February 21, 2009

March 2009: East of Eden


"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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. "A strange and original work of art."--New York Times Book Review.

Jen: Loved it!

Holly: I likey.

Stephanie: I enjoyed it and it was different from most of what I tend to read. What I really enjoyed was the struggle between Caleb and Aron, trying not to repeat the pattern, and the realization that everything wasn't exactly as it seemed from the outside or on the surface.

Jerilyn: Extreme evil and extreme love all in one book – amazing story of how one man could go through so much.

Aday: Steinbeck is a genius at character development and classic storytelling. Definitely one of my top 10.

Shannon: I have read this book twice now and it was better the second time. I love this book!!

Linsy: I loved this story and was very intrigued by the characters in the novel. They all had very different approaches to life and Steinbeck did an incredible job of bringing them each to life. Great book and a true classic.