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.
This great modern classic depicts life in China at a time before the vast political and social upheavals transformed an essentially agrarian country into a world power. Nobel Prize-winner Pearl S. Buck traces the whole cycle of life—its terrors, its passions, its ambitions, and its rewards.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette One of the most important and revealing novels of our time.
Boston Transcript One need never have lived in China or know anything about the Chinese to understand it or respond to its appeal.
First published in 1931, this classic novel about Chinese peasant life around the turn of the 20th century seems a little dated now but still possesses enough emotional power to engage modern listeners. The book traces the slow rise of Wang Lung from humble peasant farmer to great landlord-a feat he achieves by steadily adding to his lands and making enormous sacrifices to retain them through hard times. As one of the first Western novels to explore the lives of ordinary Chinese, this work has had an enormous influence on American views of China, and it propelled Buck to the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938. The novel's linear story line makes it ideal for listening, and actor Anthony Heald's perfectly modulated narration makes this audio edition a sure winner among library patrons. Highly recommended.
—R. Kent Rasmussen Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
