John Steinbeck

The biblical account of Cain and Abel is echoed in the history of two generations of the Trask family in California.

East of Eden

sariya

"'I love that dust heap,' said Samuel. I love it the way a bitch loves her runty pup. I love every flint, the plow-breaking outcroppings, the thin and barren topsoil, the waterless heart of her. Somewhere in my dust heap there's a richness.'"

"Sometimes a man wants to be stupid if it lets him do a thing his cleverness forbids."

"It was a woman's world. Here all the rules, and the fears that created the iron rules, went down. The door was closed to men. It was a sanctuary where women could be themselves—smelly, wanton, mystic, conceited, truthful, and interested."

"Samuel rode lightly on top of a bok and he balanced happily among ideas the way a man rides white rapids in a canoe. But Tom got into a book, crawled and groveled between the covers, tunneled like a mole among the thoughts, and came up with the book all over his face and hands."

"'I get no triumph when I win and no tragedy when I lose. Without these it is meaningless. It is not a way to make money, that we know, and unless it can simulate birth and death, joy and sorrow, it seems at least to me—it feels—it doesn't feel at all.'"

"...you could feel Tom when you came near to him—you could feel strength and warmth and an iron integrity. And under all of this was a shrinking—a shy shrinking. He could be as gay as his father, and suddenly, in the middle it would be cut the way you would cut a violin string, and you could watch Tom go whirling into darkness."

"'When the Lord God did not call my name, I might have called His name—but I did not. There you have the difference between greatness and mediocrity. It's not an uncommon disease. But it's nice for a mediocre man to know that greatness must be the loneliest state in the world.'"

"'It takes great courage to back a truth unacceptable to our times. There's a punishment for it, and it's usually crucifixion.'"

"'I don't very much believe in blood,' said Samuel. 'I think what a man finds good or bad in his children he is seeing only what he planted in them after they cleared the womb.'"

"'I will warn you now that not their blood but your suspicion might build evil in them. They will be what you expect of them.'"

"'To you she was because you built her. I don't think you ever saw her—only your own creation.'"

"'Can't you feel the cold at night of a lone child? What warm is there, what bird song, what possible morning can be good? Don't you remember, Adam, how it was, even a little?'"

"The trouble is that since we cannot know what she wanted, we will never know whether or not she got it. If rather than running toward something, she ran away from something, we can't know whether she escaped. Who knows but that she tried to tell someone or everyone what she was like and could not, for lack of a common language. Her life may have been her language, formal, developed, indecipherable. It is easy to say that she was bad, but there is little meaning unless we know why."

"'It’s my duty to take this thing of yours and kick it in the face, then raise it up and spread slime on it thick enough to blot out its dangerous light... I should hold it up to you muck-covered and show you its dirt and danger. I should warn you to look closer until you can see how ugly it really is. I should ask you to think of inconstancy and give you examples. I should give you Othello’s handkerchief. Oh, I know I should. And I should straighten out your tangled thoughts, show you that the impulse is gray as lead and rotten as a dead cow in wet weather. If I did my duty well, I could give you back your bad old life and feel good about it...'"

"A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything. And the people of the world were good and handsome. And I was not afraid any more."

"'The ways of sin are curious... I guess if a man had to shuck off everything he had, inside and out, he'd manage to hide a few little sins somewhere for his own discomfort. They're the last things we'll give up.'"

"'There's a black violence on this valley. I don't know—I don't know. It's as though some old ghost haunted it out of the dead ocean below and troubled the air with unhappiness. It's as secret as hidden sorrow. I don't know what it is, but I see it and feel it in the people here.'"

"Some men are friends with the whole world in their hearts, and there are others that hate themselves and spread their hatred around like butter on hot bread."

"Maybe we all have in us a secret pond where evil and ugly things germinate and grow strong. But this culture is fenced, and the swimming brood climbs up only to fall back. Might it not be that in the dark pools of some men the evil grows strong enough to wriggle over the fence and swim free? Would not such a man be our monster, and are we not related to him in our hidden water? It would be absurd if we did not understand both angels and devils, since we invented them."

"Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man. It happens to nearly everyone. You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite. It is a feeling in the stomach, a delight in the nerves, of the forearms. The skin tastes the air, and every deep-drawn breath is sweet. Its beginning has the pleasure of a great stretching yawn; it flashes in the brain and the whole world glows outside your eyes... I guess a man's importance in the world can be measured by the quality and the number of his glories. It is the mother of all creativeness, and it sets each man separate from all other men."

"For the world was changing, and sweetness was gone, and virtue too. Worry had crept on a corroding world, and what was lost—good manners, ease and beauty?"

"He felt the warmth for his brother you can only feel for someone who is not perfect and therefore no target for your hatred."

