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| East of Eden (Penguin Modern Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: John Steinbeck
Creator: David Wyatt
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £6.49
You Save: £3.50 (35%)
New (16) from £5.36
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 4552
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 640
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0141185074
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780141185071
ASIN: 0141185074
Publication Date: September 7, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
A book with the great heart and soul of John Steinbeck inside July 27, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
East of Eden is an epic, powerful book of hope, despair, suffering and permission for humanity to fulfill it's potential. This may sound dramatic but East of Eden is one of the most thoughtful books I have ever read. The level of depth that is so subtly put into the book has a profound impact on the reader: the idiosyncraties of life, which we so often take for being individual to ourselves are really vividly shown to be universal. The book isn't so much a novel but a treatise on human nature and a philosophy for life. This is a big claim so I'll try and justify it. But really, this is a book that needs to be experienced rather than read so any review is only a shallow representation.
It takes a novelist of Steinbeck's skill to pull the deep philosophising off in a non-condensending or patronising manner. Yet, he handles the book beautifully, the philosophy comes from two very strong and intriging characters, Samuel and Lee, both outsiders beloved by those close to them who are able to advise the other characters and, by proxy, the reader too. Through these characters' strong voices, the other actors are guided through their lives, the stregth of hope that they give out is the difference between life and death for some characters. The ideas of the book are obvious when read but stay with the reader and offer a simple approach to a lives beset by complications - put simply, you may do what you want in life, you learn for yourself and although help and strength may be offered by other people, ultimately you are responsible for your own life. And for whether you are satisfied when death takes you.
The book is strong in many areas, such as the depth of knowledge gained about American history and the American psyche, the deep love shown to its people and the strong, interesting characters, shown extra love in their crafting because many are based on Steinbeck's own family. However the level of detail in the book slows down the narrative tremendously: this isn't a novel that can be rushed through without missing the crux of the book; the contemplative tone means that it will always be a slow read. The plot is also quite simplistic and easily predictable. It could be reduced to a few lines but in doing so the fine details and love that is so apparent in the book would be lost. The plot is secondary to the environment, characters and, above all, to the ideas of the book.
If this type of book sounds intriging to you, please buy or borrow it quickly, as it will be a book that you won't forget for a long time and offers the reader a lot. Despite the heaviness of the topics and some of the vindictiveness shown by some characters, the book leaves the reader in hope rather than despair by the end. Even if it doesn't sound appealing and the size of the book puts you off you should try this book. It is a rare masterpiece and one which will be as relevant in 100 years as it is now with much wisdom on offer to any reader, regardless of their world experiences.
If only all Steinbeck's works were this long! July 3, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
This isn't Steinbeck's best novel, but it is a very fine work indeed. John Steinbeck is one of the few authors whose work i can read without regularly looking up to the top of the page to see how far i have left to go. He takes you into an absorbing world you don't want to leave. In this case it is the Salinas valley, and the lives of the Hamiltons and the Trasks.
In the book, we encounter two generations of Hamiltons, and three generations of Trasks. The characters are well developed and believable. I found Samuel Hamilton, head of the Hamilton family, and Cathy, a whore and psychopath, particularly compelling.
Steinbeck has a very good understanding of human nature, and the author's own wisdom expresses itself in the conversations of characters such as Samuel and Lee. As always with Steinbeck, not only do you get some wonderful characters, you get a really good plot, some social history, and some very good writing.
His exploration of the rivalry between brothers, as first played out by Cane and Abel, is masterly and convincing.
Enthralling February 22, 2006
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is one of the most unusual books i've read.It's set around the turn of the century but is a re-telling of the stories of original sin (adam & eve) and Cane & Abel mixed with American history and autobiographical references to Steinbeck's family. It follows 2 generations of the Trask family through their lives and suggests that the search for love is the strongest human desire and that lack of love can destroy people. I have never read a similar book to this.
So Happy August 10, 2005
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Too say I don't read fiction books, would sum me up. Since I was a kid I've read hundreds of popular science books and textbooks. Reaching the grand old age of 19 I've finally enjoyed a fiction book, and this was it. This book is the tale of everyone, it is a story of life and to pigeonhole or describe it in narrower sense would take something away. All you can do is read this book. Buy it, borrow it or steal it now if you have to. Sit and read this book constantly till you finish it. Then post your review, because I need help describing exactly how this book affects people. Please believe me.
East of Eden August 1, 2005
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I cannot seem to put down in words the depth and power of the effect that this book had on me. I have read many a book which I would put in a list of favourites or best-evers but I can undoubtedly say that this is the best and most stunning book I have ever read, and am likely to read. I picked it up and it swallowed me whole - laid against a background of America during the immense social and technological evolution between civil and world wars (it is as much an interesting education in the effects of such historical events in the small town Deep South) is a story so intricate and beautiful, at once tender and brutal, that manages to go through every single aspect of human life and experience - from birth to death, inherent evil and good, and the battle of personal morality. This is a true epic, in sheer size and scope as in the freshness of the stunning lyrical style. I was both elated and devastated, and hated having to finish it.
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