Customer Reviews (5)

ASHES TO ASHES...DUST TO DUST...
Thisis the Spanish text edition of the 1932 Pulitzer Prize winning novel that 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.

Selfless, hardworking, and a bearer of sons, the plain-faced O-lan supports Wang Lung's veneration of the land and his desire to acquire more land. She stays with him through thick and thin, through famine and very lean times, working alongside him on the land, making great sacrifices, and raising his children. As a family, they weather the tumultuousness of pre-revolutionary China in the 1920s, only to find themselves the recipient of riches beyond their dreams. At the first opportunity, they buy land from the great house of Hwang, whose expenses appear to be exceeding their income.

With the passing of time, Wang Lung buys more and more land from the house of Hwang, until he owns it all, as his veneration of the land is always paramount. With O-lan at this side, his family continues to prosper. His life becomes more complicated, however, the richer he gets. Wang Lung then commits a life-changing act that pierces O-lan's heart in the most profoundly heartbreaking way.

As the years pass, his sons become educated and literate, and the family continues to prosper. With the great house of Hwang on the skids, an opportunity to buy their house, the very same house from where he had fetched O-lan many years ago, becomes available. Pressed upon to buy that house by his sons, who do not share Wang Lung's veneration for the land and rural life, he buys the house. The country mice now have become the city mice.

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 illustrates the timeless dichotomy between the young and the old, the old and the new, and the rich and the poor. It is no wonder that this beautifully written book won a Pulitzer Prize and is considered a classic masterpiece. Bravo!

FANTASTICO
Uno de los libros que no me canso de leer una y otra vez,
nos nuestra al ser humano en sus mejores y peores momentos
y como reaccionan frente a diferentes circunstancias en que
los coloca la vida.

A PULITZER PRIZE WINNING MASTERPIECE...
This is the Spanish text edition of "The Good Earth", a 1932 Pulitzer Prize winning novel that 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.

Selfless, hardworking, and a bearer of sons, the plain-faced O-lan supports Wang Lung's veneration of the land and his desire to acquire more land. She stays with him through thick and thin, through famine and very lean times, working alongside him on the land, making great sacrifices, and raising his children. As a family, they weather the tumultuousness of pre-revolutionary China in the 1920s, only to find themselves the recipient of riches beyond their dreams. At the first opportunity, they buy land from the great house of Hwang, whose expenses appear to be exceeding their income.

With the passing of time, Wang Lung buys more and more land from the house of Hwang, until he owns it all, as his veneration of the land is always paramount. With O-lan at this side, his family continues to prosper. His life becomes more complicated, however, the richer he gets. Wang Lung then commits a life-changing act that pierces O-lan's heart in the most profoundly heartbreaking way.

As the years pass, his sons become educated and literate, and the family continues to prosper. With the great house of Hwang on the skids, an opportunity to buy their house, the very same house from where he had fetched O-lan many years ago, becomes available. Pressed upon to buy that house by his sons, who do not share Wang Lung's veneration for the land and rural life, he buys the house. The country mice now have become city mice.

This is a potent, thematically complex 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 illustrates the timeless dichotomy between the young and the old, the old and the new, and the rich and the poor. It is no wonder that this beautifully written book won a Pulitzer Prize and is considered a classic masterpiece. Bravo!

A PROFOUND STORY SIMPLY TOLD...
This is the Spanish text edition of a 1932 Pulitzer Prize winning novel that 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.

Selfless, hardworking, and a bearer of sons, the plain-faced O-lan supports Wang Lung's veneration of the land and his desire to acquire more land. She stays with him through thick and thin, through famine and very lean times, working alongside him on the land, making great sacrifices, and raising his children. As a family, they weather the tumultuousness of pre-revolutionary China in the 1920s, only to find themselves the recipient of riches beyond their dreams. At the first opportunity, they buy land from the great house of Hwang, whose expenses appear to be exceeding their income.

With the passing of time, Wang Lung buys more and more land from the house of Hwang, until he owns it all, as his veneration of the land is always paramount. With O-lan at this side, his family continues to prosper. His life becomes more complicated, however, the richer he gets. Wang Lung then commits a life-changing act that pierces O-lan's heart in the most profoundly heartbreaking way.

As the years pass, his sons become educated and literate, and the family continues to prosper. With the great house of Hwang on the skids, an opportunity to buy their house, the very same house from where he had fetched O-lan many years ago, becomes available. Pressed upon to buy that house by his sons, who do not share Wang Lung's veneration for the land and rural life, he buys the house. The country mice now have become city mice.

This is a potent, thematically complex 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 illustrates the timeless dichotomy between the young and the old, the old and the new, and the rich and the poor. It is no wonder that this beautifully written book won a Pulitzer Prize and is considered a classic masterpiece. Bravo!

muy fantastico
Este libro es muy fantastico, pero mi espanol es muy mal.Tambien mira a el libro "El Hombre mas Rico en Babylon".Adios, yo necesito estudiar espanol ahora... ... Read more

Product Description
In her acceptance speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, Pearl Buck said. "The mind of my own country and of China, my foster country, are alike in many ways, but above all, in our common love of freedom." 'East Wind: West Wind' embodies this love of, and struggle for freedom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Enjoyable
This is a lovely read, it is shorter and more light-hearted than Good Earth. While not one of Ms. Buck's best works, it is still a enjoyable read with a woman who thinks at first she is unlucky, but then comes to realize how lucky she is to have such a open-minded and progressive husband.

Lovely...but not life-changing like The Good Earth...
This is a lovely novel, beautifully written and insightful on romantic love and on duty in the Chinese culture of the early 20th century...but it lacks the "great" quality of The Good Earth, which is on my top ten list of all time! I liked the characters here but do not feel attached to them as I finish the book, which is disappointing. A nice read but not one of Mrs. Buck's best.For really super reading with a bit more dimension, try Peony and The Three Daughters of Madame Liang, among others!

A favorite book!
Pearl Buck captures the feelings of confusion and love that help the young couple meld the cultures of their worlds. Wonderful story, written from the wife's perspective.

common theme in pearl s buck's stories
i loved this book as a teenager, seeking my own identity as an asian american woman in the heartland.the wife's attempts to win over her husband, and his consideration of her sacrifices(eg releasing her bound feet)were powerful symbols of growing love, compassion and marital relationships.however, i have noticed a strong theme in pearl buck's stories about the chinese/asian man yearning for, and idolizing a white woman.the asian women in these stories were often regulated to superstitious, old-fashioned stereotypes, either doll-like submissive maids or man-eating seductresses.the later type usually so because they were afraid of asian men's questionnable masculinity.that said, the white women in these books were usually very beautiful, pure, rational and were placed on a pedestal to their adoring asian lovers.pearl buck could tell very poignant and universal stories about women and love, but much of it was also detailed through prejudiced, and stereotyping western eyes.

Great Book!
I highly recommend this book! I've always loved Pearl S. Buck, since reading The Good Earth, and now I've got back into reading her other novels. This one is a good illustration of the struggle between old and new ways, Chinese vs. Western. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Pearl S Buck is a woman of our times
Just finished Pearl S. Buck's memoir "My Several Worlds," written in 1954.It is one of those books where you learn something on every page.

Mrs. Buck was very progressive in her views on a variety of topics, from the trivial -- for example, kids are over-scheduled these days and aren't given time for creative play (this written in 1954) and we should be eating more whole grains, to the history-altering: the USA should stay out of Indo-china (yep, 1954 again). Her understanding of the American psyche and how it could only lead to missed opportunities with China and Asia is spot-on (as it did). Her plea for acceptance of mixed-race and out-of wedlock children is heart-breaking as some progress has been made but oh the emotional pain.

Some stuff makes you wince (the military is a cause of much homosexuality because the sexes need to mix) but overall she is a very modern thinker.

Her writing is not easy reading. I think it is a bit dense for today's tastes but if you slow down it is to be savored.

From reading a review of the new cultural biographyPearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography of Mrs. Buck I was sad to learn that she was VERY unhappy in the first marriage, her father was a misogynistic jerk and that she suffered from depression.You would not know this from "My Several Worlds." You would think she was the most positive person on earth. You learn through clues that her daughter is developmentally disabled ("the child did not grow") and that her first marriage was not happy.i guess people were polite back then and did not share their troubles with the world (and cable networks didn't exist with so much airtime to fill.)

