Florence Pugh’s ‘East of Eden’ Puts a Modern, Riveting Twist on the Classic American Novel | Review

Zoe Kazan’s Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck’s *East of Eden* revisits the Trask family’s cycles of rivalry and favouritism, drawing on the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The review says the series stays close to the novel while giving its characters, especially Cathy Ames, a more modern and nuanced perspective.

The story spans the late 19th century to the First World War: brothers Adam and Charles are set against each other by their father’s preference for Adam, and later Adam repeats that pattern with his twin sons, Aron and Cal. Florence Pugh plays Cathy, who leaves Adam and their children; unlike Steinbeck’s portrayal of her as innately evil, Kazan frames her ruthlessness as shaped by survival in a world controlled by men. The review also praises performances by Mike Faist and Hoon Lee.