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The Good Earth (Oprah's Book Club)
Pearl S. Buck

Amazon Remainders Account, 2004 - 368 pages

average customer review:based on 452 reviews
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   highly recommended  highly recommended





And to the Earth we shall return

"The Good Earth" is the saga of one man, a humble and simple farmer named Wang Lung, who rises from poverty to wealth throughout the course of his life. No matter what befalls him, one thing is constant in his life - the land that provides for his livelihood, whether in harvest or in drought. Pearl S. Buck crafted a masterful, if somewhat slowly unfolding epic, of one man's journey through life that touches upon the trials and tribulations that all men experience.

The novel begins with Wang Lung's marriage day, and moves slowly as he experiences the birth of his children, and the seemingly unpredicatble whims of the gods of the earth. As Wang Lung earns more money, he is able to buy more land that he loves, building an ever-increasing inheritance for his sons when he shall be no more. Yet as with any simple unlearned man trying to transverse the life of a wealthy educated man, Wang Lung is sorely tempted to risk his fortune on unwise schemes, and must pay respect to the older generation, even to family members who act as vipers within his own household. Readers experience the joys and pangs right along with Wang Lung, all the way to the bittersweet end, as this man returns time and again to the earth that sustains him and will finally hold him after he dies.

While "The Good Earth" allows readers to follow the transformative journey of one Chinese peasant and his family, it also allows readers unique insight into Chinese life. Pearl S. Buck used her experiences as the daughter of missionaries to deftly weave a vivd picture of life in China, the obligations and traditions that hold its people fast, the filial respect to older generations that one cannot fight against, the belief and worship of a variety of gods. To present day readers, "The Good Earth" may come across as choppy at times, the writing somewhat archaic, but the message remains familiar to those of any time period.


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A simple, classic, fantastic read

Although The Good Earth is an old novel, and a simple read, it's a classic for a reason. The story and life of one family through hardship and struggle is the same today, as it ever was in the past. This honest look at a poor farmer's life, as he struggles to follow his dreams no matter the hardships he endures, deserves to be read. The story is written so that young teenagers will be able to enjoy the story as well as adults. Pearl S. Buck took her knowledge of Chinese culture and displayed it for everyone one to take a look at. The story will continue to be a favorite with people for years to come, and will never lose the charm it once had, still has, and will always have. I recommend this book for everyone. Whether you're looking for an easy read, or something deeper and emotional, this book has it all. In short, a classic book will always be a classic book.


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A Heartfelt, Powerful Tale

This book was amazing. It has an amazing plot, that whirls the reader away into the rice fields of China. The sheer power of the book propells you through it. The bare humanity of the characters is above realistic, it's magical. The traditions and customs of China are revealed in a story with stunning yet simple dialogue and heartfelt prose.

It begins with a poor farmer named Wang Lung, who wants a wife. He goes to the great house of Hwang and receives a woman, O- Lan, and they go back to the small house where Wang Lung lives with his aged father.

Then O- Lan, after two months of her marriage with Wang Lung, discovers she's pregnant. She has the baby, a boy, and the entire house is filled with joy. The crops are prosperous, and O- Lan has two more children, a boy and a girl. Then, a grave drought comes, and the entire village is starving. The baby girl cannot get milk from her mother. Wang Lung fears he and his family will die.

So he decides to go South with them, and there they beg in a large city, and they live in a small hut. Finally, they get enough money to go back to the land Wang Lung has up north.

They grow prosperous, and Wang Lung is rich. Twins are born. Wang Lung buys more land, and he is happy. And then, after his eldest son's marriage, O- Lan dies.

The book is fantastic, with a powerful story, about a poor farmer and his land that he loves more than anything in the world. I have learned many things about the customs of China, and I have discovered that, all people are human. This is a good place, our planet. This is a good earth.


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The good earth

The Good Earth is a very good book about the life of a poor Chinese farmer who during his life becomes very rich. Wang Lung, the main character, marries a slave named O-lan from the big house. O-lan is very resourceful though ugly. With O-lan's resourcefulness and their combined work effort, they are slowly able to purchase more and more land to farm. Once they have to flee from a famine, but they return to their land. Throughout his life, the farmer slowly rises up the social ladder in China. At the end of his life he has lots of land and lots of servants, three sons and a concubine, but all he wants to do is be with the land that he worked on for so long. He believes the land is the best thing he owns and it is the thing that provided all the other luxuries; he will never part with it. His sons do not believe this thinking and think that this thinking is old fashioned thinking. One day while he is walking, he hears his sons saying that they want to sell the land. This idea greatly upsets Wang Lung so his sons tell him they will not sell the land, but over the farmer's head the sons smile.
I really enjoyed the view which the book gave us of what China was like in the old days and how it changed. The author, Pearl S. Buck, grew up in China and probably saw China change from the old era to this new one. Her experience helps the readers feel as if we were they watching the tale unfold. The one part I did not like about the book was the fact that he never really loved O-lan, his wife, though she was very good and self-sacrificial, and instead he loved a pretty concubine named Peach Blossom.



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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10



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.


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