Revert to the Classics

I have recently reverted to re-reading, and for the first time reading, books that are considered "classics." For my book club, I picked East of Eden, a Nobel Prize winning book, by John Steinbeck because I have always loved books by him, yet had never read it.

Goodreads states:

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. 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.

East of Eden does play on the Cain and Abel story. You can clearly see the grappling between good and evil throughout the book, and you even come to have compassion  and empathy (some) for both sides. You can see throughout the book that the good, and the evil share in the brutality, drama, and sin. 

However, it also is a warm and touching story about family and friends, how their lives intertwine, and what they would do for each other. 

It is not a short book but if you are looking to head back to classics, this is a wonderful read!