'East of Eden' Is a Great Adaptation of the Great American Novel (with Roxana Hadadi and Thomas Floyd)

This week, Vulture TV critic Roxana Hadadi and Washington Post editor Thomas Floyd join Sophie and Rudi to discuss “East of Eden,” Netflix’s limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel. The streaming show, created by Zoe Kazan, features an ensemble cast that includes Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee and Ciarán Hinds. Before introducing their guests, Sophie and Rudi share some exciting news: It Was A Book First was nominated for the Best Book Podcast award at next month’s ASTRA Podcast Awards! (00:01:40) Roxana and Thomas then join the show to discuss “East of Eden,” which they both have written about. (00:04:49) Roxana recapped each episode of the series and interviewed stars Martha Plimpton and Hoon Lee for Vulture. (00:07:06) Thomas toured the Library of Congress with Zoe Kazan and Florence Pugh for a Washington Post feature. (00:07:54) They go around and share their general thoughts on the Netflix adaptation, which they all enjoyed (00:12:17) before Sophie shares some history behind Steinbeck’s novel (00:23:52) and Rudi details the team behind the limited series (00:28:00). From there, the hosts and their guests dive deep into dissecting “East of Eden,” with Sophie and Roxana pointing out changes from the book as they go. They start by discussing Florence Pugh’s award-worthy performance as Cathy Ames. They explore what makes Cathy such an inscrutable character, whether or not she’s been remade for the series as a Don Draper-like figure and the choice to center her for much of this adaptation. (00:31:35) Then they shift their focus, much like the series does, to Christopher Abbott as Adam Trask, and their differing reactions to his subdued performance, which they agree gets better as the show goes on. (00:52:43) That leads to a discussion of Mike Faist as Adam’s brother, Charles Trask, and his relationship to Cathy (00:59:18). Talk shifts to Hoon Lee, whose tender turn as Adam’s servant Lee acts as the heart of “East of Eden” and introduces the concept of timshel. (01:05:54) They also explain why the choice to leave out much of the Hamilton family (represented by Ciarán Hinds as Sam) was smart and why the last two episodes featuring the Trask boys Cal (Joseph Zada) and Aaron (Joe Anders) feel a bit rushed. (01:16:28) Thomas also shares his thoughts on Elia Kazan’s 1955 film “East of Eden,” which only adapts the end of the novel. (01:18:24) As they wrap the discussion, Sophie reveals her Sophie’s Choice pick for which she enjoyed more: reading Steinbeck or watching the Netflix series. (01:24:58) Finally, Thomas and Roxana share their picks for books they’d like to see get adapted into a series or film: Thomas wants a new take on Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five;” Roxana wants to see someone take on Mark Z. Danielewski's “House of Leaves.” (01:26:45) Next week, we’re discussing another streaming series: “Carrie” writer-director Mike Flanagan’s reimagining of Stephen King’s first horror novel from 1974. The Prime Video series stars Summer H. Howell, Samantha Sloyan and Matthew Lillard. Later this week, keep an eye on our podcast feed for a bonus episode about a movie that’s not based on a book but is based on reality (sort of): “You Can See Everything,” Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s incredible documentary on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Rudi will also briefly discuss the new film adaptation of survival thriller “Whalefall,” which stars Austin Abrams and is based on the book by novelist Daniel Kraus. It Was A Book First is the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations. Subscribe now to get new episodes delivered weekly on Wednesdays. Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpod TikTok: @itwasabookfirst YouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcast Email: [email protected] Hosts and producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg Guests: Roxana Hadadi and Thomas Floyd Editing: Rudi Greenberg Social media: Sophie Vershbow Music: Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production: Kevin Pons Logo: Trisha Louise Prieto Website: Kevin Pfab