East of Eden

Richard Poe's performance of EAST OF EDEN, John Steinbeck's allegory of Cain and Abel, is a masterpiece. Although not the critical success of some of Steinbeck's other works, this is a title that every audiobook aficionado should experience. The novel is about characters, and about "character," which Poe clearly understands. He reads as though inhabiting the psyches of the two generations of Trask men around whom the story revolves: Charles and Adam, and Caleb and Aron. Where Poe truly excels, however, is with his portrayals of other key figures, in particular, Lee, the Trasks' loyal servant, friend, and confidante, and Cathy Ames, whom Adam marries, only to be betrayed in more than biblical ways. The book is long but moves at a surprisingly brisk pace for such a dense yet thoroughly accessible work. D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award; 2004 Audie Award Winner (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine