Michele 🇨🇦

🏞East of Eden
By John Steinbeck

“ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ. . . . ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴀᴜɢʜᴛ—ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʟɪᴠᴇꜱ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴍʙɪᴛɪᴏɴꜱ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴀᴠᴀʀɪᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʀᴜᴇʟᴛʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴋɪɴᴅɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴏꜱɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏᴏ—ɪɴ ᴀ ɴᴇᴛ ᴏꜰ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠɪʟ. . . . ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ. ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ʙʀᴜꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴜꜱᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʜɪᴘꜱ ᴏꜰ ʜɪꜱ ʟɪꜰᴇ, ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅ, ᴄʟᴇᴀɴ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: ᴡᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴏʀ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ᴇᴠɪʟ? ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɪ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴇʟʟ—ᴏʀ ɪʟʟ?”
― ᴊᴏʜɴ ꜱᴛᴇɪɴʙᴇᴄᴋ, ᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴇᴅᴇɴ

What an emotional masterpiece. This is my second Steinbeck novel this year, and I am really loving reading these classics for my Chunky Monkey Challenge by @hook.me.a.book in which I am reading "Big, Banned and Classic" books, this one for August, at 855 pages. I own an ebook copy, and I had to have the audiobook as well, enjoying reading alternatively with audio and text. I recently heard the term immersive reading, where a reader looks at the text while listening. I have done this before, and with a classic, I just didn't know it had a name. This is a perfect choice if you are looking to try!

First published in September of 1952, this story follows the Trasks and the Hamilton families living in the Salinas Valley, California, during the time after the American Civil War and through WWI. It entails such a nuanced and revelatory study of human nature that it is no wonder it is touted as Steinbeck's magnum opus. The writing is fantastic and feels relevant. Even though times change, the essence of human kind stays the same.

“ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʙʀᴇᴡ ᴡᴏʀᴅ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴛɪᴍꜱʜᴇʟ—‘ᴛʜᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏᴇꜱᴛ’— ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇꜱ ᴀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ. ɪᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ɪꜱ ᴏᴘᴇɴ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡꜱ ɪᴛ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ. ꜰᴏʀ ɪꜰ ‘ᴛʜᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏᴇꜱᴛ’—ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ‘ᴛʜᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏᴇꜱᴛ ɴᴏᴛ.”
― ᴊᴏʜɴ ꜱᴛᴇɪɴʙᴇᴄᴋ, ᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴇᴅᴇɴ

@edensbookden and I read together, and that her insight was invaluable. Check out Eden's post if you are considering reading this one before the Netflix Limited Series premieres on October 1!

⁉️ Do you own multiple copies of books in different formats? Have you/would you immersive read?

#immersivereading #classicbooks #chunkymonkeychallenge2026