Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

** spoiler alert ** This book hits me on a personal level in a couple of different ways. Before I ever read this book, I came to know this story when I worked at a video store many years ago and I used to always put on the mini series version of it to watch in the store while I worked. Not the James Dean version, which isn't really like the book at all, but the 1981 mini-series which from what I know is a much more true adaptation of the story. However as the movie is so long, I would usually only see the beginning and so I came to be most familiar with just the FIRST part of the story and never knew the ending, which was good for me going into my reading of the book.

My favorite character from the mini-series [and now the book] is Cathy, who I have always been truly fascinated by as I can't recall ever reading a character so cold, evil and inhuman to the point that can send chills down your spine. Now that I finally read the book I came to know the many other lovable characters in the story such as Lee, Samuel Hamilton, Adam/Charles and Aron/Cal. Not only did I get to know these characters, but I KNOW these characters from real life. Well mostly Cathy I should say, as I mentioned I know this book on a personal level - I actually have seen with my own eyes a person very similar to Cathy and when you meet someone like that in your life you will never forget them. I give this book 5 stars because of the moments. There is a biblical message here but I saw past that and what I took from the story are those special "moments." Just like Steinbeck has done in previous books, he will take his characters, place them in a situation that he guides you through then suddenly smacks you on the head with a sometimes subtle, sometimes shocking and earth shattering "moment" of revelation, surprise, humor, or sadness. **spoilers** A couple of these scenes I enjoyed the most involved Lee, one of the most lovable and "good" characters in the story. I loved when he told his origin story involving his parents incredible and amazing struggle when his mom was pregnant with him. Also one of my favorite scenes in any of the Steinbeck books I've read [I've read around 3 prior to this one] is when Lee decides to leave the Trask family, but as the boys knowingly predict, he comes back after only a few days. When Lee really shines is in his early interactions with Sam Hamilton, the other truly "good" character in the story, and I saw Lee and Sam together as somewhat of a balance to the deep evil of Cathy. One more of my most favorite scenes is when Sam and Cathy are alone in the room together as Cathy is giving birth, which, in an unintentionally funny personal coincidence reminds me of another good vs. evil bedroom scene I saw in a book I read last month The Exorcist! There are dozens of these types of moments as we witness entire lifetime spans of some of these people from birth to death. It was an epic and beautiful story to me and I am left feeling good and satisfied after completing the journey.