Netflix's 'East of Eden' Adaptation Is Even Better When It Goes Beyond the Book

Zoe Kazan’s seven-part Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden aims to cover the full generational sweep of the novel, not just the closing chapters. The series reframes Cathy Ames—played by Florence Pugh—as more sympathetic than Steinbeck’s “psychic monster” portrayal. After being harassed and stigmatized as a young woman, Cathy kills her parents, is beaten by Mr. Edwards (Josh McConville), and is drawn into Adam and Charles Trask’s orbit. The show doesn’t excuse her cruelty, including betrayals and abandoning her sons, but it ties her worst actions to conditional love and survival choices.