Wow, what a great post. East of Eden is one of Steinbeck's best, next to Grapes of Wrath- they both capture the essence of the human frailty and the raw nature of it, the ebb and flow and clashing of human nature, yet they both paint the characters so well, they are vivid in your mind as you read. What he went thru to hold his stead on his characters in this book! I much prefer my dogeared and book sale garnered old friends, not an e-reader for me. I have to heft and hold my old friends in my hands, and squint with the readers and find good light- and when I re-read those old friends, it's like slipping into a very comfortable pair of shoes, an AHHH moment.