East of Eden

From the list of books I probably should have read by now but haven't East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I've never been much of a Steinbeck fan but at some point I picked up Travels with Charley which though not his usual fare piqued my interest. So then I went through Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat and Grapes of Wrath. All very good, Cannery Row being my favorite. There's something about Steinbeck, the way he draws his characters and settings in such detail. The story becomes part of the reader's life, one is so effortlessly transported into the lives of the characters, not just an observer but part of their lives. It took me a long time to read East of Eden, and I think it drags in parts but in general it's a pleasure every so often to read such an intricately crafted book so seldom seen in today's writing.