Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - East of Eden

My first thought when finishing this was "huh" followed by "well, at least it's over."

I wanted to DNF this a few times, and while I have little to no hesitation to do so, I did at least want to see how this story ended. I'm not really sure it was worth the trouble, honestly. Maybe next time...

My overall thoughts are mixed on this book. It's my first read of a long work by Steinbeck, and I don't know if that's good or bad. I can confidently say I won't re-read this book later or even buy it to have on my shelf. I might read Steinbeck again in the future, but it will probably be Of Mice and Men or The Pearl again.

The characters were interesting with overall good development, but there were too many characters that I felt nothing toward or could have cared less or seemed to make no real impact on the story.

This story wasn't bad, I just thought there were too many moments that seemed to be in the story but weren't part of the story if that makes sense. I really enjoyed that there was a self-aware narrator who also had their own story here and there (which did, in a way, add world context for what was going on in the lives of the Trask and Hamilton families), but I think I appreciated that more because it felt unique more than anything else.

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emilymean's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

deeply moving. contrary to what a lot of reviews (especially at its time of release) seem to say, I found this to be a very nuanced character study with a complex approach to moral philosophy. belongs in the canon of great american novels

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tashiface's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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ticianeaneane's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

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lanna_aud's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

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kathryn0628's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is book is a work of art. It was beautiful. Steinbeck's understanding of human emotion & then his ability to covey it was super human. BIG FAN. Timshel!

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readwthsam's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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