One of my all time favorite books. I read this about 6 years ago when I was living in NYC and became a frequenter of the subway. One good thing about public transit - its a great way to catch up on reading.
I love anything by Steinbeck and think he is a fabulous writer.
Here is the plot as stolen by Amazon.com:
Novel by John Steinbeck, published in 1952. It is a symbolic recreation of the biblical story of Cain and Abel woven into a history of California's Salinas Valley. With East of Eden Steinbeck hoped to reclaim his standing as a major novelist, but his broad depictions of good and evil come at the expense of subtlety in characterization and plot and it was not a critical success. Spanning the period between the American Civil War and the end of World War I, the novel highlights the conflicts of two generations of brothers; the first being the kind, gentle Adam Trask and his wild brother Charles.
It isn't the easiest of reads - but everyone should give it a try. Don't be intimidated. It is so beautiful, I can't wait to read it again.