I am so glad I read this book.I love her and admire her for her contribution to humanity. I wish there were more people like her! Read this book and enjoy!!!

wow
I recently returned from a 3 week tour in China. So interesting, and of course all of a sudden I was taken back into all stories and scenes from previously, the books I had read as a child, Pearl Buck and then later Han Suyen.
So I am now reading My Several Worlds. So rich, deep in thought and her lovely descriptions. I am quite astounded by her understanding of China and America and world problems and issues that she brings up in her life story.
A joy and thought provoking book
I think I will write to Oprah and recommend this as a book for her club. Its a a winner.

I'm so glad Oprah has chosenPearl S.Buck's"The Good Earth"
as her latest book club selection. I read the book ages ago, for school, and it's one of my favorite classics.

But I hope Oprah choosing that book now will awaken interest in this Nobel Prize-winning author's other works, particularly this autobiography, and her short stories.

Buck is such an accessible writer, and she lived such a fascinating life. This is a book you shouldn't miss, and I also highly recommend reading as many of her short stories as you can get your hands on. (Two of my favorite collections are "The Good Deed and other Stories of Asia Past and Present," and "Fourteen Stories.")

A Nobel Prize winning author's memoirs
Not a chronological autobiography, "My Several Worlds" is exactly that--Pearl Buck, born in the US, raised in China, tells us about her life abroad and at home. Her missionary parents took her to China as a small child, and she traveled the world later. She only hints at very personal and painful events: the birth of her daughter with PKU (Phenylketonuria, a disease that causes retardation if not controlled with a special diet--unknown at that time) and a divorce as well. We do learn about the founding of her Amerasian orphan adoption agency, placing the unwanted children of Korean women and American soldiers, about her Nobel Prize for "The Good Earth", and about life in China from the end of the Boxer Rebellion and the reign of the Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi to the republic of Chiang Kai-Shek before the Communist Revolution.

If you have read any of Pearl Buck's novels, this is a must-read to provide valuable background for the author's life.

She truly did live in interesting times...
Put away your history texts and listen to a first-hand account of worldwide drama unfolding at the most interesting period of this century.A most engrossing and enlightening tale. ... Read more

Product Description
The inestimable Peal Buck. ... Read more

Product Description

Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain in Japan. His friend, Jiya, lives in a fishing village below. Everyone, including Kino and Jiya, has heard of the big wave. No one suspects it will wipe out the whole village and Jiya's family, too. As Jiya struggles to overcome his sorrow, he understands it is in the presence of danger that one learns to be brave, and to appreciate how wonderful life can be.

1948 Children’s Book Award (Child Study Association) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Big Wave
The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
Two friends, Kino and Jiya live in Japan. Kino's family farm the land on the side of a mountain. His best friend Jiya lives on the beach below where he fishes with his father. Kino fears the Volcano on his mountain and Jiya fears the sea might become angry. One day the bell at the castle begins to ring. Kino and his family rush outside. His father tells him this has happened once before and that the villagers below need to go to the castle. Kino sees several families or their children run to the castle. He waves to his friend Jiya. Jiya runs to the house of his friend Kino. There they watch as a giant wave wipes out all of the village and remaining people below, including Jiya's family. Given the choice to live with the old man in the castle or with his best friend's family, Jiya chooses his best friend's family. As time passes people begin to build on the beach again. Kino misses the beach and must make several decisions that not only affect him but the young girl he wants to marry.

11 year old review
The Big Wave is a book about two families that live in Japan and one BIG wave!
Kino a Japanese boy lives in the "midst of danger" with the ocean in front of him and a volcano behind him. Jya, Kino's friend lives on the ground and Kino lives on a mountin. When the big wave comes Jya's family gets wiped out and Jya has to live with Kino. This book fast-forwards from Jya's childhood to his early adulthood and I recommend it to everyone. I recommend it to everyone because I liked to read about a different place.

"The Big Wave" by Pearl S. Buck
Well told story to aid children in dealing with disappointment, fear, death. Beautifully illustrates the purpose of life.

The Big Wave
This book taught a life lesson. When bad happens, there are good people willing to help make things better. This was a good book. I am taking English 324 Literature for Children with Professor Roger D. Samples, he is a wonderful teacher.

accepting the grief after a tsunami
I read this book many years ago, and have been waiting for the right moment to read it to my child. This week, while we are absorbing the 12/26/2004 tsunami in South Asia, I deemed the moment right.

