• East of Eden

  • By: John Steinbeck
  • Narrated by: Richard Poe
  • Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (17,488 ratings)

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East of Eden  By  cover art

East of Eden

By: John Steinbeck
Narrated by: Richard Poe
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Publisher's summary

This sprawling and often brutal novel, set in the rich farmlands of California's Salinas Valley, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.

©1952 John Steinbeck; Renewed 1980 Elaine Steinbeck, Thom Steinbeck, and John Steinbeck IV (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A novel planned on the grandest possible scale...One of those occasions when a writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent, seriousness, and passion of which he was capable.... It is an entirely interesting and impressive book." (The New York Herald Tribune)

"A fantasia and myth...a strange and original work of art." (The New York Times Book Review)

"A moving, crying pageant with wilderness strengths." (Carl Sandburg)

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What listeners say about East of Eden

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Don’t waste another minute

Not listening to this would be a waste of your ears.
Timeless, meaningful & beautifully written.

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East of awesome!

Where does East of Eden rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of my all time favs! The whole Able and Cain thing is pretty pretty interesting and wow what a bia the mom! Amazing!

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I love it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

a national treasure

This is a truly great work. It's a story of all of us. I highly recommend.

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    5 out of 5 stars

powerful narrative. Cain and Abel explained!

I loved it and the narrator was excellent! the kind of read that marks you.

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Best Audiobook EVER!

I have listened to this 4 times all the way through. This has to be my favorite book and favorite narrator ❤

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  • 06-06-16

An amazing performance that deepened my experience of the book

I've listened to quite a few audiobooks - some read by the author, some not. Never before have I listened to an audiobook that had such a high level of professional performance and consistency. The narrator truly adopted each character's personality and consistently spoke through that personality - even in the slightest of words. I have much more respect for narrators having listened to this book.

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Timeless, artful, classic, pure pleasure, a must!

I read East of Eden in High School, but picking it up again was a joy beyond measure. I can appreciate so much more of it now. Steinbeck is a true artist and philosopher. I enjoyed every page.
thank you audible for a beautiful production of this classic!

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Flawless execution

East of Eden was centered around expertly protrayed individuals rather than an overarching narrative. I found this unique, and I actually cared about the characters. Finally, it was not predictable. Give it a read.

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Speechless

I have no words that could fitly describe how this book has left me..... Unbelievably touching, and moving.

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My first Steinbeck novel in 40 years-Fantastic!

I was very surprised by some of the scenes. For a book written in 1952, it's really quite racy at times. The narrator was excellent. He did justice to Steinbeck's work.

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