"I think the difference between a lie and a story is that a story utilizes the trappings and appearance of truth for the interest of the listener as well as of the teller. A story has in it neither gain nor loss. But a lie is a device for profit or escape. I suppose if that definition is strictly held to, then a writer of stories is a liar—if he is financially fortunate."

"Most children abhor difference. They want to look, talk, dress, and act exactly like all of the others. If the style of dress is an absurdity, it is pain and sorrow to a child not to wear that absurdity... And this slavishness to the group normally extends into every game, every practice, social or otherwise. It is a protective coloration children utilize for their safety."

California's fertile Salinas Valley is home to two families whose destinies are fruitfully, and fatally, intertwined. Over the generations, between the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of the First World War, the Trasks and the Hamiltons will helplessly replay the fall of Adam and Eve and the murderous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

East of Eden was considered by Steinbeck to be his magnum opus, and its epic scope and memorable characters, exploring universal themes of love and identity, ensure it remains one of America's most enduring novels.

What do you say about a book that has had so much said about it before? 

It's very good and it's quite different to the other Steinbeck books I've read. It was hard to follow all the characters at first, I couldn't keep the Hamiltons straight in my head. 

The later part of the book, when the narrator is omniscient was easier to follow than the earlier parts where he isn't. 

A deep cutting exposé on the dual nature of man, the inherent good and evil, the choice between them. Thou mayest.

Liam Richardson

What do you say about a book that has had so much said about it before? 

It's very good and it's quite different to the other Steinbeck books I've read. It was hard to follow all the characters at first, I couldn't keep the Hamiltons straight in my head. 

The later part of the book, when the narrator is omniscient was easier to follow than the earlier parts where he isn't. 

A deep cutting exposé on the dual nature of man, the inherent good and evil, the choice between them. Thou mayest.

jules

A masterclass is a masterclass, whatever they may say.

The novel reads so incredibly contemporary and still relevant and at the same time, so, so timeless - it is what they mean in literature class when they talk about universal themes. It is not subtle about its metaphors and parallels but this is executed so well that it does not feel heavyhanded or single-minded. Rather, the novel is a variation on a theme, talking about the repeated cycle in which humans (or families) are trapped and the only way to break it.

Steinbeck's writing is also so vivid that it is the first time in decades I have thought I would love to visit America and see the places these characters inhabit. The narration is relatively straightforward but not at the expense of character complexities; rather than unpretentious, I would call it focused.

An instant favourite and an instant inspiration.

A masterclass is a masterclass, whatever they may say.

The novel reads so incredibly contemporary and still relevant and at the same time, so, so timeless - it is what they mean in literature class when they talk about universal themes. It is not subtle about its metaphors and parallels but this is executed so well that it does not feel heavyhanded or single-minded. Rather, the novel is a variation on a theme, talking about the repeated cycle in which humans (or families) are trapped and the only way to break it.

Steinbeck's writing is also so vivid that it is the first time in decades I have thought I would love to visit America and see the places these characters inhabit. The narration is relatively straightforward but not at the expense of character complexities; rather than unpretentious, I would call it focused.

An instant favourite and an instant inspiration.

ellie 💐💌⭐️

Elyse 

East of Eden (Penguin Modern Classics)

"In certainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved."

Five months of reading this absolute hollowblock. I believe Cathy's and Cal's character will stay with me for quite a while. This has cemented itself as one of my 'life books'.

"In certainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved."

Five months of reading this absolute hollowblock. I believe Cathy's and Cal's character will stay with me for quite a while. This has cemented itself as one of my 'life books'.

absolutely stunning book! you get to dive pretty deeply into each character that was important and i loved to dwelve into how their minds work and think and that’s what i really love about books - to get a glimpse of people’s way of thinking or doing but also kind of relating to certain parts and characteristics they have

micki

Beautifully written, vivid characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this. 

Steve Collins

where to even begin with this. classics are classics for a reason.

in my very few years of reading classic novels, i don't think i've ever come across one this beautifully written; not referring to its prose and the language it uses, which is stunning in it's own right, but in it's message and it's sincerity. i would've never thought a long, multigenerational novel about two farming families in a dry, dusty valley of california written three quarters of a century from now would ever feel so personal and vibrant to me. i could almost feel the summer heat, the wind, the smell of breakfast in the connecticut farm; it's like the characters were jumping out from the pages, everyone: adam, charles, will, lee, cathy, cal, aron, and the many other characters in this novel all felt so real and were so loved by me. i felt strong emotions for them and the things they went through.

at it's core, this is a novel about humanity, family, and the constant fight between good and evil. but beyond that, a tale about brotherhood, choice, and the withstanding pursuit of love and companionship above all other things. i really wish i could put down more of what i feel about this but words don't reach me right now. 

