East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
5/5
Penguin Books 601 pages September 19, 1952
Spanning from the Civil War to World War I, this multigenerational epic follows the intertwined fates of the Trask and Hamilton families in California's Salinas Valley. A retelling of the Cain and Abel story, it grapples with good and evil, free will, and the human capacity for redemption.
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Jim's Review
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Steinbeck called this his magnum opus and Jim has to agree — the man left it all on the field. The Salinas Valley comes alive so vividly you can practically taste the soil (and as a worm, Jim knows his soil). The character of Cathy is one of literature's greatest villains, and the word "timshel" will burrow into your brain and change how you think about choice. This is a big, beautiful, sprawling masterpiece.
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