Jun. 23, 2009 - Book Review ~ The Good Earth
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: The Good Earth
Author: Pearl S. Buck
Pages: 385
The Good Earth follows the life of Wang Lung, a Chinese farmer about 1890-1930. He starts out as a poor man's son, who is going to the great House of Hwang to pick up his bride. The story follows the rise and and fall of their fortunes. Once, their circumstances become so bad that they have to go to the city and beg for money to buy food. However, they do return to their land, which is Wang Lung's anchor through the years. He always feels safe and sure of himself, as long as he has his land. In the last half of the novel, Wang Lung's fortunes improve so much, that he is able to build a new house, buy servants, and concubines, and finally he moves into the great House of Hwang where he had shivered in his shoes waiting for his wife-to-be. In the very end, near Wang Lung's own death, he discovers that his children have no regard for his beloved land, and that it will be sold when he dies. It breaks his heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was intrigued by this tale straight from the beginning. It kept me reading, although there were no exciting fights, or cliff-hangers. I always wanted to find out what happened next.
I did not appriciate Wang Lung's morals. He, and everyone around him, did things to cater to those around them. They wouldn't do such and such, because of what people would think. He justified his taking a concubine, because other men of his social standing did.
However, my aunt did point out that The Good Earth is a wonderful portrayal of peasant life in China at that time. I did completely agree with with my aunt on that.
There were some parts that I wondered if I should read them or not. The got a tiny bit more detailed than I was interested in.
One thing that I did like, was that whenever Wang Lung was troubled, he would go out to work his land. Physical labor on the earth always helped him calm down, see things more clearly, or work through problems. In our own lives, when we are troubled, there are things that we do to forget for a time, or to calm down. When hard thoughts come, physical work is always a good remedy.
Overall, The Good Earth was good, but not one I would want to read again and again. I would not dissuade you from reading it, but I would not encourage you to read it either. I think there are much better books!
If you would like to learn more about The Good Earth check out The Good Earth Website!
Copyright 2009 Defective Compositions
View all my reviews.
Comments
visited 10 states (20%)
Create your own visited map of The United States
