East of Eden

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Summary: The story follows the Trask and Hamilton families as they try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to thrive in Salinas, California

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Comments: I really enjoyed this book. My reasons for reading it were twofold. Jeff encouraged me to read Grapes of Wrath after he listened to it on his marathon drive to Utah from Florida. I checked it out, but opted to read this one, as it had slightly higher ratings (from women in particular). I also wanted to read something a little more "educational" before I start reading Breaking Dawn, because I know it's going to be hard to start something like this after finishing it.

There are two sets of brothers in the book that can easily be compared with Cain and Abel from the bible, which was really interesting, but what I enjoyed the most was the opportunity the book provided for introspection. What kind of person am I, and how much is genetic and how much is chosen? Very interesting. I would love to read this with a book club and I know the discussion would be awesome. It's long, but it's worth it.