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 | | The Good Earth (Oprah's Book Club) by Pearl S. Buck ISBN-10: 9780743272933 ISBN-10: 0-7432-7293-5 ISBN-13: 9780743272933 ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-7293-3 Paperback 2004-09-15 Washington Square Press Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description Pearl S. Buck's epic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of a China that was -- now in a Contemporary Classics edition. Though more than sixty years have passed since this remarkable novel won the Pulitzer Prize, it has retained its popularity and become one of the great modern classics. "I can only write what I know, and I know nothing but China, having always lived there," wrote Pearl Buck. In The Good Earth she presents a graphic view of a China when the last emperor reigned and the vast political and social upheavals of the twentieth century were but distant rumblings for the ordinary people. This moving, classic story of the honest farmer Wang Lung and his selfless wife O-lan is must reading for those who would fully appreciate the sweeping changes that have occurred in the lives of the Chinese people during this century. Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck traces the whole cycle of life: its terrors, its passions, its ambitions and rewards. Her brilliant novel -- beloved by millions of readers -- is a universal tale of the destiny of man. | ||
Reviews | ||
Why Did I Wait So Long? Since my early teens, I've been drawn by this book. A quick read of the first page drew me into the deceptively simple style of Pearl S. Buck and her protagonist. Why did I wait so long to actually pick it up again? A few weeks ago, I bought up an old paperback copy for a plane trip and started reading before the pilot had said to buckle our seats. I was already buckled in, though, enraptured by the profound and moving story of Wang Lung, his wife O-lan, and the ups and downs that life takes them through. With sparse prose, the novel moves from poverty and gratitude to starvation and greed to riches and apathy. I loved the slow-budding relationship between Wang Lung and his wife, then ground my teeth in frustration at choices later made. O-lan will long stand in my mind as one of the most deftly drawn characters in modern fiction. And yes, this is modern fiction. Despite the setting in the early 1900s of China, this touches on so many aspects of humanity that ring true to this day. In the wrong hands it could've become a soap opera, but in Buck's hands, it becomes a sweeping saga of one man and his famiy--and the good earth that sustains them despite their own fickle natures. This is a classic in every since of the word. | ||
Unforgettable classic I read this book years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Originally published in 1931, it won the Pulitzer prize the following year. The setting is in China, right before the revolution. Wang Lung is a poor farmer in a village and the book starts with his wedding to plain O-lan. They have four children together, three boys and one girl. He is a very hard working farmer and bit by bit, thanks also to O-lan's skills, he builds a fortune by buying land from the House of Hwangs's family, landowners in a nearest village whose wealth declines dramatically due to their relentless spending. We are dipped into Chinese culture, taken from the seemingly bottomless poverty of the early days throughout the rise to wealth, only to be propelled downwards again due to a terrible draught and subsequent famine, when everything seems lost and the family has to move to the city, starting all over again. We are reading spectators of the rise and fall and twists & turns of Wang Lung's family. Many touching episodes have moved me throughout the book, especially the ones connected with hard-working, silent, subservient O-lan and later on, the ones related to their mentally retarded baby girl. The story is absorbing and mesmerizing, exquisitely written. Page after page, truly unforgettable. A must-read classic. | ||
Pearl S. Buck's masterpiece...'The Good Earth' This is Pearl S. Buck's stunning Pulitzer prize winning novel, 'The Good Earth'; it was written in 1931. The book itself is easy to read, written in plain language using simple words to describe people, places and things. No dictionary or thesaurus needed here. This is not only the story of Wang Lung and his wife O-lan (by arranged marriage), but also in a sense, a historical novel that gives the reader a glimpse of early 20th century, rural China. The tale follows Wang Lung life that starts from the humblest of beginnings; to later, when the winds of revolution started to bring a subtle but steady changes to his way of life as he knew it, with some unexpected effects. While reading this book, I could not help but feel that this story could be transposed to any poor rural area almost anywhere in the world; its theme has a universal chord to it. Conclusion: A beautiful story of a changing China and its people. Highly recommended. 5 Stars R.Nicholson | ||
If You Are Going to Read This Book . . . This book does exactly what the author intended: It creates a picture of the Chinese culture right before the arrival of the revolution, providing a view of a world quite different from our own. I have read several of the negative reviews, and my advice is, if you cannot for one moment let go of your attitude that the only right way is the way we do it now--the Christian American way--then you're going to have trouble with this book. Also, if you think that all writing has to be at the level of modern pulp fiction, then you also will be sadly disappointed. But if you read the book for what it is, a picture of a particular place and time, then this is an excellent book to develop a certain sense of understanding of the Chinese culture, particularly the agrarian part of it. These are not good people or bad people; they are just people of a particular ethnicity, with their own set of motivations and traditions. They are going to do things we don't like or understand, but then that is the purpose of a book like this--to make us think not in terms of right and wrong but in terms of why. | ||
Mentally Challenged Character Really liked this book, but hated how Wang Lung and his family treated his oldest daughter. She is never given a name. She's only referred to as "The Fool". The family leaves her to play alone, outside, with her piece of cloth. Rarely do they check up on her. And, if nobody thinks about it she is sometimes left outdoors. She's treated this way just because she is mentally challenged. It's bad enough that Wang and the other does this. But, it's really hurtful, that O-lan, the mother, does this. You would think that maternal instinct would cause her to feel differently. However, it doesn't. | ||