East of Eden- John Steinbeck Readers said: "captivating and thought-provoking", "beautiful and flawless", "a true american epic", "absorbing to follow" A masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America's most enduring authors In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden "the first book," and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. 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.
Only one female author in the top 10 "Great American Novels" and had to get to the next page for a writer of color. Very disappointing.