The story is set in Japan at some time in the past, when the farmers and fishermen in the community are following the paths their fathers and grandfathers set. We see the story through the eyes of Kino who lives on a mountain farm, and learns about the sea through his friendship with Jiya, who lives "in the last house in the row of houses toward the ocean, and [whose] house [does] not have a window toward the sea" because, as Jiya tells Kino, "the sea is our enemy." Kino is relieved that he does not live near the sea, but his father reminds him of the great volcano, twenty miles away, and tells him that they "must learn to live with danger."

The storyline is simple, almost inevitable. A volcano erupts under the sea and causes a tsunami, which sweeps away the fishing village by the sea. Many lives are lost. As the survivors slowly recover, and Kino's friend Jiya starts to accept life again, Kino asks his father all the questions that children need to ask after a natural disaster. His father's answers each question with patience and wisdom, in a manner open-ended enough so that the reader (or reader and parent) can pause and talk about their own beliefs and feelings. Or the reader can turn the page and stay absorbed in this well-crafted story.

My only disappointment with my paperback edition (HarperCollins, 1986, ISBN 0-06-440171-5) is that it left out the famous woodblock prints by the 19th century Japanese artists Hokusai and Hiroshige. I pored over these illustrations as a child and immediately recognized them when I saw them in my library copy. Pearl Buck selected each individual print to allow her readers to see the beauty of Japan, and they form an integral part of the story. I would recommend you buy the Library Binding version by HarperCollins (1999, ISBN 0-38-199923-8) or check out a book with illustrations from your library. ... Read more

Product Description

News reaches the couple [Maharana Prince Jagat and his wife, Moti] that their only son, Jai, has been killed by the Chinese in a border skirmish, an inconsolable Moti sends Jagat out to bring the boy's spirit home. On the journey, the prince becomes involved with a beautiful and mysterious young American woman. Thus begins the fatal attraction between Eastern and Western ways, one bound by rigid custom, the other temptingly ripe with freethinking....Her simple yet evocative language, well-developed characters, and timeless plot make Mandala a fascinating addition to the fiction shelf.

Customer Reviews (6)

A taste of India
Pearl Buck's Chinese books are so well-written and some of my favorites, which lead me to try this book set in India. She does just as good a job setting the scene and drawing you into another culture. As in all fiction, there may be some elements that are not quite absoultely authentic but I found the story engaging and the culture presented very sensitively in this timeless story of interactions between peoples of different cultures. Buck illustrates the differnces in cultures while showing that relationships between men and women have universal "dance steps" that are actually pretty much the same the world over.

Intricate and compelling
I have loved Pearl S. Buck since I was a teenager - some time now.This novel has a straightforward simplicity that characterizes Buck's other works.Yet, the plot belies the human complexities that run deeply underneath.The reader will continue turning pages not for the fast pace, but to discover what choices each character will make as he or she faces the pull of "sympathy". Who knows why we are inexplicably drawn toward certain people or places?And Buck challenges us to stop worrying about social conventions and what we are "supposed" to do to follow our hearts' true calling.

Indian setting is different, but...
I had to work my way through a good many pages to get my bearings in India, after reading her Chinese novels, but once I did, I was captivated!It awakened my interest in India and the strains along the Indo-Chinese border, all woven into a fascinating story.Another of Pearl Buck's books that I just could not put down!

Timeless love story with hints of reincarnation
Having never been to India, I cannot judge this book on its cultural authenticity.The India that Buck portrays here is a country in transition (right after her independence), as are the characters within the book itself.Buck's gentle, touching explorations of arranged marriages versus "falling in love" could probably be applied to any traditional culture that is confronted with modernism.Can romantic love alone overcome differences of culture, caste, social and economic status?

Perhaps because the book was published in 1970, it deals with the sexual themes modestly and gracefully, without degenerating into gratuitous porn like so many of today's novels.It is enough to know that the characters sleep together, we do not need the details.More important is Jagat's discovery that "love" and "sexual intercourse" are not the same thing.In the case of the relationship between Moti and Father Paul, there is no physical sex at all -- just a deep, platonic love bordering on the mystical. And although Bert and Veera are deeply attracted to each other, neither could live "happily ever after" in the other's world.These are timeless themes, regardless of the setting.

