Review by stephhamp - East of Eden

stephhamp 's review for:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

5.0

dark emotional funny hopeful fast-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: Complicated

Worth the hype! I loved this book! I understand completely why it's a great American epic and classic. It should be read in English classes nationwide. I went into this book very skeptical and prepared to DNF. The length intimidated me. But within the first chapter, it was clear that this would be a book that would profoundly change me, and connect immediately. I loved annotating, writing, and jotting down notes in the margins.

I think Lee and Sam Hamilton should go down with Atticus Finch as great literary characters, and great representations of masculinity, as well as the American dream. At times, I found myself rapt with attention and burning through pages to find out what would happen in the next scene. Scenes filled with tension, like when Cate and Cal finally met face to face. And when Adam finally confronted Kate after all this time. I felt heartbroken when the twins were a year old and still had no names, joyous when Lee came back, and full of sorrow when Sam and Dessie passed away.
I was so spoiled by the knowledge and timeless lines in this epic. The language was so engaging, and surprisingly easy to follow. I don't know why I was so nervous to start this. It's long, but like a good movie, when you're interested in the material, it just flows on. Before I knew it, I was almost finished, and so sad to realize that.
Kate intrigues me, but the writing makes it easy to understand her.

This is a book I look forward to revisiting

Content Warnings