Rating: 4.0
What it's about:
This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families--the Trasks and the Hamiltons--whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. -taken from Barnes&Noble.com
My thoughts:
East of Eden is a good character study exploring themes of guilt, self-destruction and free will. It's not a very fast paced story but it is satisfying in the end and kept my interest. There's a fairly diverse set of characters in East of Eden. Some are good. Some are evil. Most important though are the ones that are neither good nor bad but both at the same time. We are witness to such internal struggles with self that the tenseness and strain are almost palpable. At the end of the book there's a certain deliverance and a sigh of relief escapes. Steinbeck originally wrote this story for his young sons at the time. He "wanted to describe the Salinas Valley for them in detail: the sights, sounds, smells, and colors." Mission accomplished!
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