There are hints of reincarnation in the book, too, suggesting thatperhaps the lovers had known each other in another life and found each other again in this one.Reincarnation becomes more obvious toward the end of the book, after Jagat's son, Jai, is killed in battle.His mother is convinced that he still lives -- and perhaps he does, in the body of a 9-month-old child who reaches for a mummified tiger's paw that used to belong to Jai.Was he Jai returned?You decide.

BAD PORTRAYAL
As an Indian, I strongly feel that Pearl Buck has not done a good job of portraying a real Indian character. Her descriptive writing is great, however the characters she has, such as Jagat, are not portrayed as a proper Indian. Pearl Buck might have tried to intertwine East and West together in this book, but in the attempt, she strechted the "trueness" of the character, resulting in the characters to sound fake. For a traveller who has never gone to India or travelled in it, it will reveal the beauty of this country. However, if this book is to be read to know about the Indian culture, this is clearly not the book to read. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the biography of an American woman in China. It is the life story of Pearl Buck's mother. Everything in it is true except the names of the people are changed. Much of it the author learned from her mother s lips and diaries; the rest from her own observation.Caroline Stulting Sydenstricker's (Carie's in the book) childhood was passed happily in the hills of West Virginia, from which she went, the bride of a missionary, to spend a rigorous life in the interior of China. There, with warmth and vigor and understanding, she taught and served a strange people, spending her strength upon them. Of the seven children she bore, only three would grow up; only one, the author, was born in America, in the stately house which, to the exiled mother, was forever home. But even in a far country, the dauntless woman made an American home with an American garden and held always before herself and her children the bright remembrance that they were American and in the face of all danger and grief and bewilderment kept to the end a flaming spirit and a stout heart. ... Read more

Product Description
The Story Bible, 1971 BCE, by Pearl S. Buck. Hardcover with dust jacket, 504 pages, published by Bartholomew House Ltd. ... Read more

Product Description
Seven books condensed into two volumes for effortless reading enjoyment, each book with over 500 pages.Beautiful white linen covers, and each book has boards and flypages covered with tiny pink/red figured print. The dust jackets are white, with red lettering. At the bottom of the front of the Vol. 1 dust jacket is a right-facing dragon image; on Vol. Two, a left- facing fish image. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

order not complete
This seller only sent one book of the 2 vol set Which is totally unacceptable

Only received one . . .
Two volume set, only received one volume.Waited and finally complained.Second volume will not be arriving. Returning my money.Very disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description

This translation of a Chinese classic (14th Century) is the epic tale of a band of patriots in China during the latter part of Sung Dynasty and is considered by most to be one to the three or four greatest novels in Chinese literature. Shui hun chuan (water margin chronicles) is the adventure of a band of 108 outlaws (105 men and 3 women) struggling to help the Emperor rid himself of the despotic prime minister. Like Robin Hood, the bandit kings refer to themselves as the "gallant fraternity." They come out to harass the authorities and to attempt to solicit followers to overthrow a corrupt government in the name of the Emperor. Chocked full of ghosts, innkeepers who make hamburgers of their guests, giants of superhuman strength, beautiful women in distress, wily intellectuals and crafty merchants, this is a timeless tale of love and adventure.

Customer Reviews (5)

Faster than expected & accurate
Very pleased with my purchase. It arrived faster than I expected. was exaclty what I ordered & was in fantastic shape.

Very Well Done
I was fascinated to be reading such an old story, beautifully translated. Each character, and there are many, have excellent stories accompanying them.Somehow these numerous characters are to come together by the end of the book.I had to back track now and then to get my guys straight - such as which one slayed the tiger and which one killed the general.There is a great listing at the end of the book with each characters name and poetic name.Awesome to slip into an ancient time and place.Crazy at times how the "gang" would kill a persons family so they wouldn't have an excuse not to join up with them. Then it's like "Okay, I guess since I no longer have a family or responsibility, I can join your gang now."With no grudge of course since it's for the greater good.Go figure.Obviously the mind set with this group and time is totally unlike anything we can easily relate to.

