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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Shout out to Samuel Hamilton and Li
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
A Soul-Shaking Epic That’s Beyond Perfect
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is a 6-star stunner—one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s emotional, raw, and huge, with families fighting through rejection, sadness, and big-time struggles that hit you hard. The characters feel so real—like people you know—and I connected with every single one. Lee’s the standout; he’s quiet and wise until he explodes with heart at the end, tying it all together. The story’s got redemption and hope that’ll make you cry, and Steinbeck’s writing just grabs you. It’s deep, it’s messy, and it’s amazing—way more than a 5/5.
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is a 6-star stunner—one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s emotional, raw, and huge, with families fighting through rejection, sadness, and big-time struggles that hit you hard. The characters feel so real—like people you know—and I connected with every single one. Lee’s the standout; he’s quiet and wise until he explodes with heart at the end, tying it all together. The story’s got redemption and hope that’ll make you cry, and Steinbeck’s writing just grabs you. It’s deep, it’s messy, and it’s amazing—way more than a 5/5.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Part 1 is slow but the book quickly picks up after the groundwork is laid. The Biblical connections to Genesis are thematically and narratively strong and make the story feel inevitable and very human. The story will leave you with a lot to think about.
Still hits...
Not to get too into this, but I don't think teenage me quite had words for why this story struck so deeply. Re-reading now and realizing the impact that this story of a boy struggling with feeling innately flawed and being freed of that through the power of the "timshel" narrative... What a beautiful thing to revisit as an adult and identify the power it had for a younger version of myself.
I'm not saying it aged perfectly, truly what can be expected to? But I will maintain that Lee is one of the most wonderful, complex, challenging characters in all of literature. Do people talk about that?
Not to get too into this, but I don't think teenage me quite had words for why this story struck so deeply. Re-reading now and realizing the impact that this story of a boy struggling with feeling innately flawed and being freed of that through the power of the "timshel" narrative... What a beautiful thing to revisit as an adult and identify the power it had for a younger version of myself.
I'm not saying it aged perfectly, truly what can be expected to? But I will maintain that Lee is one of the most wonderful, complex, challenging characters in all of literature. Do people talk about that?
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
10
Extremely eloquent, perfectly simple and effective prose combined with imaginative and realistic dialogue creates one of the most fulfilling reading experience ive had.
Theres no grand-purpose, huge-stakes plot here. No characters relying on archetypes and cliches and tropes so that readers can recognize the charactertype and know how to feel about them. Its just people. Normal people. Insignificant people. People who, like in real life - you dont know anything about until you talk to them. Steinbecks razor-sharp writing shows us that even the most insignicant and average people can live the most fantastical lives, and carry the the most mythical and beautiful wisdom in them. All you have to do is listen to them talk.
MUST READ!!
Some quotes i like:
"It is easy out of laziness, out of weakness, to throw oneself into the lap of a deity, saying "i couldn't help it; the way was set." But think of the glory of the choice! That makes a man a man.
"In human affairs of danger and delicacy, successful conclusion is sharply limited by hurry. So often men trip by being in a rush. If one were properly to perform a difficult and subtle act, he should first inspect the end to be achieved and then, once he had accepted the end as desirable, he should forget it completely and concentrate solely on the means. By this method he would not be moved to false action by anxiety or hurry or fear. Very few people learn this."
"You're going to pass something down no matter what you do or if you do nothing. Even if you let yourself go fallow, the weeds will grow and the brambles. Something will grow."
Extremely eloquent, perfectly simple and effective prose combined with imaginative and realistic dialogue creates one of the most fulfilling reading experience ive had.
Theres no grand-purpose, huge-stakes plot here. No characters relying on archetypes and cliches and tropes so that readers can recognize the charactertype and know how to feel about them. Its just people. Normal people. Insignificant people. People who, like in real life - you dont know anything about until you talk to them. Steinbecks razor-sharp writing shows us that even the most insignicant and average people can live the most fantastical lives, and carry the the most mythical and beautiful wisdom in them. All you have to do is listen to them talk.
MUST READ!!
Some quotes i like:
"It is easy out of laziness, out of weakness, to throw oneself into the lap of a deity, saying "i couldn't help it; the way was set." But think of the glory of the choice! That makes a man a man.
"In human affairs of danger and delicacy, successful conclusion is sharply limited by hurry. So often men trip by being in a rush. If one were properly to perform a difficult and subtle act, he should first inspect the end to be achieved and then, once he had accepted the end as desirable, he should forget it completely and concentrate solely on the means. By this method he would not be moved to false action by anxiety or hurry or fear. Very few people learn this."
"You're going to pass something down no matter what you do or if you do nothing. Even if you let yourself go fallow, the weeds will grow and the brambles. Something will grow."
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book that tells an inter-generational story, mostly centered around the Trask line. It's beautifully descriptive, particularly of the rural landscapes. Lee is the obvious highlight of the book, and plays the moral compass but also this just gentle and wonderful character. But I'd say all the PoV characters are very strong and unique, with powerful perspectives. I really enjoy Cathy/Kate - unlikeable obviously, but also felt like a woman simply born in the wrong time. Loved Abra, Cal and for the short time he was there, Charles also.
The little valley changes a lot across this book, where the trade of farming is replaced by things like marketing. It's a pretty interesting and expansive dive into the history of the USA. I've only really read European classics, and this really had a totally different feel and perspective in comparison to a Dostoevsky. But meant it felt pretty fresh to me also.
I will say this one was maybe a bit overhyped for me, it's not an all timer for me. But still a fantastically written piece of fiction which holds both historical significance alongside it's place as a literature classic.
The little valley changes a lot across this book, where the trade of farming is replaced by things like marketing. It's a pretty interesting and expansive dive into the history of the USA. I've only really read European classics, and this really had a totally different feel and perspective in comparison to a Dostoevsky. But meant it felt pretty fresh to me also.
I will say this one was maybe a bit overhyped for me, it's not an all timer for me. But still a fantastically written piece of fiction which holds both historical significance alongside it's place as a literature classic.