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)

Truth, Choice, and the Freedom That Lies Within

Steinbeck's 'East of Eden' is a thinly-veiled treatment of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. No knowledge of Christianity is required for admission (I myself am not Christian).

Why this title wins with me is that Steinbeck presents the themes of Cain and Abel at a level that transcends its biblical origins, making those themes available to a much wider audience. Case in point: the character who perhaps embodies this theme most is--of all people--a Oriental servant with Confucian ancestry.

The plot, editorial interludes, and Steinbeck's wonderful gift of dialog keep the pages turning. While 'Eden' is short on positive female characters (Liza and Abra are minor at best), the characters of Sam Hamilton and Lee prove to be not only enduring leads, but superb role models as well. Themes of free will, parent/child relationships, good/evil, and the value of honesty throughout. I want to hand this book to any young adult male struggling with esteem, identity or direction.

Written later in his career, Steinbeck was especially proud of 'Eden,' and indeed it is a jewel of a read. It has its imperfections (e.g., superfluous characters), but in his own words: "And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good". Poe's narration does wonderful justice to this title. Long live Steinbeck.

Fertile, colorful Biblical tale of flawed humanity

This novel wasn't on my 1980s school reading list which included Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and "Grapes of Wrath." After now reading the novel and listening to the audible version of "East of Eden," this seems to me, Steinbeck at the apex of his abundant storytelling talents.

He set out intending to write a story based loosely on the Bible's tale of Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel and splendidly succeeded. No more morally-corrupt, evil female character can be found in the canon of American Literature than Cathy Ames (which seems to have caused most of the poor ratings flowing on other book sites from a front of feminist paramilitants). All the males in the novel have major character flaws and seem so real.

I like this narrator, in the main. The ever-present breathless pauses at the end of each sentence do get annoying though.

The novel fired up a sparkler of emotions in me, took me back to an open country of California in the early 20th century. I highly recommend it.

Great classic realist novel

This has everything you want from a classic realist novel: superb descriptive writing, omplex characters, engrossing storyline, and some philosophical depth. The narration is very good.

There's a reason why this is a classic

I want to give this Audible a 10.

This is not my genre of books. This was a reading challenge recommendation. I'm so glad I went through East of Eden. The story is complex and tragic. And the narrator was spot on.

Give this book a try. You may be surprised how much you like it.

well worth the time

A powerful, moving book full of depth that i will listen to again and again!

Greatest Characterization of All Time

I started to get discouraged at first as the pace seemed dreadfully slow and over-descriptive, but man the characters in the book are some of the best done ever. I feel like I have met all of them at some point in my life and seen their motives in action. Book was probably 5 hours too long but still a masterpiece. Steinbeck's writing style is stunning and the narrator was absolutely perfect, made you feel like you were back in time.

Steinbeck's best work

I was hesitant to get this book because it is a classic and I was worried it would be boring.
It was fabulous on so many levels. Steinbeck's understanding of human nature puts this work clearly into
the must read classics category but the narrator is also first rate making this a book everyone should listen to.

Very few books make you go "whoa" like this.

Wow, this is a great book! The whole thing is really good, and it seems like it takes a while to get "there". The end of this book is absolutely perfect, that's all I will say.

A classic worthy of the acclaim

Great multigenerational storytelling that’s wonderfully evocative of the time and place. My only quibble is that the Cain-and-Abel motif renders several main characters either too purely evil or too purely, well, pure.

Exceptional !

I loved this book! It is beautiful descriptive! The voice and performance of the reader, conveys the emotions and feelings of each scene exceptionally well!