Books by John Steinbeck

5. John Steinbeck, East of Eden .  At first I enjoyed this one, but after a while I grew bored.  If it came out today, by John Anonymous, how many people would think it was a great book?  (“Most of those who wrote the Amazon reviews” you might reply.  Maybe, but what other current books do they like?  Barbara Kingsolver?)  If Sally Rooney’s Normal People , or some time-synched version thereof, came out in the 1920s or 30s, how many today would claim it is an absolute masterpiece?  I am happy to ...

5. East of Eden , by John Steinbeck.  I’ve long resisted Steinbeck, so we’ll see how far I get in this one.