A terrific read from beginning to end
Originally published as two 700-page volumes, Pearl S. Buck's translation of Shi Napan (1290-1365) and Luo Guanzhong's (1330-1400) Chinese martial arts novel "All Men Are Brothers" is now available in a new single volume edition from Moyer Bell. This 600 year-old epic tale of a band of patriots in the latter part of the Sung Dynasty is the story of a band of 108 outlaws 9105 men and 3 women) who struggle to help the Emperor rid himself of a despotic prime minister. Also involved in this work of classical Chinese fiction are ghosts, innkeepers who augment their groceries with the bodies of their guests, giants with superhuman strength, lovely ladies in distress, wily intellectuals, crafty merchants, and more! A sage replete with sorcery, action, beats, demons, and heroes, "All Men Are Brothers" is a terrific read from beginning to end and a very highly recommended addition to academic and community library collections!

Easy to read
This was the first classical Chinese novel I ever completed, having previously given up on trying to read 'Romance of Three Kingdoms'. I prefer this novel to 'Scholars'.

Unlike some other translations, Pearl Buck tries to refer to characters with just a single name. This is an issue, as Chinese novels sometimes refer to the same character by several different names, making it much harder to follow the plot.

I remember a story being told that a father introduced this novel to his son before other classical stories not because it is the 'best' Chinese novel, but because he knew his son would read 'All Men are Brothers' eventually anyway and he wanted to guide his son through its more contentious passages!

The stories contained within 'All Men are Brothers' are enthralling, and provided an insight into a life and culture which no longer - or perhaps ever - exists, but still has echoes in Chinese society (and movies!) today. One warning, the 'prologue' describing the release of the spirits is one of the more confusing and perhaps boring chapters of the book. The rest of the book is much less confusing.

Oh, I did play the computer game mentioned by another reviewer, but only after I read the book!

Brian Wayne Wells, Esquire, reviews "All Men are Brothers"
Nobel Prize winner, West Virgina born, Pearl S. Buck is primarily known for her novels on her childhood and early life in China.However, her 1933 translation of the Chinese epic story of a band of patriots in China of latter part of the Sung Dynasty, struggling to help the emporer rid himself of the despotic Prime Minister, became popular again with release in 1990 of the Japanese developed software game--Bandit Kings of Ancient China by KOEI Corporation.

The epic story took place about 100 years prior to time of Robin Hood.But the story contains many parallels to the story Robin Hood.Just as Robin and his merry band hid in the woods of Nottingham and, in the name of Richard III against the usurping King John, robbed the rich to help the poor, so too did the bandit kngs live as outlaws from the authorities in the "water margins" (marshes) of Sung Dynasty China coming out only to harass the prime minister's troops and attempt to solicit followers to overthrow the corrupt prime minister in the name of the emporer.

The two volume set is a splendid read and helps the reader understand more about the Chinese government and culture in the eleventh century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Timely for today
This is the first book I read from this author and have been hooked ever since.She's written over 70 books and stories over her life time and left a positive legacy of cultural change in the treatment of minorities in this country and abroad.This story is about the generations of prejudice in India and the love that overcame it.A beautiful love story, timely today because America has grown in it's acceptance of color in the President.

Rock on Pearl!

Read it.
I think this book is wonderful, and please read it ... Read more

Customer Reviews (85)

Imagine You're Reading This Book In 1932
As I read THE GOOD EARTH, I tried to imagine how it would have affected me as a reader in 1932, the year it was published. I wondered how much would I have already known about 19th century China, or, for that matter, 20th century China. What would I have been able to visualize,other than stereotypical geisha statues (if they existed then)? I know I wouldn't have traveled to "The Orient" or seen television documentaries about it, but I might have studied it in World Civilizations class. Information would have been limited to natural resources, geography, and government; traditions and culture would have required research.

In 1932, this book would have allowed me to live with a poor farmer while I watched him scramble for his existence, marry a slave girl, raise a family, become wealthy, and grow old. I would have experienced the cycle of a life in China, much like the cycle might be in any other country. From this book I might have learned what I learned in 2009: Wealth insists on change while tradition demands things stay the same. Perhaps this is what constitutes a classic.

I very well enjoy it because of the very boring text.
There is only one word to describe this book, "terrible!!!" I wish I can go back in time and diminish all the words written in this absolutely dull book.

I very well enjoy it because of the very boring text.
There is only one word to describe this book, "terrible!!!" I wish I can go back in time and diminish all the words written in this absolutely dull book.

