East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Genre: Literature & Fiction

Rating: ★★★★★

Published: June 18, 2003

Publisher: Penguin Books

Pages: 602

Disclaimer: this review is going to be really hard for me to write partially because I finished reading it maybe half an hour and ago and also because I just have a lot of feelings right now. 

East of Eden is a book that's been sitting on my shelf for a long time, and I never really thought that I was ever going to get around to it. I finally decided to take it off my shelf because I had an assignment for my Botany class, which was to read a book that could be related to something botanical and to write a review. (This will not be that review.) I chose this book because it had a garden in the title, and I knew that Steinbeck wrote a lot about agriculture and America in his novels.

I'm... just really, really happy that I read this book. I really feel like East of Eden was a great book, and the reason I say that is because I feel like I am a different person because of this book. 

East of Eden is an epic family saga, spanning multiple generations, with a rich cast of characters. It's a modern retelling of the story of Cain and Abel, and the philosophies represented and expanded upon totally pulled me into the story. I'm not really familiar with the Book of Genesis, but I did enjoy reading the characters' discussions about human nature and destiny. While reading this book, I often felt like my brain was being stirred around and rearranged and mashed together. When I finished the book, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, my mind blank and reeling from the experience. 

This book came to me at The Right Time in my life, and I know that it will stay with me as one of my favorites. I know that for sure that I will be re-reading it some time in the future, and that I will enjoy turning it over and over in my mind for the years to come. I recommend this book completely.