it will only get better through the passage of time!

5/5

I'm ashamed that it took me four months to write up this review, but I just couldn't find the right words to describe how I feel about this phenomenal book. Because it was absolute perfection!

I did watch the movie adaption first (ages ago) and loved it, and it has a very special place in my heart because it started off my obsession with James Dean (who I now call my favorite person of all time, so yeah, it's a pretty big deal to me). I've been wanting to read the book ever since, but I was a bit hesitant, because I heard that there are many differences between the two versions. I realized very quickly that this is correct and I became worried, because Cal (who is portrayed by James Dean in the film) was my favorite character in the film and he was nowhere near in sight.

But I realized just as quickly that my concerns were pointless, because Adam was just as fascinating and interesting! His story was just super exciting, without ever being over the top or straying away from reality. I have absolutely zero interest in the country lifestyle and business that is described in the book, but damn, I was still enthralled and never bored!

It was so great to get more insight into the characters I already knew and give them more depth (which now makes me view the movie in a completely different light!), as well as get to know some new characters. All of them were interesting, three dimensional, realistic and special in their own way.The writing was wonderful as well, and (to my surprise) easy to read.

This is one of those novels that will stay with me forever, for reasons I can't explain. I know that I will cherish it and hold it close to my heart, and probably reread it several times throughout the rest of my life.

East of Eden is a uniquely fragmented hotchpotch. A fantastical fable, a retelling of the biblical tale of the original sin, a documented testimony of early settlers in the Salinas Valley through the perspective of three generations, a fictionalized biography of Steinbeck’s own grandfather, a subversive political text, an essay that blends modern philosophy with ancient wisdom.
It’s probable that Steinbeck’s ambitious scope and his need to reach universal meaning might encumber the narration with some faults.

The pace, the tone and the structure are uneven.
The book starts off in the first-person narrative, ostensibly Steinbeck himself, only to suddenly disappear and give way to an anonymous omniscient narrator.
Women appear opaque recipients of inherited constraint and duty. Gender is a question to be typified.
American history is treated as a casual backdrop without cohesive continuity. Racism is approached superficially and drawn to easy stereotyping.
Characters are not constricted by their roles. Some of them remain indecipherable. The causes that lead them to act a certain way are not fully acknowledged. It’s the moral dilemma and the consequences that matter, but it’s precisely the freedom Steinbeck grants to his characters that enables the allegorical quality of this tale to take its direct flight to the reader’s heart.

Truth is I couldn’t have cared less about the formal delivery of this book. My heart surrendered willingly and was bleeding from the first page.
Because it is Steinbeck’s aim that is faultless.
Because his ideals, which refuse to be pigeonholed by religion, double morale or self-complacency, and sincere passion shine through the naked, earnest prose that makes the stories of the Trasks and the Hamiltons a powerful parable that pulsates with unwavering faith in humanity.
Steinbeck reconstructs the architecture of the human spirit with all its weaknesses and cruelties, defies dogmatic predeterminism and elevates his characters’ struggles beyond any restrictive literary scheme. In placing the responsibility of the actions on human beings instead of an almighty presence, he is challenging the reader to call into question his own beliefs on fate, free will and guilt.
Hatred, envy, revenge, self-doubts and misguided fears haunt the heroes of this story, and they fight the dehumanizing effects of such visceral feelings with the only weapon Steinbeck approves of: love. Love in the widest sense of the word. Fraternal, filial, platonic, romantic. Much can be achieved if one is courageous enough to love even when rejection shatters wistful expectations. A childless man can have a daughter, genetic predisposition can be overpowered, instinctive meanness controlled, the gravest crime can be forgiven.

So many questions and no certain answers.
In all his wisdom, Steinbeck exposes his high principles and allows the reader to decide for himself. The possibility to choose, to pick this path or the other when we are at a crossroads is the most precious gift we are given along with life. We cannot choose to be made part of this world, of this bewildering place we seldom understand, but we can exert our goodwill and trust that others will do the same.
Love might cripple us, might make us fragile and defenseless, but it is the only way to reach the end of the journey without regret or remorse. Exile can’t befall on us if we dare to love. Paradise might not exist, but Steinbeck proves that loving others selflessly is the safe path to save us from ourselves.