Explore the Life and Work of Nobel Laureate Pearl S. Buck: A Journey to the Heart of Humanity

N_S: Provides the reader an insight into the Chinese society of yore.

India on Nov 01, 2023

JLEC: Love this book. Read it when I was in high school and now I’m reading it with my 16 year old.

United States on Jul 12, 2023

Amazon Customer: Story, characters, plots, historical contents, … amazingly intriguing!

Japan on Jun 10, 2023

Tannab: The book was great. The problem was I thought I was buying a new book and I got a very used book. The price and quality of the book didn’t match.

United States on Jun 09, 2023

CJP: I remember finding this book in a cupboard when I was a teenager. What could a book called "The Good Earth" be about? I opened it and read the first line, and I was hooked. I did not stop reading until I reached the end. When I was done, I learned important lessons: work hard, buy land, and NEVER sell it. I have done that.

When I was older and married, I found the book and read it again. I told my husband he HAD to read it. He had been raised on a farm and said, "I don't care one iota to read about a peasant farmer in China". The next time we flew somewhere, I brought it along. He was bored at the airport and I gave it to him. He started reading and he kept reading. I said, "How are you liking it?" He looked up with misty eyes and said, "They had to kill the ox to feed the babies." He read the whole thing on that flight.

United States on Feb 27, 2022

ron matsu: The trilogy covers not only the culture of "old China" and it's evolution towards the new nation but amazingly provides an in- depth study of many characters who might have lived during those times. It's a love story of the land and the human product of that land

Canada on Feb 02, 2022

mf: The 3 books of the trilogy all progress at a pace which is a little slow compared to what is expected today. But it is very enjoyable as long as one is not expecting a fast pace.
It is a fascinating portrayal of the lives of the people and circumstances in China at those times. The detail and description of the culture is so well described and yet merely done as the story is told. She spends no extra time on it and still paints a vivid picture.
And the characters are very human but not idealized. You sympathize because they are real, not because they are 2-dimensional and you are being manipulated.
Also, I found it fascinating how she wrote in English and yet it is Chinese-sounding. It was obvious from the start she had a very deep, first-hand knowledge of Chinese culture.
I highly recommend it.

United States on Oct 27, 2021

Linda Pfeiffer: The Good Earth is Pearl S. Buck's masterpiece which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This is an exceptional book and one of the best stories I have ever read. Her protagonist is Wang Lung a peasant farmer working on a rented plot of land just as his father had done before him. Wang Lung marries a slave who worked in the house of the richest landowners in the region. And so begins the Wang Dynasty the moment O-Lan produces their first son. Wang Lung recognizes early on that he cannot become rich by remaining on rented land, so by his own guile and hard work he begins to accumulate plots of land little by little. Eventually he will surpass every other farmer to become the wealthiest landowner in his area. He and his wife endure every kind of heartache such as famine, flooding and failed crops until he can raise himself up and overcome all the adversities. And all of his success is due to "The Good Earth.
In volume two, Sons, Wang Lung has died and this is the story of his three sons. Wang the Eldest is responsible to divide up his father's wealth among his brothers. He is an educated elitist with no real skills. The second brother, Wang the Merchant uses his share to...

Canada on Nov 10, 2018

shoestopper: I am half way through book two and it is as gripping as the first one. The rural poverty is beyond belief except that history seems to prove it happened. The contrasting lifestyles of the indulged rich and the peasant whose livelihood depends on the weather should be heart wrenching but somehow the philosophical attitudes of the poor means they get on with it whatever life throws at them. The tradition of caring for the elderly with respect, seemingly putting the old person first is admirable, The worship of youth and beauty which is indulged as if the indulgence is deserved,, the miserable treatment of slaves, trapped in humility which they have to accept as there is no alternative, are all parts of an old tribal style of society. In this background, Chang Lung from the sweat of his brow and clever business manoeuvers plus a huge amount of luck lifts himself from having nothing but a mud hut he built himself to a high place in society of lordly power and possessions. This is a captivating story peopled with realistic characters. It is well written in a style which suits the story..

United Kingdom on Jan 23, 2018

Martin Baca: This beautiful trilogy contains these masterpieces: "The Good Earth," "Sons" and "A House Divided," all were published in 1930's. (Btw, I learnt that this trilogy was named as "The House of Earth" and not "The Good Earth Trilogy." Never mind.) Books describe one Chinese family, plot is located into early 20th century (there is no know the date of plot exactly, because Pearl S. Buck did not provide explicit dates).

Books–the whole trilogy–show life in three generations of family and there are focused only on some members and of course turbulent society. The books show and highlight dozens very important things about China and Chinese, I am not about to write full contents of all three books, but I am only about to hint considerable themes which appear in the books and which are interesting and important for sinologist. Well, in the trilogy appears mainly these themes: family, including marriage (filial piety, purpose, spousal selection, connection with love, traditional and new); relations between members of family and their changes from one generation to another; misunderstanding between people from different time or location, including generation gap; interpersonal...

United States on Jan 25, 2016