East of Eden on Netflix review: Florence Pugh is the draw, and viewers mostly say yes

Official platform artwork used as the hero image.

East of Eden is Zoe Kazan's seven-episode Netflix adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel. It came out on October 1. It follows the Trask family in California's Salinas Valley across two generations, from brothers Adam and Charles to Adam's sons Cal and Aron. Florence Pugh plays Cathy Ames, and this version puts her much closer to the centre than the book does.

Most viewers are happy with it. A smaller group thinks the pacing is off. Book fans are split on Cathy.

What viewers are actually saying

We read the reactions on X and in forums before scoring this. On X, we counted about 16 people recommending it and 3 with mixed feelings. The posts came from Brazil, Turkey, Latin America and the Netherlands, not just the US and UK.

• @miqueasjoaquin_ on X (Oct 22): “si les gustan las películas o series de época por favor miren east of eden en netflix, es espectacular.” In plain English: if you like period films or series, please watch East of Eden on Netflix, it is spectacular.
• A viewer on the TigerDroppings forum (Oct 5): “I think they knocked this out of the park… My wife who has never read the book was bawling.”
• @GRoditiD on X (Oct 23), the other side: “netflix somehow managed to make … east of eden feel rushed.”

Before release, a teaser thread on r/television was sceptical. The worry was that the show would soften Cathy and make her easier to like. After release, that is still the main argument among book readers.

The public scores are good, not unanimous. IMDb has it at around 8.0 to 8.1 from about 26,000 votes. TMDb has it at 8.1. Rotten Tomatoes' audience score is 85%.

Why it works

Pugh is very good as Cathy. She is cold and frightening, and the show gives her enough backstory that you understand her without being asked to forgive her. Hoon Lee as Lee is the performance viewers keep singling out. He is calm and funny, and he holds the second half together.

The core of the book is still here. Two brothers, a father who loves one more than the other, and then the same pattern again with Cal and Aron. When the show slows down and lets those scenes play, it lands. That is what made the TigerDroppings viewer's wife cry without knowing the story.

The honest caveat

Viewers do not agree on the pace. Some say the early episodes drag. Others, like @GRoditiD, say seven episodes is too few for a book this size and the later years feel rushed. Both can be true. The first half spends a long time on Cathy, so the second generation gets less room.

If you love the novel, the Cathy-centred framing is the thing to know about. Some book fans like the new angle. Others think it takes the edge off her. It is also more violent than a lot of people expected from a prestige period drama, so it is not one to put on with the family.

Bottom line

If you want a serious, well-acted period drama to sit with over a week, East of Eden is worth it. Most viewers are glad they watched it. The ones who are not mostly wanted a different pace or a different Cathy.

The independent MyMovieJam score is 8.1 / 10. We recommend it, with a clear warning for book purists and anyone who needs a faster story.