carlota

where to even begin with this. classics are classics for a reason.

in my very few years of reading classic novels, i don't think i've ever come across one this beautifully written; not referring to its prose and the language it uses, which is stunning in it's own right, but in it's message and it's sincerity. i would've never thought a long, multigenerational novel about two farming families in a dry, dusty valley of california written three quarters of a century from now would ever feel so personal and vibrant to me. i could almost feel the summer heat, the wind, the smell of breakfast in the connecticut farm; it's like the characters were jumping out from the pages, everyone: adam, charles, will, lee, cathy, cal, aron, and the many other characters in this novel all felt so real and were so loved by me. i felt strong emotions for them and the things they went through.

at it's core, this is a novel about humanity, family, and the constant fight between good and evil. but beyond that, a tale about brotherhood, choice, and the withstanding pursuit of love and companionship above all other things. i really wish i could put down more of what i feel about this but words don't reach me right now. 

Valentina

Steinbeck’s writing is captivating throughout and he creates some of the most engaging characters in anything I’ve ever read. A book full of thought provoking meditations on morality, philosophy and religion. A must read.

Liam Collins

Katerina

Remarkable book. I am fascinated by this author's style of writing. Just enough conversations, just enough narration. Not too much to get bored, not too little to feel as if there isn't enough of it. The story - so touching. The characters - made out of flaws, just as any person is. I learned so much from this book, got attached to the characters as if they were created by my imagination not the author's, as if they were mine and only mine. By the end, I was clinging to this book, holding on to it as if it was my baby. I was especially fascinated by the story of Cain and Abel, the way the author managed to doom Cal and Aron to the same destiny and yet create them with their own flaws and their own charms. Absolutely amazing. I wish I could read this book for the first time all over again.

One of the best books I’ve ever read. The characters feel very real and the story is attention grabbing.

Abigail Swallow

Chris Dailey

Steinbeck's magnum opus did not disappoint. Epic and biblical (literally and figuratively) the novel follows two families in California's Salinas valley from the mid-19th century through the Great War. Full of allegory and multiple tellings of Genesis chapter four, it focuses on good versus evil, light versus dark in almost all lenses possible: family, friends and foes; class, classism and capitalism; love and romance; and war and peace. Told through two familial veins, the Hamilton's and the Trasks, with the former being a veiled retelling of Steinbeck's own family, and the former being pure fictional and the focus of the good vs. evil. The novel is fluid and feels fresh despite being 70 years old at the time of reading. There are some items that are dated and some characters that feel too flat - specifically Kate, who is almost pure evil. This one has been on my list for a long time and it certainly deserved to be.

A. D. Knapp

Amelia C 

long book... but worth every page!!!another one of my favorites!

Molly M

wow oh my god . i am crying 

not sure why i thought i wouldn’t like this book but man was i wrong

Monicap

This book draws on the biblical story of Cain and Abel and the theme of Timshel - the choice between good and evil. I liked that all the characters portrayed this internal duality in some ways. I was a bit nervous about reading a classic (at nearly 700 pages to boot!), but I found it to be fully engaging and worth the read.  

Jacqui Spears

amelo

Luke Harkness

An outstanding novel about the hardships of life, parenting, growing up and about morals.

I could read John Steinbeck's writing all day, every day. He manages to sound poetic often and incredibly simple at other times which creates such a fun read.

Roman

Jenseits von Eden

Ich bin auf das Buch durch ein Interview mit Cornelia Funke gestoßen und hab es mit hohen Erwartungen gelesen, auch weil ich "Von Mäusen und Menschen" als Schullektüre im Englisch-Unterricht sehr begeistert gelesen hatte. In "Jenseits von Eden" erzählt John Steinbeck die  Geschichte zweier Familien im Kalifornien der Jahrhundertwende, deren Schicksale über mehrere Jahrzehnte ineinander verwoben sind. Die große Frage, der Steinbeck in den vielen Charakteren und verschiedenen Erzählsträngen nachgeht und die mit biblischen Anspielungen umrahmt ist, ist die nach dem Gut und Böse im Menschen. Mir hat dieses Überthema sehr gut gefallen und mir sind die Charaktere allein schon durch die Länge der Geschichte sehr ans Herz gewachsen! Gleichzeitig fand ich das Erzähltempo wirklich sehr langsam und das Buch zuweilen zäh zu lesen, was irgendwie zu der Geschichte passt, aber bei mir dazu geführt hat, dass ich das Buch immer wieder weggelegt und wirklich lange gebraucht habe bis ich es zu Ende gelesen habe, deshalb nur 4 Sterne, auch wenn die Geschichte sicherlich 5 verdient! 

East of Eden

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