This book is waste of your time
This book was about a self centered man, living with his children and wife. He only loved her when the hard times kicked in. Then when he had his other pleasures he treaated her like dirt.Trust me, you should never readthis book if you get to choose a book to read (unlike myself). It truly isa waste of your time! Infact I'm not really sure why I'm wasting myprecious time typing about this book that really does belong in the trashcan, like one of the writers wrote at the top of this web page.

this was a great book
I enjoyed the good earth.although i got mad about some situation with o-lan i knew that this was part of their culture.i cried, i laughed. i got angry.this book touched every emotion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Splendid condition
I love the condition the book arrived in. I also appreciate the fact that the transaction and delivery process was done in an efficient way. Thanks!

Good conclusion to the trilogy
This book mainly concentrates on the son of Wang the Tiger (and the grandson of the original Wang) but it does reveal a bit here and there of the three sons of Wang. Wang the Landlord and Wang the Merchant come across as spoiled even though they grew up on the farm and didn't get really rich until their adulthood. In this book, the Revolution is in full swing and it was interesting to see Wang's grandson deal with life in America. You can't help but feel sorry for poor Wang the Tiger after all he'd been through and what he did for his son to ensure the future of the son he loved. While 'The Good Earth' remains the best book in the trilogy - and one of Ms. Buck's best works overall - 'A House Divided' is a very good book in itself and is a definite must for any Pearl Buck fan.

Sad to see it end
The first two books in the Trilogy were so good that I was skeptical the final book could keep up the momentum but this was fantastic.

It leads the Wangs into modernity with relevant historical facts hidden in the deep heart of the Tiger's only son who struggles to find his place in the world.

The Chinese equivalent of Tolstoyism.
The best of the trilogy. Pearl S Buck creates a Tolstoyesque picture of Chinese agrarian life: harsh, simple, man vs nature. Important today in understanding Chinese roots and how far that huge nation has come in the past few decades.

Least favorite of the trilogoy
The final book in the House of Earth trilogy was my least favorite and most disconnected of the three.She jumps into the third generation and third book with not a whole lot of background or character development (except for Yuan), so I cared the least about the characters, their situations and trials.The story was interesting, but I found that I could not relate as well to the characters or understand their plight.But I think she did a marvelous job at showing the differences between the generations and how exposure to new ideas, cultures and technology can quickly change the traditions of a culture; sometimes the change is good and beneficial, sometimes it's detrimental.I also like how she juxtiposed Yuan, who tries to hold on to his tradition and country and resists change, to other family members who embraced the change with all their hearts.I think that The Good Earth is a brillant read, but if you missed the next two in the trilogy it wouldn't be a tragedy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Yes, it IS about making a movie.
Pearl S. Buck, A Bridge for Passing (Pocket, 1962)

The strength of Pearl Buck's writing, it becomes evident from page one, is in her ability to tell a story as if she were sitting next to you sipping lemonade on an unseasonably cool August day. Her observations are flowery, well-described, and often at least a touch naïve; one wonders, had she written the book ten years later, if it would have had the same tone it does.

A Bridge for Passing intertwines the filming of her novel The Big Wave, the first major collaboration between Japanese and American filmmakers (and now unforgivably obscure), with the death of her husband of twenty-five years. And oddly, though the ratio of the two in page real estate is about 90/10, the reviews, the blurbs, and the cover reverse the ratio when talking about the book. To the rest of the world, it seems, A Bridge for Passing was a precursor to the spate of books that started appearing roughly a decade later about how to handle major life crises. The movie was just an afterthought.

Not so, Othello. The movie is the mechanism by which Buck learns to deal with her grief, true, but there is much more to it than that. This is no fictional memoir; we are treated to the lives of real people, most of whom have remained obscure from the American perspective, but some of whom are not (Big Wave director Ted Danielewski, for example, has a pair of kids well known to media critics, House of Leaves author Mark Danielewski and his sister, the singer known as Poe). And when one keeps one's mind on the idea that these are real people, one starts to realize the enormity of the task Buck and her cohorts have set themselves. This is not just an on location shoot, this is politics of the highest order (and only fifteen years after the unpleasantness at the end of World War II).

There is much to be said for the way in which her husband's death pervades the book, but any Buck fans who have avoided this, fearing it to be nothing but a celebrity-penned self-help tome, put your fears at ease. This one's a keeper. *** ½ ... Read more