The Salinas Valley is in Norther California.
An edition of East of Eden
(1952)
East of Eden
John Steinbeck Centennial Edition (1902-2002); 2003 edition (4)
by John Steinbeck
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In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.
Adam Trask came to California from the East to farm and raise his family on the new rich land. But the birth of his twins, Cal and Aaron, brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood. One boy thrives nurtured by the love of all those around him; the other grows up in loneliness enveloped by a mysterious darkness.
First published in 1952, East of Eden is the work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. A masterpiece of Steinbeck's later years, East of Eden is a powerful and vastly ambitious novel that is at once a family saga and a modern retelling of the Book of Genesis.
--jacket flap
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Subjects
migrant labor, historical fiction, domestic fiction, depravity, beneficence, love, the struggle for acceptance, self-destruction, guilt, freedom, literary fiction, classics, Fiction, Twins, Novela hogareña, Hermanos, Brothers, Fathers and sons, Classic Literature, Open Library Staff Picks, Sibling rivalry, Padre e hijo, Novela histórica, Rivaldad entre hermanos, open_syllabus_project, Niños de prostitutas, Rural families, Children of prostitutes, Ficción, Father-son relationship, Reading Level-Grade 7, Reading Level-Grade 6, Reading Level-Grade 9, Reading Level-Grade 8, Reading Level-Grade 11, Reading Level-Grade 10, Reading Level-Grade 12, American fiction (fictional works by one author), Fathers and sons, fiction, California, fiction, American literature, Large type books, Children's fiction, Poor, History, Murder, Revenge, Jealousy, Rich people, Social life and customs, Pauvres, Romans, nouvelles, Histoire, Meurtre, Vengeance, Jalousie, Riches, Pères et fils, Mœurs et coutumes, Manners and customs, World War, 1939-1945, Novela, Vida social y costumbres, Guerra Mundial II, 1939-1945People
The Trasks, The Hamiltons, Cain, Abel, Charles Trask, Adam Trask, Cyrus Trask, Cathy Ames, Caleb Trask, Aron Trask, Abra Bacon, Samuel Hamilton, Liza Hamilton, George Hamilton, Will Hamilton, Tom Hamilton, Joe Hamilton, Lizzie Hamilton, Una Hamilton, Dessie, Olive Hamilton, Mollie Hamilton, Mr. Edwards, Faye, Ethel, Joe ValeryPlaces
California, Salinas River Valley, Salinas, Valle del Río (California), Salinas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Northern California, Stanford University, San Francisco, Salinas River Valley (Calif.), Californie, Vallée du Salinas, Salinas, Vallée du (Calif.)Times
19th century, 20th centuryShowing 10 featured editions. View all 90 editions?
| Edition | Availability |
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01
East of Eden
2003, Viking
Hardcover
in English
- John Steinbeck Centennial Edition (1902-2002); 2003 edition (4)
0670033049 9780670033041
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02
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03
East of Eden
2002, Penguin Books
Hardcover
in English
- John Steinbeck centennial ed. (1902-2002) (5)
0142000655 9780142000656
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04
East of Eden (Steinbeck "Essentials")
April 26, 2001, Penguin Books Ltd
in English
0140292942 9780140292947
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05
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06
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07
East of Eden
1981, Penguin Books, Penguin (Non-Classics)
Mass Market Paperback
in English
- Television Edition
014005829X 9780140058291
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08
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09
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10
Jenseits von Eden: Roman
1953-01-01, Diana Verlag Konstanz
perfect paperback
3548028950 9783548028958
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Book Details
First Sentence
"THE SALINAS VALLEY is in Northern California."
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Steinbeck considered East of Eden to be his masterpiece. In his journal, Journal of a Novel (often read as a companion to the novel) he notes that “this is the book I have always wanted and have worked and prayed to be able to write Set primarily in the Salinas Valley in the early twentieth century, the novel traces three generations of two families – the Trasks and the Hamiltons – as they grapple with the ever-present forces of good and evil. From this plot emerged some of Steinbeck’s most fascinating characters – many of whom are modeled after people in his own life.
Part allegory, part autobiography, and part epic, East of Eden was an ambitious project from the start – a gift to Steinbeck’s sons that was meant to teach them about identity, grief, and what it means to be human. Tinged with biblical echoes of the fall of Adam and Eve and the rivalry of Cain and Abel, this sprawling saga has captivated audiences everywhere for generations. It is through the popularization of East of Eden that the Salinas Valley was truly transformed into “the valley of the world”; a place where everyone is able to find a piece of themselves in the golden, rolling hills.
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Genres 1
Drama
50%
Romance
50%
Mood 1
Sad
20%
Lonely
20%
Melancholy
20%
Reflective
20%
Emotional
20%
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| October 9, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| December 19, 2023 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
| September 28, 2023 | Edited by AgentSapphire | reverted to revision 92 |
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| October 8, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | create work page |