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.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

The Mother, 06 Nov 2008
Pearl S Buck weaves a tale that makes you want to read as quickly as possible. The Mother is deserted by her husband to bring up 3 young children and care for her mother-in-law. Her eldest son takes on the role of farmer and works in the fields to provide crops for eating and selling. The daughter is blind and is given away as a bride, but dies before the Mother can visit her.The youngest son she loves the best, but is lazy and ends up in the wrong company, and is beheaded.
The Mother goes through so many emotions trying to do the best for her family and lives to see her grandson born.
This is a story written in 1931 and reads as an old tale,and yet it could be set in the modern day. It is a fantastic read.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

The Mother, 06 Nov 2008
Pearl S Buck weaves a tale that makes you want to read as quickly as possible. The Mother is deserted by her husband to bring up 3 young children and care for her mother-in-law. Her eldest son takes on the role of farmer and works in the fields to provide crops for eating and selling. The daughter is blind and is given away as a bride, but dies before the Mother can visit her.The youngest son she loves the best, but is lazy and ends up in the wrong company, and is beheaded.
The Mother goes through so many emotions trying to do the best for her family and lives to see her grandson born.
This is a story written in 1931 and reads as an old tale,and yet it could be set in the modern day. It is a fantastic read.

Absolutely loved it! , 11 Feb 2007
I have read a lot of the Pearl Buck books and really enjoy them all. But this one is certainly one of her better ones. I would highly recommend this book. Great story line, easy read and lovely characters...

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

The Mother, 06 Nov 2008
Pearl S Buck weaves a tale that makes you want to read as quickly as possible. The Mother is deserted by her husband to bring up 3 young children and care for her mother-in-law. Her eldest son takes on the role of farmer and works in the fields to provide crops for eating and selling. The daughter is blind and is given away as a bride, but dies before the Mother can visit her.The youngest son she loves the best, but is lazy and ends up in the wrong company, and is beheaded.
The Mother goes through so many emotions trying to do the best for her family and lives to see her grandson born.
This is a story written in 1931 and reads as an old tale,and yet it could be set in the modern day. It is a fantastic read.

Absolutely loved it! , 11 Feb 2007
I have read a lot of the Pearl Buck books and really enjoy them all. But this one is certainly one of her better ones. I would highly recommend this book. Great story line, easy read and lovely characters...

Breathtaking!, 31 Jul 1999
Mandala gives a fascinating view into the class structure of Indian society. Buck paints a wonderful portrait of the traditions, geography and people of India. The plot centers around Jagat, an aristocratic married man who unwillingly begins to fall in love with a younger American woman. By the end of the novel, the reader is engrossed by both the spirituality of the characters and the country.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

The Mother, 06 Nov 2008
Pearl S Buck weaves a tale that makes you want to read as quickly as possible. The Mother is deserted by her husband to bring up 3 young children and care for her mother-in-law. Her eldest son takes on the role of farmer and works in the fields to provide crops for eating and selling. The daughter is blind and is given away as a bride, but dies before the Mother can visit her.The youngest son she loves the best, but is lazy and ends up in the wrong company, and is beheaded.
The Mother goes through so many emotions trying to do the best for her family and lives to see her grandson born.
This is a story written in 1931 and reads as an old tale,and yet it could be set in the modern day. It is a fantastic read.

Absolutely loved it! , 11 Feb 2007
I have read a lot of the Pearl Buck books and really enjoy them all. But this one is certainly one of her better ones. I would highly recommend this book. Great story line, easy read and lovely characters...

Breathtaking!, 31 Jul 1999
Mandala gives a fascinating view into the class structure of Indian society. Buck paints a wonderful portrait of the traditions, geography and people of India. The plot centers around Jagat, an aristocratic married man who unwillingly begins to fall in love with a younger American woman. By the end of the novel, the reader is engrossed by both the spirituality of the characters and the country.

Good Book for all ages, 27 May 1999
The Big Wave is a pretty good book. I like the volcanoes and the huge wave. It would be even better if it was a little bigger book.

