East of Eden (Penguin Modern Classics)

There is only one book to a man Steinbeck wrote ofEast of Eden. Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley California this powerful often brutal novel follows the interwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of indentity; the inexplicability of love and the murderous consequences of loves absence. About the Author John Steinbeck (1902-68) is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the twentieth century. During the 1930s his works includedThe Red PonyPastures of HeavenTortilla FlatIn Dubious Battle andOf Mice and Men.The Grapes of Wrath published in 1939 earned him a Pulitzer Prize. In 1962 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.