Well, thank goodness I finally finished that

I just finished reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I had recently come across several different reviews in various places about how much the readers adored this book. Steinbeck and adored don't necessarily go together in my head, so I was intrigued. I didn't have another book to read, so checked it out of the library. As is my usual practice with "classics", I went into it cold with no advance research as to what it was about. I did know that it took many of its themes from the opening chapter of Genesis. 

Well. 

Usually I am quick to set aside a book that I am not enjoying. For supposed classics, I will waive this rule because it might have something worthwhile to say even if it isn't my favorite. (Hello 1984.) This book was a slog. I didn't enjoy most of it, I didn't like the majority of the characters, and it was just depressing. I truly don't understand how so many readers find it to be one of their favorite books. To each their own, I guess.

What I disliked the most was the latent misogyny that runs through it. There seemed to be two options for the females in the book, either outright unredeemable evil or good, but so perpetually ill-used or overworked as to have most of their personality sucked out of them. The men had much more depth even if most of them were not terribly likable. Samuel Hamilton was definitely my favorite character in the book and it was as if his sheer personality was holding everyone together. When he died it was one long, slow slog to various tragic ends. What was worse was that I was so not deeply invested in the characters that I didn't feel terribly moved by any of the repeated tragedies which followed. It was just a relief to finish the last page and close the book. 

Am I better for reading the book? No, not really, and it is going to take awhile to get the character of Cathy out of my head. I kind of dreaded it when her storyline came forward. And I don't actually buy Steinbeck's assertion that some people, such as Cathy, are just born evil. He lost me right at the very beginning with that idea. Was there some great message about humanity? No, because his theme ends up being most people have both good and bad in them and that having only one or another is problematic. There's also a secondary theme of clueless father's rejecting their sons is a problem and ruins the child. I don't know about you, but a 600 page book about clueless fathers is more than a little tedious and frustrating. 

Have you read it? Did you like it? If so, I'm genuinely curious as to why. 

I am so excited to be able to pick up a different book to read tonight. 

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