This is a powerful story about a volcano and the sea., 07 Sep 1998
Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain in Japan. His best friend Jiya lives in the fishing village on the foot of the mountain. Everyone in the village fears the Big Wave. When the Big Wave comes Kino and Jiya's lives are changed forever, but their friendship will never end. I liked this book, it was interesting to read about how a volcano and the sea combined can be so powerful.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

The Mother, 06 Nov 2008
Pearl S Buck weaves a tale that makes you want to read as quickly as possible. The Mother is deserted by her husband to bring up 3 young children and care for her mother-in-law. Her eldest son takes on the role of farmer and works in the fields to provide crops for eating and selling. The daughter is blind and is given away as a bride, but dies before the Mother can visit her.The youngest son she loves the best, but is lazy and ends up in the wrong company, and is beheaded.
The Mother goes through so many emotions trying to do the best for her family and lives to see her grandson born.
This is a story written in 1931 and reads as an old tale,and yet it could be set in the modern day. It is a fantastic read.

Absolutely loved it! , 11 Feb 2007
I have read a lot of the Pearl Buck books and really enjoy them all. But this one is certainly one of her better ones. I would highly recommend this book. Great story line, easy read and lovely characters...

Breathtaking!, 31 Jul 1999
Mandala gives a fascinating view into the class structure of Indian society. Buck paints a wonderful portrait of the traditions, geography and people of India. The plot centers around Jagat, an aristocratic married man who unwillingly begins to fall in love with a younger American woman. By the end of the novel, the reader is engrossed by both the spirituality of the characters and the country.

Good Book for all ages, 27 May 1999
The Big Wave is a pretty good book. I like the volcanoes and the huge wave. It would be even better if it was a little bigger book.

This is a powerful story about a volcano and the sea., 07 Sep 1998
Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain in Japan. His best friend Jiya lives in the fishing village on the foot of the mountain. Everyone in the village fears the Big Wave. When the Big Wave comes Kino and Jiya's lives are changed forever, but their friendship will never end. I liked this book, it was interesting to read about how a volcano and the sea combined can be so powerful.

AN 1-CANT-PUT-THE-BOOK-DOWN WINNER, 28 Sep 1997
THE STORY OF AN ORDINARY WOMAN WHO USES HER EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS TO INFLUENCE HISTORY.THIS BOOK IS AN INTERWEAVING OF FACT AND FICTION, SUBMISSION AND REBELLION, WEAKNESSES AND POWER. VERY DESCRIPTIVE, RICH IN DETAILS OF AN ERA LONG GONE. THE HIDDEN STRUGGLES IN THE IMPERIAL CITY WILL KEEP YOU ABSORBED TILL THE END.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.

Excellent Novel...Timeless and Timely!!, 09 Jun 1999
Their's is an arranged marriage. She is brought up with traditional Chinese customs regarding marriage and he has been educated in the States as a doctor and has learned some Western ways. You will fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with one another and blend the ways of the East with the ways of the West.

Wonderful, 26 Jun 2006
One of the most utterly wonderful books I have ever read. By coincidence I read this book in my 40th year and found such understanding with the character and her craving for peace and solitude.

I also love all the detail and the way the scene is so beautifully set. It imerses you in the culture of the time and place.

Exquisite Pearl Buck, 31 Aug 2002
I have owned a copy of this book since I was sixteen, my mother
passed it to me, I think in order that I should learn something
about what it means to be an adult woman. Pearl Bucks writing
feels as if it has been translated from the original Chinese and
conveys both the delicacy and brutality of life in China at the
time she was writing. Her insight into the inner world of Chinese society has the sharpness of Jane Austen combined with passion and a yearning for what cannot be. All women approaching
their middle years should read this book for inspiration.

I absolutely adored this book, 12 Jul 1999
I stumbled across this book in an old store and couldnt get home fast enough to read it. I found it fascinating to gain insight from my armchair, culture and traditions from China. I loved the characters and the style it was written. There was more than just a change in a life here (Madam Wu) there was the lifelong friendship of her best friend, the challenges of their children, the political times they faced, forbidden love and the complexities of arrogance.. My only regret is that this book is no longer in print.

Another fabulous Chinese Buck Novel, 26 Dec 1998
The story is the typical Chinese setting: wife brings in a concubine for husband. The sad thing was that when Lady Wu was carrying out family traditions that started from centuries ago, they never went through.

A very well developed and pessimistic tale of how modernisation has destructed history and long lived conventional ideas. A masterpiece for lovers of THE GOOD EARTH.

