Review by mamatoca - East of Eden

mamatoca 's review for:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Very difficult to read the ugliness in the first 2/3 of the book. But it is worth it to persevere. This book is about free will, that is, our ability to do good or to do evil. It is about the evil that we see in the world - what we create ourselves and that which we see befall others/that which we see others create. Steinbeck does not offer a simple explanation for this mystery, but ultimately he does offer a hopeful outlook, and one that rings true to me.

Content Warnings