Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - East of Eden

i think i’ll come back and reread east of eden at some point because of how it got me thinking, but it wasn’t something that fundamentally changed my worldview…

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bookerbride's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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clemrain's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A story paced with characters, and yet none of them are neglected. The careful, slow developments of plot beside characters is rewarding from part to part. I felt like I was listening to a family member trace back a fascinating part of the family history. Or just town gossip told by a stranger.

The first three parts of the story were strong and I was eager to continue reading them. The fourth part is slow and, in my opinion, didn’t pay off well at a first glance. It’s because I just wanted to know the ending, and as it approached it just wasn’t what I wanted. However, I think in this book, that’s sort of the point.

The one major flaw of the story is

Cathy’s suicide. Just doesn’t line up with her character. She had too much ambition and plan. I’m not sure why the pressures and her son’s outburst could’ve led her to that.

The depth of the novel is fun to sit on and think about. I don’t see a strong agenda in the writing. Just a few different perspectives. At the end of the day, no matter what we believe we’re all just gonna die. Good point.

Maybe some takes in this books might be sour to some. Like comparing the church to brothels. But nothing felt too outrageous to me.

I’m not sure why every female character had to have her chest detailed so much. Nevertheless, those female characters are strong and complicated. And I enjoyed their writing. None of the female characters were too alike which sometimes is a huge problem in classics.

The biblical analogies are really strong. And I enjoyed the conversations characters had regarding them.

Overall, a long read but an accessible one.

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jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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tdap1899's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book destroyed my mind, but in the best way possible. Its lessons are lovely and continue to still be applicable to the modern day. One of the biggest surprises about this book was just how modern it felt. When Steinbeck said this was his magnum opus he was not joking.

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i_llumi's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

shoutout to uncarley and emma chamberlain for making me read this masterpiece.

east of eden. what a fucking book, friends

once I finished reading the last line, my hands went to my face as I stared in shock at the back cover of the book. timshel. thou mayest.

if you are somehow reading this, all I can say is: please pick up this book. it is one of the most engaging, breathtaking, thought-provoking, and human stories I have ever read. the characters begin to feel like family and you'll constantly be asking that there were more than 600 pages to spend with them. I feel like a part of my heart will forever live in the Salinas valley, looking at the willow tree and smelling Lee's ng-ka-py from the Trask ranch. books like this make reading magic to me.

some notes to self (please skip these please)

- lee. I love lee. i could read about his thoughts forever and could talk about how good of a character he is for longer. i hope him and sam hamilton are both laughing and talking about fucking meditations by marcus aurelius in heaven now. bless him. he was the true mvp of the trask household and arguably of the entire plot
- cathy/kate. she is genuinely a scary character and just SO well written it's insane. shes literally the of gaslight gatekeep girlboss and honestly, for that alone steinback deserves all the praise he gets
- CALEB TRASK. CAL. I WANT TO HUG HIM SO BAD. i want to tell him that everything is okay and that i love him god i want to hug him. i wish him nothing but hapiness
- I wanted to visit dessie's sewing place so much... it seemed like so much fun... just imagine all the jokes and funny amazing women ..... oh god..
- charles!!! an underdog who honestly deserved better :/ him and cal would get along so well,, just imagine the uncle nephew bonding,,
- anyways. I am utterly, undeniably in love with this book and i shall forever keep thinking about it

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