If you are interested in early 1900s Chinese culture, The Good Earth is the book for you.
In fact, the culture and discussions of weather, farming, food, and general life was my favorite part. It's hard to get past the cultural position of women and daughters. This is definitely a man's world and at times I found that frustrating.
Wang Lung is our main character and we follow his life as he is a newlywed poor farmer through famine and fortune and all that comes with it. He's whiny. As he gets older, he just wishes for "peace." Over and over. He has a large family and a large fortune and lots of complications he's brought on himself. What does he expect? I didn't like some of the decisions he made, but once again, it's cultural, and just difficult to feel good about.
I did appreciate Wang Lung's love of the land-- the Good Earth.The Earth is definitely the theme of this epic tale, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. Buck also won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. So, you know, this book has caused a stir.
The narrator, Anthony Heald did an excellent job. He was so good, it was like I didn't even think about the narration. He was perfect for this story.
The Good Earth is a classic. I personally enjoy historical novels, especially those of other cultures, so The Good Earth was right up my alley. Even if I was frustrated with the characters at times, it's a realistic portrayal of pre-revolution China. Fairly easy reading and highly recommended.
Originally Published by John Day in 1931. The audio was published by Blackstone in 2007
Copy obtained from the library356 pages
Rating: 4/5
I loved this book and couldn't stand Lung. It was amazing how resilent his wife was and how much strength she had to continue when it was so easy to give up.
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