The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
This under appreciated
classic tells the life of Wang Lung and his family prior to WW II in a Chinese
village. The writer depicts the family’s struggles and triumphs in the farming
of the good earth. Wang Lung narrates
his connection to the soil physically, emotionally and financially at the mercy
of Mother Nature. The book traverses
through his life living in desperate poverty during droughts, and riches while
plentiful rain rewards him bountiful harvests.
Miss Buck’s historical
fiction explores a culture in which societal expectations and customs rule
family life. Foot binding of little girls feet, concubines, slaves and romance
free marriages are the norm.
Wang Lung has a heart for
doing what is right and good but at times he wavers. He is torn between family obligation and his
unsavory opportunistic relatives.
Reminiscent of The Pearl by John Steinbeck the story carries
throughout a universal human theme of wanting what we don’t yet have then
realizing and appreciating, often too late what is truly important.
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