A review by bcgg
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
5.0
I waited a very long time to read East of Eden, as it has always been hailed as one of the greatest classics of all times.
That is a heady statement, which I am not sure really can be said of any one book.
It is a classic without a doubt. An exceptional book. I am very glad to have finally taken the time to read it. (it is a long book with a lot of ideas, philosophies, symbolism and memorable characters.)
Here are my thoughts:
It is based on Genesis and a belief that all history repeats itself endlessly. All may have choice but the writer seems determined to say that life is always predictable, humans will always do as others before.
The question of are people only one thing - good or evil. Are the destined to only be one or the other and pass it on to the next generation, and the next, and the next.
For me, that does make an interesting question, worth thought. The book moved me to stop and consider these observations. It had me asking myself a lot of questions throughout the book. That for me makes East of Eden very special. Few books have done that to me before.
So for me, having had an experience I had not had before in a book, put East of Eden at the top of my list of books of great worth, standing on its own. A six-star candidate.
Are there problems in the book - yes. But it still stands alone as 'one of' the greatest classics I have read so far.
That is a heady statement, which I am not sure really can be said of any one book.
It is a classic without a doubt. An exceptional book. I am very glad to have finally taken the time to read it. (it is a long book with a lot of ideas, philosophies, symbolism and memorable characters.)
Here are my thoughts:
It is based on Genesis and a belief that all history repeats itself endlessly. All may have choice but the writer seems determined to say that life is always predictable, humans will always do as others before.
The question of are people only one thing - good or evil. Are the destined to only be one or the other and pass it on to the next generation, and the next, and the next.
For me, that does make an interesting question, worth thought. The book moved me to stop and consider these observations. It had me asking myself a lot of questions throughout the book. That for me makes East of Eden very special. Few books have done that to me before.
So for me, having had an experience I had not had before in a book, put East of Eden at the top of my list of books of great worth, standing on its own. A six-star candidate.
Are there problems in the book - yes. But it still stands alone as 'one of' the greatest classics I have read so far.