Rating: 
Summary: We all get to choose
Review: The main message of this extraordinary book is that we all have a choice--a choice to be who we want, regardless of background, genes, DNA, whatever. This is most evident in the voice of one of the sons in the book ("I don't want to be like her"--his reference to finding out his mother runs a brothel). And it's not just her "immoral" behavior he's referring to, but the woman's overall evilness; her total disregard for her fellow human beings. But even more important, although along the same lines, is the idea of "The struggle within the human heart"--a Faulknerian idea that the only thing worth writing about is our "inner" conflicts. In a nutshell, this is what "East of Eden" is about: the struggle within ourselves. But ideas alone do not make a great book. That said, "East of Eden" IS a great book, for the execution of these ideas is just remarkable. They tapestry that Steinbeck weaves for us is done with such strength and grace that if we step back and look at it, we will be amazed. I'm not usually one for some of Oprah's picks, but this time she hit the nail on the head. If I had to only pick three books, this would be one. Also recommended: Fall on your Knees, and Bark of the Dogwood
Rating: 
Summary: East of Eden: Worth It?
Review: Although I have not finished the book,East of Eden, I believe I have read enough of it to critique it.
The book is set in the early 20th century in the Salinas valley of California. The book is separted into three parts, two of which I have read. The two main characters are both men, one lives in California and one lives on the east coast. The two characters don't meat untill about 200 pages into the book. Each character has an interesting life, but the book seems to focus more on the character Adam, more than the other, Samuel. The character that lives in California, Samuel, has a family of 9 and is a very intelligent man. The character that lives on the east coast, Adam, grew up with an emotionally cold and detached military father. He and his older brother lived as bachlors untill Adam was about 40.
The begining of the story moves very slow, it is only when a third character is introduced, Cathy, that the story becomes interesting. Adam finds her beaten on his door step, nurses her back to health and marries her, but Cathy is an almost inhuman woman and never wanted to marry Adam. She is cold, distant, and calculated. Her real personality is shown by how she reacts to her and Adam's two sons when she gives birth.
John Steinbeck has given this story a plot similar to that of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. There is that type of sibling jealously not only between Adam and his brother, but also between Adam's two sons. Steinbeck rarley has all the charactes in this book coexist. For the most part, each chapter is about a speific character and their individual life, not how they exist with the other main characters in the book.
Overall I would say that this book moves much too slow for most readers. Although the detail is great, there is very little action or excitement. Every time the book seems like it is picking up, it goes right back to its slow pace. Out of what I have read so far, there has mabey been one whole page of action, combined. If you enjoy a long book full of vivid detail, this book is for you, but if you prefer drama and excitement in your reading, you will most likley not enjoy this book. On a scale of one to five, I would give this book a 3.
Rating:
Summary: Steinbeck's best effort
Review: By far, this is Steinbeck's best book with "Grapes of Wrath" taking second place. I first encountered "East of Eden" in high school and it actually changed my life. Of special interest to me at the time was Steinbeck's section about the Hebrew word in the bible that had been changed from meaning "Thou mayest" to "Thou must." It caused me to question everything else that I was taught and as a result I've been better off ever since. But the book is more than just that one phrase, for it's possibly one of a handful of "perfect" books written in the last hundred years. I would also recommend another great book: "The Bark of the Dogwood--A Tour of Southern Homes and Gardens" as it is equally well written and very moving.
Rating:
Summary: Best Steinbeck I've read!
Review: When I first picked up East of Eden, I was not sure that I would enjoy it. The first 40 or so pages did not hold my attention, but it seems that once I turned to page 41, I was HOOKED and could not put the large novel down until it was done. The stories of the Hamiltons and Trasks intersect so beautifully and Lee's character is one that I will probably remember forever. So many of his observations about Americans and California are ones that were true in the 1900s and continue to ring true a century later. I highlighted many passages in this book as ones that I won't forget and would recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: A world apart...
