So summer break has been and gone, which means I have had all the time in the world to read as many books and watch as many movies as humanly possible. I read a whole variety of things, but one of the books I strongly recommend is none other than the classic East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I can’t emphasise enough how good this book was but I will try to give you a run down on it without spoilers.

Now let me get this straight: this book definitely is not for everyone as it starts off relatively slowly, is more serious than romance or comedy and at some points could be defined as a little arduous. But other than that, there isn’t really anything negative I can say about Steinbeck’s masterpiece.

What was good about it? Practically everything

• The writing style was phenomenal; it was descriptive and flowed into itself flawlessly

• Although it had many different characters, each one brought something new to the table
• They were all very unique and when juxtaposed, as the were, you can see the stark differences between them

• It follows one large story, with about 5 separate stories within it. This could get confusing but it is so well organised that it would have to be intentional to get lost.
• The organisation follows the characters through a generation, following them as they grow up and then seamlessly onto their children as the focus

• The thematics interacted with each other extremely well.
  • The focus on love, lust, jealousy while using a classic text as inspiration (with constant allusion) resulted in a story that is both informative, in depth and something that leaves you thinking long after completing the book

• The interactions between Samuel (lowly farmer) and Lee (lowly servant) although mentally a bit taxing, are extremely entertaining to read and also get the mental cogs turning very fast

• John Steinbeck is actually a character in the book, as this is a fictional story yet still based off of his life which I think is super cool

• On a less serious note, you can see the hopeless romantic characters wanting to get married the second they see a pretty woman, and it happens more than once

Overall I think this is just a stellar book and I am aware it isn’t for everyone, though I highly recommend it if you are into classics. My next reviews will be movies and books as I will try to alternate them back and forth, and they definitely won’t always be classics but often new popular releases!

Email me at stsebastian@edu.kis.ac.th if you have a specific request!