“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck – Pushing the Boundaries

Basically-put, East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a loose retelling of the book of Genesis using modern Americans. It follows the events that take place in a family, with there being many obvious references, allegories, metaphors and more. What sets this work apart from the other John Steinbeck books, such as Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, is the fact that it is more loose in its structure, more vague in its meaning, and much more daring in its events.

It is a very lively novel, and it shows that Steinbeck had a lot of pleasure in letting his imagination fly whichever way he wanted to; it is vulgar, provocative, and though-provoking, all in one. 

While it is true that some of you may be turned off by the loose, sort of rambling-like structure of the book, I recommend you give it a chance and look past that. Not all books were meant to follow cookie-cutter rules, and this is definitely one that breaks the mold. Even the pacing is highly irregular, with certain sections flowing like a breeze and others like a hurricane.

In the end, East of Eden may not be the most enthralling novel, it may not have the best structure, the best wording, characters, pacing or story... but damn is it entertaining. Steinbeck is simply a master at taking classic tales and stories and then modernizing them to the point where they become almost unrecognizable without losing their meaning. 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Book cover)
I have to warn you that the novel does have a bit of slow start, and it takes time for all the important pieces to fall in place and for the gears to finally start grinding. However, once the takeoff occurs, chances are you’ll have a very hard time stopping yourself from reading further.

All in all, while East of Eden may be a flawed novel and not as successful as some of Steinbeck’s other works, it definitely has its own personality and is a unique book amongst the author’s collection. 

There are no clear-cut, black and white rules and morals; everything is as grey as the clouds, and that’s what allowed Steinbeck to make this into one of the most original and entertaining books you’ll read in your life. Definitely recommended to fans of the author and those who want an extra dose of originality in their readings.

John Steinbeck (February 27, 1902 - December 20th, 1968)

John Steinbeck 

(February 27, 1902 - December 20th, 1968)


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John Steinbeck was an American author who became one of the great literature titans that will no doubt outlive the vast majority of us through his works. Amongst the many stories he wrote are the immortal Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and Grapes of Wrath, which earned him the Pulitzer Prize.

It absolutely, imperatively has to be noted that Steinbeck is one of the very few people on this planet who have had the honor of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, something that took place back in 1962.


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