Review: These book is one of the greatest clasics you can come across. It is a serene insight in relationship on man-women and brotherhood issues. Though is not very crystal on answering the question why the main character is so sentimentaly naive and as such against all odds, but still the situation, the consequences of it are colorfuly depicted. It's a book how Good can survive against the Evil but still it gets the shorter end of it. There is no ideal or divine realization that good will win overall. Being truly and naivly good doesn't mean that you will be awerded for it and that a true love can win at the end. It can be farse to itself.
Rating:
Summary: If you have seen the film, you will love the novel.
Review: Recently I reviewed on Amazon.com the film East of Eden with James Dean and Jo Van Fleet, mentioning that the movie was little more than a few chapters at the end of John Steinbeck's great novel. The performances by Dean and Van Fleet, who won the academy award for her work, were superb, but the book is much much better than the film for several reasons. One of these reasons is a great story. Some readers may shy away from the classics thinking they may be long on art and short on an entertaining plot. In the case of East of Eden, these readers would be wrong. From the opening pages we are drawn into the lives of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Steinbeck's mother was a Hamilton and Steinbeck enters the story toward the end to give his account of his family and their relationship with the Trasks in Salinas, California. We follow the lives of three generations of Hamiltons and Trasks as they struggle to find meaning and purpose for living. The biblical story of Cain and Abel is the foundation on which the novel is built and the rivalry of Cal and Aron Trask (the Cain and Abel of the Bible) for their father Adam's love is one lynchpin of the novel. Unlike the Bible, Cal does not kill Aron directly, but may be said to be responsible for his death. Anytime Cal, the James Dean character in the film, is involved with the plot, the story moves quickly forward and is genuinely entertaining. The same can be said of Cathy Trask, Adam's estranged wife, who becomes Kate, the madam of a whorehouse. Cathy is a perfect example of the bad seed. From her childhood where she kills her parents in a fire to her suicide at the end of the story, she does no good thing and evil follows here wherever she goes. Like Satan in Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, she is the most interesting character in the novel, even though her portrayal is, for the most part, one dimensional. We wait impatiently for each of her entrances in the story to see what bad business she will initiate. Her encounters with her son Cal, both in the book and in the film, are highlights for the reader and viewer. One more character worth noting is Lee, the Chinese servant of the Trask family. Lee is always the voice of reason and goodness. He is at the center of the discussions that form the heart of the novel; that is, that we are allowed by God to choose the direction and purpose of our life. The novel ends with Adam saying from his death bed, "Timshel," that is, "thou mayest." The glory of being human is freedom of choice. We are neither predestined nor commanded, but allowed to decide our own way. East of Eden is a great American novel, not perfect by any means, but ambitious in its size and scope and incomparably better than almost all the best sellers that sit on top of the New York Times top ten list, at least in my opinion. Readers who are interested in a story of families trying to find some meaning and purpose in life are sure to be genuinely entertained by the Hamiltons and Trasks as they struggle to survive in the land East of Eden.
