Zoe Kazan's EAST of EDEN Steinbeck's Guilty Pleasure with Florence Pugh

For all those Steinbeck fans out there, myself included, EAST of EDEN is easy reading (albeit long). It's soap opera storytelling that falls short of Steinbeck far better literary canon including the Pulitzer Prize winning "Grapes of Wrath" (1940 ), "Cannery Row" and my favorite, "Of Mice and Men."  Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 for his contribution to American literature which highlight themes of social injustice, migrant struggles and depictions of impactful, historic events. EAST of EDEN ("EOE") published 1952, is a multi-generational epic that mirrors the biblical tale of feuding brothers Cain and Abel. Set at the turn of the 19th C in Salinas Valley, CA (Steinbeck's home), it's the tale of the Trask family progenies starting with the patriarchal parent, Cyrus, a wounded, brutish Civil War veteran turned politician. Cyrus' illicit dealings endow his two sons, half-brothers Adam and David a sizable inheritance.  Cyrus raised this boys to farm their CT land and serve in the military. and farm their CT acres: Adam into the militia and David into farming (against both their wishes).  Cathy (Florence Pugh) is a beautiful sociopath who committed patricide, becomes a prostitute and madame of a lucrative brothel. While trying to flee from her violent procurer who savagely beats her and leaves for dead. Cathy manages to drag her battered body to the porch of the Trask brothers. The benign brother, Adam, faithfully tends her back to health much to the disapproval of the wrathful David. David wants her out of their home. After Cathy has recovered, Adam proposes to Cathy disregarding David's protestations she's evil and will lead to their downfall. The recent rendition of EAST of EDEN is a 7 part series airing on Netflix. It has been adapted and directed by Zoe Kazan, ("ZK") granddaughter of legendary film director, Elia Kazan. ZK has made a name for herself through acting, writing and directing.  ZK received a Primetime Emmy nomination for her role in "Olive Kitteride" (2014). ZK's ambitious miniseries is beautifully shot depicting our nation's rapidly changing landscape in CA into advanced cities. The ensemble cast lead by the indomitable Florence Pugh (Acad. Award nominee for "Little Women" 2019) makes this mini-series riveting. How- ever, she has plenty of support from a strong ensemble, especially Christopher Abbott and Mike Faust as brothers Adam and Charles respectively. Other strong performances come from Hoon Lee, Martha Plimpton, Ciaran Hinds and Tracy Letts.  ZK has done an impressive job in her retelling. although it's still merely a soft-selling, binge worth version which falls short of Steinbeck's loftier, literary novels made into films. The intended emotional wallop hits with the heft of a wiffle-ball and Steinbeck's philosophical pandering of free-will v. fate feels trifling.