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@esm well, just finished reading this during Trump's first term. I guess this advice reached me too late :-)

This book was recommended to me when I mentioned to a friend that I search for a page-turner with depth. And boy did this book deliver. I found it gripping and now that I completed it I'm deeply fascinated by this book and tempted to start right over. East of Eden follows the story of two families and artfully layers complex ideas of inter generational guilt, free will, relationships, and moral ambiguity in a way I rarely seen before. Yes, this book takes inspiration from the biblical story of Cain and Abel but that is merely scaffolding and provides a philosophical framework to think deeper about the questions it asks. Steinbeck writes beautiful prose that gave me quote after quote I did not want to forget. He created rich images in my mind, it felt like every word had purpose.

Not only did I accidently start with book 3 of a trilogy there... it also managed to bore me in the first few pages. Well. Maybe some other time.

The case itself and the way it's been fictionalized was interesting. However, the story staged along and I found myself skipping over parts of it without the feeling of missing something important. Maybe Margaret Atwood is just not for me.

Mühsam bisher. Ich hoffe ja ich werde auch noch so in die Geschichte gezogen wie viele in den Rezensionen behaupten.

I discovered Mordecai Richler through the recommendation of a Canadian friend and was immediately mesmerized by his style. His own biography, background as a Jewish Canadian from Montreal, QC, his time in France, Spain and England all form the backbone of his many works. This biography does a wonderful job bringing all this to life and setting it in context.