millsy24 's review for:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book is the best I’ve ever read. Simple. It was the most emotional, riveting, intense fountain of knowledge and reflection I’ve come across, with Steinbeck having a way of writing that makes every character come alive, every thought feel like your own, and the emotional battles hit you as hard as it might have hit them. For 600 pages it flew by, making for easy reading that was challenging to comprehend in a delightful way. The ending and book overall is one of the only reads that made me want to study it upon completion, analysing it as much as possible to grasp the meaning. Maybe this isn’t what Steinbeck intended, wanting it to affect everyone the natural way intended. Whenever I encounter hardship or despair from now on, I will try and remember timshel.