Rating:
Summary: I'm inspired to read more classics after this one
Review: I cannot believe I haven't read this book sooner. I was taken in immediately by the sheer language of the author. The prose was so wonderfully descriptive that I could visualize every place, every item, every character- it was as if a movie was playing in my head as I read each word. It was a classic "good vs. evil" theme that was realistic in that the good don't always prosper and the evil don't always get what (we feel) they deserve. The character development was great. Some characters were more complex while some characters were really one-dimensional, however, I believe that was the intent of the author because it made the story work. The author made me have an opinion about each character, and whether I liked the character or not, I understood his/her actions and cared about what happened to them. I am now looking forward to reading and re-reading more Steinbeck novels and other classics. You're probably wondering why I only gave this book a 3 star rating after all of this raving. I deducted a star because of one word - EDITING! I ran across mispellings, grammatical errors and punctuation errors. That is unacceptable for a published piece of writing. Especially for a classic work such as this. I am shocked that the editor and publisher did not pay closer attention to this. Otherwise, this book is an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: The anatomy of perfection
Review: John Steinbeck is one of the greatest North American writers ever. With his work he was to create a huge portrait of the life in the first half of the 20th Century in United States of America. 'East of Eden' is among his masterpieces, in which he is capable of bringing to life real and vivid characters, influenced by their habitat. The novel follows the life of a family, concentrating on its two offspring since before their birth. Steinbeck also inserted his own family and himself in the book as minor characters and this device sort of gives him authority to talk about the events and people. Not many writers were able to draw such a convincing portrait of such people. By choosing the right words and building the right sentences, the author gave depth and beauty to his novel, so filled with descriptions. 'East of Eden' has survived for decades and praised as one of the most perfect North American novels ever. All this due to Steinbeck geniality. Despite his labored prose this book is not difficult to read and understand. Its reading flows easily and from the beginning the story captures one's attention. Nevertheless 'East of Eden' is not for everyone. Many readers may not connect with the prose and the story. People who usually read contemporary fiction with dubious quality should stay away from any Steinbeck's novel, and not to 'read' it only to appear to be highbrow.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweeping Saga in a Cain and Abel Framework
Review: East of Eden is the colorful three-generation saga of an American family (the Trasks) embroiled in their emotional, ever-so-human contest with the moral forces of good and evil. Set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the story follows Cyrus Trask, his sons Adam and Charles, and Adam's sons Aron and Caleb, through their eventful, changing, sometimes violent lives, sweeping from a farm in Connecticut to Steinbeck's home in the Salinas Valley of California. As the novel unfolds, we meet personifications of "good" in the character of Samuel Hamilton, Adam's kind-hearted neighbor whose nine children help fill out the story, and "evil" as represented particularly by Kate, Adam's malicious wife who fittingly comes to run a local whorehouse. Steinbeck provides us with what is presumably his own interpretation of the Bible's Cain and Abel story through the guiding, balanced commentary of an unexpectedly erudite Mr. Lee, Adam's American-born Chinese servant. In the Bible, Cain, angered by God's rejection, kills his brother, Abel, and suffers lifelong guilt from his misplaced revenge. For Steinbeck, man (we are all Cain's descendants) is neither predestined (thou shalt) nor commanded (do thou) to rise above sin; rather, the individual has freedom of choice (thou mayest). Importantly, through individual choice, each person is free to direct his own life to attain true glory and the triumph of the human spirit. Ultimately, when a person dies, he is judged not by his wealth, influence and power, but by the answer to a simple question: Was he good or evil, loved or hated? In my opinion, the noticeable flaw in this otherwise exceptional work is Steinbeck's deliberate placement of his characters into a Cain and Abel framework, with Charles and Caleb being troubled Cain, and Adam and Aron the fairer Abel. The book reads as if Steinbeck first decided on the philosophical theme for the work and then applied his adroit literary hand to build interesting, absorbing characters to fit the mold. I believe that the novel could have become an even grander work of literature if Steinbeck had more naturally allowed his striking talent for rich character development to enjoy a still larger role, while relegating the Cain and Abel theme to a more subtle, purely motivational position.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond Mice and Men
Review: With "East of Eden," Steinbeck does a wonderful job of creating characters that drive the story, rather than vice-versa. If you're tired of plot-driven novels with thin, and often cliché, characters, then you're likely to dig this one. It's classic for a reason. If you're into writers like Steinbeck, Hemingway, Salinger, etc., then there's a new writer you should check out: GREG IPPOLITO. His most recent novel, "Zero Station," is a politically charged page-turner that pits its main Gen X character (John Saylor) against his Baby Boomer parents, teachers, etc., during the winter of 1991 -- in the heart of the Persian Gulf War. Right now, Ippolito is still a relative unknown (a friend turned me onto his work)...but this is a must-read. You can check him out and read an excerpt at: http://www.zero-station.net Don't miss it.
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