A review by tracie_mcd
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was an epic, historical fiction multi-generational family drama of life in a very small Chinese town. The book was written in 1931 and it is hard to pin down the exact time frame of the story but there are hints to it with references to a war and “revolution” that take place at different times during the story but our very short passing references. The depiction of women and their lives during this time period in China is hard to read and I found myself so sympathetic to the first wife and mother, O’Lan. She was such an incredible woman and the lack of kindness or love shown to her through her entire life (too spite being the biggest reason for the families eventual prosperity) really bothered and saddened me. The fact that she received no real credit for all she did and that her husband didn’t really acknowledge or appreciate her and all she contributed until the end of her life and again at the end of his life made me unsympathetic to Wang Lung however I do believe it to be an honest and truthful portrayal of most women’s lives in China during that time. I struggled with the problematic references to the clearly special needs daughter in the novel but again we’re probably accurate given the time frame and location of the story. This book should have been a 5 star book for me due to my love of epic, historical period novels but I think the hard lives, famine and poverty were hard to read. 
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