"The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.
"I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer - and what trees and seasons smelled like - how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich."
I used to beeline toward gaming-type threads in this forum. However, I found that I quickly lost interest because the topicality was so broad, so people just put their own chips in the pile. I also tried to get into threads about specific games, but the poorly constructed OPs did little to encourage talking. I wanted discussion. It just so happens, though, that at the time I've thought of posting this thread, it is about a book rather than a game."I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time the birds awaken in the summer - and what trees and seasons smelled like - how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich."
Everyone automatically knows about this book now thanks to Oprah. For a long time, I wasn't very interested in contributing to the Oprah Effect, but a few years passed and I came upon the book. I loved Of Mice and Men, so I expected the same out of East of Eden. So far, it has been a great read, but I only use the word "masterpiece" to describe works that I've completed, so that qualifier will have to wait.
I'll keep this short. This book is certainly a very ambitious one. I don't know how many people here have read the Bible, but the experience is very similar to that (not surprising considering it sort of does try to make such connections with the Bible). A big difference is that, being blatantly fictional, the author can go into the thoughts and detailed experiences of the many, many characters. All of the characters manage to have his or her own rich, vibrant personality and wisdom, and every death brings a striking sadness. Maybe it's the similarities to the Bible that make the story so insightful, and not at all in a preachy way, either. It's great to see the deep perspectives of the conservative businessman and the ever-dreaming engineer, the man who only sees good and the woman who only sees evil, and of course the Chinese servant is always a welcome presence.
So I guess if you've also read the book, you can talk about the characters or the scenery or the themes or the wealth of great quotes. There are way too many of each of them, and just when you think it can't go any further, the parrot calls you a bastard.
