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East of Eden

Penguin Modern Classics

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

'There is only one book to a man,' Steinbeck wrote of East of Eden, his most ambitious novel. Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this powerful, often brutal novel, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity; the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence.

© John Steinbeck 1952 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Classics Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Thought-Provoking Heartfelt
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There is no question this is a great American novel, in fact, a great novel altogether. The span of the book is braid & panoramic, yet the focus is held steadily on the story of the Trasks. I first read this book over thirty years ago & being able to listen to it again in narration on long walks & other travels was a bonus. Certain scenes & events came even more vividly to life read into the ears!
That, however, is my reservation. I found the narrator lacked the accent & character of the story teller in the text. The attempt to falsetto female voices did not work, & was at times risible. The pacing of the reading was perfect, but spoilt by those issues.

Powerful Story

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I was so captivated by my first Steinbeck book, The Grapes of Wrath I went straight to this one. I should have listened in the other order. This was fine but GoW was so beautifully read and this one although acceptable was lacking. I didn’t find the narration as irritating as some reviewers. The reader could do an Irish accent but seemed to keep forgetting to, it faded in and out like a pirate radio MW signal. Where was the sound engineer to say ‘Redo that paragraph Simon’?
Glad I listened to it but won’t be giving it a second listen.

Grapes of Wrath was better read

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I just loved the story, it is easy to see why it is an international bestseller
The narration was not brilliant

Wonderful family saga

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It is not explicit that Caelab has told Aran Trasch who her mum was. As such I think there is a full chapter missing.


Also Samuels Irish accent is awful.

I think there is a chapter missing

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loved it. Great storytelling, rich on interesting and deeply drawn characters, settings, plot, philosophy, family dynamics.

top story telling about farmer and families

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