East of Eden by John Steinbeck Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.68 You Save: $13.32 (74%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of East of Eden
Book Review: A must read
Summary: 5 Stars
East of Eden is an unforgettable book because of its brilliant plot and characters. Steinbeck sets the story in Salinas Valley, his hometown, and focuses on two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. The story passes fairly quickly from one generation to the next in the three sections of the novel.
Its plot is filled with Biblical allusions, specifically the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. Steinbeck explores brother rivalry in two generations as the father favors a son, causing the other to experience overwhelming jealously and anger. The novel is profound as it explores this and other deep emotions, such as guilt. In the end, timshel emphasizes that forgiveness is necessary to allow one to move on in life.
The characters are entertaining with their contrasting personalities. Cathy especially interested me as I questioned if she was completely evil or not.
Also, Steinbeck's style is enjoyable because it is easy to understand.
Even though the novel is long, the reader will love every page as they watch the amazing story unfold in front of their eyes. This book is a must read as it teaches many things and entertains at the same time.
Book Review: A story?
Summary: 1 Stars
I thought this book was a waste of my time. it may have emotion... but it is riddled with chapters that contain little relevance to the plot! Save yourself and don't bother.Book Review: A tome
Summary: 4 Stars
If Grapes of Wrath were a song, this would be a tome - much more heavy hearted and densely wraught. Certainly Graphs of Wrath was depressing, but not so ornately religious as Graphs of Wrath.Book Review: A true masterpiece...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read books by Steinbeck before this one. Actually, now that I think about, I read a quite a lot by him. But none of them hit me like "East of Eden." I think he was truly at his best when he decided to write "East of Eden." The characters are fascinating, and the way he seems to tie several different sub-plots together is absolutely amazing. His other books like "The Pearl" or "Of Mice and Men," showed that he was a good author. But "East of Eden" shows that not only is he an extraordinary writer, he has gift for portraying human relationships skillfully. Truly, his use of character interactions is astounding. And each character is wonderfully full and complete, lending a multi-faceted quality to his book.Book Review: A true treasure!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has been a joy to read and it is one book that is certainly worth reading again. East of Eden will have a permanent spot on my bookshelf - a book that I plan to keep for my young daughter, so she can read it when she's older. It is a timeless classic.