East of Eden

By: John Steinbeck

Narrated by: Richard Poe

Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins

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)

Stick with it!

SO MUCH BETTER ON AUDIBLE. A hard read but enjoyable to listen to. Loved it!

Superb

Was fully engrossed in this rich complex story. Development of characters and story line outstanding. The narrator did an amazing job. Highly recommended!

Wow

So glad I listened to this book. It was better than I expected. It’s hard for me to explain…but a combination of brokenness and of hope.

Amazing story, delivered to perfection!

This was my first stab at Steinbeck since begrudgingly reading The Grapes of Wrath in high school. I did not enjoy it much, but I have been recommended East of Eden so many times that I decided to go for it- and I absolutely LOVED not only this book, but the reading of this book done by Richard Poe. This story was nothing like I expected to be, and it startled, disturbed, and intrigued me at several sections. That said, with such intense moments of darkness and morbidity, Steinbeck reveals one of the most redemptive stories I’ve ever read. Generational tensions, hereditary sin, love, hate, and human agency in the pursuit of good and evil are some of the incredible themes explored in this book. Richard Poe captures beautifully the various attitudes of these highly conflicted characters as they navigate their relationships with their fellow man, with themselves, and most poignantly, with their pasts. The ending of this book is particularly breathtaking, and I would urge everyone to listen to the message of Adam Trask as Richard Poe delivers it in the final chapter. All in all, this has been such an enjoyable experience, and I would highly recommend this story and this reading to anyone.

It's one of those books that I wish were longer!

If you don't know history you're doomed to repeat it. Great book would recommend!

Five stars

"We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the neverending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue, is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is."

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Still slowly reworking my way through the canon, mostly using audiobooks. East of Eden is one I thought I had already read, but maybe I only saw the movie. This felt new and unexpected and exciting.

No spoilers, but it’s worth revisiting. Steinbeck gives us three generations of good vs. evil, and three generations of the bad boys who wish they were the good boys.

This belongs near the top of the canon of "great American novels."

This book was a life changing read

I’m horrible at spoilers- but this sweeping saga of the Trask and Hamilton families is so beautifully written. The story comes full circle into the most poignant ending of a novel I have ever read. The book is flawless as only Steinbeck could do.

The only thing that I disliked about this version was that if I used my AirPods or had the volume up on my phone, I felt like I could hear the guy swallowing a dry throat way too much. I get the sides gotta breathe like the rest of us, it is just too amplified for me. I did not hear it in the car over Bluetooth though.

Transcendent. dark, gritty.

It's such a good book. Steinbeck remains supreme even to this day. His best book

I dislike fiction, but I enjoyed this!

Steinbeck is able to capture the essence of evil in his depiction of Katie. His characters have depth.

Definitely a classic

First time through this book and I understand why it's a classic. It deals heavily with Nature vs Nurture, Free will vs Predestination, and puts the racism of its time against the humanity of man (regardless of race). I loved it.