Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ASHES TO ASHES...DUST TO DUST..., 3 Jan 2004
This 1932 Pulitzer Prize winning novel is still a standout today. Deceptive in its simplicity, it is a story built around a flawed human being and a teetering socio-economic system, as well as one that is layered with profound themes. The cadence of the author's writing is also of note, as it rhythmically lends itself to the telling of the story, giving it a very distinct voice. No doubt the author's writing style was influenced by her own immersion in Chinese culture, as she grew up and lived in China, the daughter of missionaries.This is the story of the cyclical nature of life, of the passions and desires that motivate a human being, of good and evil, and of the desire to survive and thrive against great odds. It begins with the story of an illiterate, poor, peasant farmer, Wang Lung, who ventures from the rural countryside and goes to town to the great house of Hwang to obtain a bride from those among the rank of slave. There, he is given the slave O-lan as his bride. This is a potent story, brimming with irony, yet simply told against a framework of mounting social change. It is a story that stands as a parable in many ways and is one that certainly should be read. It is no wonder that this beautifully written book won a Pulitzer Prize and is considered a classic masterpiece. Bravo!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable classic, 23 Oct 2008
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck, 14 Dec 2004
By A Customer
The Good Earth is basically the story of a low born Chinese peasant who, through a combination of hard work and fortunate circumstances becomes a rich landowner.The depths and richness of this novel arises from the author's portrayal of family life in pre-revolution China. The protagonist's relationships with his father, his wives and his children show him to be an essentially flawed yet compassionate human being, and reveal the cultural influences that shaped his
family, and ultimately the society in which he found himself. The plot progresses slowly and consistently,and the main theme of the novel; the cycle of life, of the new coming to take the place of the old, is established and developed in a subtle manner, through the use of simple yet poetic language. A very enjoyable read - highly recommended.
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