PashaRu wrote: ↑16 Mar 2014, 08:25 Who loves Steinbeck? What's your favorite?
I read Of Mice and Men many years ago, and wasn't terribly impressed. Didn't read Steinbeck for years afterward. Then I read The Grapes of Wrath. Loved it. That inspired to me read East of Eden. I had seen the film with James Dean, but never read the book.
The film is actually only a section of the book (as is often the case). East of Eden is easily one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's incredibly well written, and the main antagonist is one of the most disturbing and fascinating characters you'll encounter in American literature. It's a book that stays with you after you've finished reading it. You won't soon forget it.
I loved East of Eden. It was such a great story, fully encompassing life over generations and how characters deal with circumstances. It has the drama, and biblical parallels that people can relate to in a way. It’s real life (for the time period) and that is what makes it transcendent to me.