An exploration of the impact of Western ideas upon China in the 1940s., 20 Jan 1998
This novel begins in the world of the classic Chinese novel--it could be The Dream of the Red Chamber or a Judge Dee tale. All is beautiful, precise, elegant, traditional ... But soon Madame Wu realizes that the traditional ways are not working anymore. She tries to use tradition to satisfy Western, feminist cravings to find deeper meaning for her life. Understanding and then loving a Western man, Madame Wu suddenly sees her life and family in an entirely new way. The novel is poetic, philosophical, and yet personal. As Madame Wu and the world politics of the 40s change forever the Wu family, the mind of the reader is changed as well.

Interesting from Page to Page!, 05 Nov 1998
An absolute and thoroughly interesting saga and drama of the sons of Wan Lung. The book mostly follows the life of the departed son, Wang the Tiger. His mission is to have his own army and a son of his own. Pearl S. Buck skillfully details Wang the Tiger's desires, emotions and thoughts. Wang the Tiger removes his son from his sisters and mother to ensure the lad's education and guidance & preparation to follow Wang the Tiger's footsteps. This book is as excellent reading as "The Good Earth" and completely to the end!

awesome epic of struggle and famlies, 26 May 1998
Buck does an excellent job of providing a story of how men's inner desires and outer actions mold their lives and affect others. The sons begotten by Wang Lung the Farmer continue their lives giving us a window on this period in China, but the motives and events are universal.

sad/excite/wanton/distaste/love, 17 Feb 1998
always realistic and warm in the sense that you are close to a family. The struggle of the grandson is very much like the inner battles wang lung had to contend with in the first book. love is always found and always conquers.

The Mother, 06 Nov 2008
Pearl S Buck weaves a tale that makes you want to read as quickly as possible. The Mother is deserted by her husband to bring up 3 young children and care for her mother-in-law. Her eldest son takes on the role of farmer and works in the fields to provide crops for eating and selling. The daughter is blind and is given away as a bride, but dies before the Mother can visit her.The youngest son she loves the best, but is lazy and ends up in the wrong company, and is beheaded.
The Mother goes through so many emotions trying to do the best for her family and lives to see her grandson born.
This is a story written in 1931 and reads as an old tale,and yet it could be set in the modern day. It is a fantastic read.

Absolutely loved it! , 11 Feb 2007
I have read a lot of the Pearl Buck books and really enjoy them all. But this one is certainly one of her better ones. I would highly recommend this book. Great story line, easy read and lovely characters...

Breathtaking!, 31 Jul 1999
Mandala gives a fascinating view into the class structure of Indian society. Buck paints a wonderful portrait of the traditions, geography and people of India. The plot centers around Jagat, an aristocratic married man who unwillingly begins to fall in love with a younger American woman. By the end of the novel, the reader is engrossed by both the spirituality of the characters and the country.

Good Book for all ages, 27 May 1999
The Big Wave is a pretty good book. I like the volcanoes and the huge wave. It would be even better if it was a little bigger book.

This is a powerful story about a volcano and the sea., 07 Sep 1998
Kino lives on a farm on the side of a mountain in Japan. His best friend Jiya lives in the fishing village on the foot of the mountain. Everyone in the village fears the Big Wave. When the Big Wave comes Kino and Jiya's lives are changed forever, but their friendship will never end. I liked this book, it was interesting to read about how a volcano and the sea combined can be so powerful.

AN 1-CANT-PUT-THE-BOOK-DOWN WINNER, 28 Sep 1997
THE STORY OF AN ORDINARY WOMAN WHO USES HER EXTRAORDINARY TALENTS TO INFLUENCE HISTORY.THIS BOOK IS AN INTERWEAVING OF FACT AND FICTION, SUBMISSION AND REBELLION, WEAKNESSES AND POWER. VERY DESCRIPTIVE, RICH IN DETAILS OF AN ERA LONG GONE. THE HIDDEN STRUGGLES IN THE IMPERIAL CITY WILL KEEP YOU ABSORBED TILL THE END.

Christmas Day in the Morning, 06 Nov 2008
Lovely story by Pearl S Buck with wonderful illustrations by Mark Buehner.
Heart warming story for grownups to enjoy reading with the children.

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.


My favourite novel ever, 03 May 2008
This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many tim