Reviews with content warning for Sexism - La buena tierra

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

La buena tierra by Pearl S. Buck

10 reviews

bella613's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

This seems like a book I would like but I found myself waiting for the audiobook to just be done. I was immensely relieved when it was over.
Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if the main character wasn't such a terrible person.

I was pretty tired listening to this and maybe if I had tried reading the physical book I would have been more into it. It's like slice-of-life except the slice is actually the entire thing. And the life in question is one of a guy who sees women as less than human and does stuff like drugging his entire family so they'll bother him less.

I was VERY concerned that they were gonna eat a baby at one point but thankfully that did not happen.

Content Warnings

crunch1009's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

While reading through the book, I found myself incredibly engaged in every chapter. At times, it did feel rather slow but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The characters, I had a hard time trying to like, really only being fond of O-lan. The ending though, practically ruined the whole book for me. I felt sick to my stomach when reading the last 3 chapters and almost stopped reading it entirely. I can’t really see myself entirely understanding why Pearl S. Buck ended the book like so, but, it’s still a good read nonetheless.

Content Warnings

mariposa517's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

jedore's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“But hers was a strange heart, sad in its very nature, and she could never weep and ease it as other women do, for her tears never brought her comfort.”

This Pulitzer Prize winning novel that is included in “1,000 Books to Read Before You Die” has been on my Read List for over a decade. After reading and loving “Peony” by Pearl S. Buck a few months ago, I finally got to it.

It's never easy to read about extreme poverty or the horrific plight of females in China (anywhere!) or the awful behavior of the men in charge. However, despite all of these things being central to this story, I liked it and I'm glad I read it.

The story is centered on a farming family living in a small Chinese village in the early 1900s. It gives deep insight into the tenuousness of life for China’s poorest citizens, the power of land ownership to completely shift the trajectory of a family, and how greed and power can corrupt even decent men.

And by “men,” I literally mean men. It is primarily the men who are corrupted (to varying degrees) by strife, good fortune, poverty and riches. Not all of the females are innocent, but they are all second class citizens. As soon as I would sigh with relief about a positive turn of events, Wang Lung (the main character) would find a way to screw things up. Although Wang Lung's wife, O-Lan is far more level-headed and wise, she is totally and unfortunately powerless.

I think because the story was written from a male's point of view, I didn't emotionally connect to it like I did to Peony, which had a strong female main character. Also, the men were annoying at best, completely maddening at worst. Although this was wholly intentional on behalf of Ms. Buck, I still found myself wishing that the story was told by O'Lan.

It's easy to forget that Ms. Buck is not Chinese. Her grasp of the history and culture is mind blowing.

Content Warnings

easyintheory's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was simultaneously riveting for its depiction of life in pre-revolutionary China and also horrifying for the realities and cruelties which were rampant at the time. The descriptions of the earth and its importance are what kept me invested in these morally grey characters. It is a book I know will stay with me in a meaningful way, but I don’t know when I’ll read it again.

Content Warnings