Reviews

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

isiahreads's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

lisi_stivi's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

hannahlicious's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

octliderro's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

amreetaa's review

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

jc63's review

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emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

gregtatum's review

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3.0

I've not read Grapes of Wrath yet, and I mean to remedy that problem. However I did snag East of Eden off of Jennifer's shelf. It was a pretty good read, I started reading it before Christmas but it took me awhile to finish it, so I figured I'd include it in this list. The most depressing aspect of the book was that the characters never really changed or learned anything. However, their portraits were rather interesting and varied, and I got a really vivid image in my head of Salinas Valley California in the early 1900's. Overall I think the book sprawled out a little too much, and was a bit too long without enough real conclusion to justify the length.

velina's review

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inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

namorgan's review

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4.0

"And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good."

I tend to avoid reading the classics because the ones I read in school bored me to death. When I found out this was a retelling of Cain and Abel, I pushed aside any of the preconceptions I had to pick East of Eden up because I love stories with biblical themes.

John Steinbeck captures the human soul very purely in this story of fathers and sons across three generations. I got a bit teary-eyed a couple of times reading this and I don't think I've highlighted a book as many times as I did this one (which may in part have to do with this book's length, but mostly it's how poignant it's able to get across it's themes to the reader) I'm glad East of Eden has opened up new doors for me to explore more of the classics.

jameskennedy's review

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm so full of biblical lore yum