…and now I need a hug. God, what a book!
At first I thought you meant **Exit to Eden ** and I thought to myself, “You don’t need a hug, you need a shower and a strong course of antibiotics.” 
My favorite line from that (and I’m quoting from memory) is the one at the beginning of one of the chapters: I believe there are monsters born into this world.
Possibly the best book I’ve ever read.
“Oh, but strawberries will never taste so good again and the thighs of women have lost their clutch!”
Yeah, sure, that’s next on my list 
Seriously? The best line in the book has to be “‘Thou mayest!’ Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature withe the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice.” This is my third time through and I still get shivers as I read that passage. That whole chapter, in fact.
Oddly, enough, this is the selection for our discussion group tomorrow.
Of course, it’s a movie discussion group. :smack:
Steinbeck is not a favorite of mine, I admit. However, he is my son’s all-time favorite author and East of Eden his second favorite book (first is Of Mice & Men). His favorite quote (which I also quite like) is “It would be absurd if we did not understand both angels and devils, since we invented them.”
I’ve always wanted to read East of Eden, but it just seemed too long. Though I got through The Grapes of Wrath and loved it.
So how’d you like that part when they cut the dinosaur’s head off to free the captive human and…
Ooops, wrong direction.
East of Eden is better and more readable. It’s no chore to get through at all. The pages fly by. You should give it a shot. It’s one of those books that stays with you forever and that you’ll find yourself wanting to go back and read again every few years. It’s easily one of my top 5 favorite books. Maybe top 3. Maybe even the best.
You have convinced me throroughly, sir. I’ve added it to my reading list. 
But I could never figure out what he meant by that game “peewee.” You take a stick in the ground, hit it into the air with a paddle, and then hit it again with the paddle. Huh?
No, I think the stick is lying on the ground, you hit one end with the stick so it whips up in the air, then whack it while it’s in the air. I think.
Another huge Steinbeck fan here, with EoE being my fave of his.
It is funny, but it is easy to just assume everyone has read most/all of his work, and agrees that he is among the best authors. Seems so obvious as to not need to be stated.
His nonfiction is well worth reading too. I just love how clearly he writes.