Ali's Reviews > East of Eden

Phew, I did it! I made it through this "epic" novel but don't feel very rewarded for it. Sure, it's neat to compare and contrast this book with the first few chapters of Genesis; and the themes of good and evil and man's agency is important... but I'm just not a fan of Steinbeck's delivery. Even if the characters are interesting and the setting is fascinating, the dialogue is so dreadful it brings everything else about the book down a notch of two. The book comes across as too ostentatious and self-important to garner much respect from me. Ya know, kind of like the playground bully? I'm glad I can put a check by another "classic" but it wasn't a very enjoyable read for me.