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East of Eden
John Steinbeck Book Review

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Plot Summary of East of Eden
"This is a wonderful saga of one family over the course of many years. It is inspiring and uplifting, and deals with the human spirit. I recomemend this book to anyone and everyone."
Limor, Resident Scholar

"An epic story of at least two generations of two families -- a deteriorating New England family and a set of Irish immigrants -- is set in California's rich Salinas Valley among a cast of Chinese, Mexicans, and "working girls." Steinbeck portrays the struggle of good and evil in siblings, spouses, and within individual characters; the theme of Cain versus Abel reappears in different settings and time periods from 1865 to 1918. (The fine 1955 movie starring James Dean relates only the last third to half of this sprawling tale, omitting the childhoods and early marriage of his character's parents.) Besides the rollicking tale with a "bad seed woman" near its center, Steinbeck provides a historical backdrop that includes the fortunes of different waves of immigrants to California, the appearance of various inventions (a Ford, a new windmill, an attempt to ship lettuce in icebox train cars), food profiteering in wartime, and organized prostitution across the West."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

"It tells the story of a boy becoming a man as he overcomes the jealousy of his brother and realizes self-worth. He also discovers that everyone posseses good and evil, including his mother who he has been lied to about all of his life. "
Jasmine Rodriguez, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of East of Eden
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - 1900-1920's
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Mother (or standin)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Farm/Ranch? Yes
Farm/Ranch: - farm

Style
Person - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
Unusual Style: - No single main character?
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
The Black Candle by Catherine Cookson


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