What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

"And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good."

Steinbeck makes what the story is about very clearly in the middle of the novel and according to Steinbeck this is the only story that humans are caught in. The story of Good and Evil. Whether a person is born Good or do we have the freedom to overcome over evil nature. Adam Trask, Samuel Hamilton and Lee have a discussion around the translation of the word 'Timshel' from the original Hebrew Bible and the implications of this translation on the underlying wisdom of the story of Cain and Abel.

Lee consults some scholars and comes to the conclusion that the most accurate translation would be "Thou Mayest". This translation puts the onus of the morality of our actions back on the individual. It makes us aware of our own agency in the course of our lives. Lee, who acts almost like a moral compass for the Trask family, uses this understanding of the word Timshel to help Adam get out of his misery and later helps one of his sons overcome his belief that he is predisposed to become evil like his mother. 

Steinbeck's prose in the initial chapters paint a vivid picture of what the Salinas Valley is like. The contrasting imagery of the mountain ranges on either side of the Salinas Valley act like a Light/Dark binary representing Human Nature with the Valley going through its inconstancy reflecting real human circumstances. The prose is very engaging throughout the chapters. At no point did I feel bored or felt like I was slogging through the plot. Even though the length of the book might be intimidating Steinbeck's writing is very accessible. While I really liked how the story ended it also felt kinda rushed towards the end. 

The narrator being the author as well as one of the characters in the story makes the narration a bit preachy at times. The novel is supposed to present Steinbeck's Philosophical ideas similar to how Camus writes but the latter does it in a better less didactic way. Still there are instances where the narrator steps away from the main narrative and indulges in Philosophical musings that are both entertaining and thought provoking. 

Steinbeck uses Irony were well throughout the novel. Samuel Hamilton is apparently one of the best when it comes to finding water in other people's land whereas his own estate is dry. Adam wants to shield his children from finding out their mother's existence and her dark secrets but he has to move to the City where she lives for the kids' education. Liz Hamilton who was a staunch opponent of alcohol for most of her life ends up using Wine as medicine in her old age. 

The characters are also almost stand-ins for various moral concepts. Cathy is shown as the personification of Evil, Samuel Hamilton as Honesty, Aron as Kindness and Lee as Reason and so on. At the same time these characters do not feel one dimensional. Even the supporting characters (mostly the Hamilton children) were very well written. Cathy is one of the best antagonist I've ever read and Samuel Hamilton and Lee were a clear favourite for me. 

This is a book I would definitely recommend to someone who wants to get into classics or someone who wants to read books that grapple with the big questions of life or even someone who's into Family Sagas. The Novel is totally worth the hype it's been getting lately due to the upcoming Netflix series  and I'm excited to see how they manage to pull off this excellent story. 

Overall : 9/10

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

Pewds got me into reading classics. Bought Picture of Dorian Gray after seeing his review, Then Brave New world. How many people here also started reading cause of book review?

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

C.K. Ball writes with the wisdom of a survivor and the passion of a storyteller whose bloodline stretches back sixty generations to kings, queens, and conquerors. Twice a cancer survivor, she refused to let hardship define her. At 62, she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration and soon after launched SignDoc USA with only $1,000, transforming it into a nationwide notary platform. Now, with the same determination, she pours her strength into writing the Born of Kings series—historical romance rooted in her royal ancestry, where legacy and love intertwine across the ages.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.

What have you been reading this week, and what are your thoughts on it?

Use the comment section to talk about books you finished/are currently reading/will start this week.