From the Publisher
By the Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
“A novel planned on the grandest possible scale . . . One of those occasions when a writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent, seriousness, and passion of which he was capable. . . . It is an entirely interesting and impressive book.” —The New York Herald Tribune
“A fantasia and myth . . . A strange and original work of art.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A moving, crying pageant with wilderness strengths.” —Carl Sandburg
“When the book club ended a year ago, I said I would bring it back when I found the book that was moving . . . and this is a great one. I read it for myself for the first time and then I had some friends read it. And we think it might be the best novel we've ever read!” —Oprah Winfrey
AUG/SEP 03 - AudioFile
Richard Poe’s performance of EAST OF EDEN, John Steinbeck’s allegory of Cain and Abel, is a masterpiece. Although not the critical success of some of Steinbeck’s other works, this is a title that every audiobook aficionado should experience. The novel is about characters, and about “character,” which Poe clearly understands. He reads as though inhabiting the psyches of the two generations of Trask men around whom the story revolves: Charles and Adam, and Caleb and Aron. Where Poe truly excels, however, is with his portrayals of other key figures, in particular, Lee, the Trasks’ loyal servant, friend, and confidante, and Cathy Ames, whom Adam marries, only to be betrayed in more than biblical ways. The book is long but moves at a surprisingly brisk pace for such a dense yet thoroughly accessible work. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award; 2004 Audie Award Winner © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
