East of Eden
by John Steinbeck · 1952
Literary Fiction · ranked #201 in category
Two families — the Trasks and the Hamiltons — play out variations of the Cain and Abel story across generations in the Salinas Valley of California. Steinbeck's most ambitious novel is his explicit attempt to write the great American novel, weaving biblical myth, family saga and the philosophy of timshel — the Hebrew word that became his central argument about human freedom and choice.
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The verdict
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- Literary Fiction
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- John Steinbeck
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- Essential Read
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