The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (2002, Audio)

Synopsis
Pearl Buck (1892-1973) wrote THE GOOD EARTH in three months, based on her observations of Chinese life and culture while she lived in China as the daughter of American missionaries. In the novel, Buck tells the story of a simple, traditional small-farmer, Wang Lung, whose highest priority is the land he farms himself with his wife, O-lan. Throughout, Wang Lung's family is contrasted to the wealthy and decadent Huangs, whose tie to the precious land has long been cut: they hire outsiders to do their farming and devote themselves to luxury. As the years go by, Wang Lung prospers as the corrupt Huangs decline--but by novel's end, he has become more like them, and his own children fall into the traps that wealth sets: leisure, opium, and a lack of respect for the good earth. Through Wang Lung and his family, Buck depicts the changes that were taking place in Chinese culture in the early 20th century. One interesting element of the novel is her attitude toward missionaries which, despite her background, is highly critical of their detachment from the people they are there to serve. Another is the description of foot-binding, a torturous practice indulged in mainly by the wealthy. Buck understands its origins and its importance to the Chinese, but it is clear that when O-lan, herself risen from poverty and therefore with unbound feet, decides to bind the feet of her daughter, the family has truly succumbed to the debased values of the wealthy. THE GOOD EARTH won the Pulitzer Prize when it was published, and Buck received the Nobel Prize in 1938, largely on the strength of this powerful novel.

Key Details
Author:	Pearl S. Buck
Publisher:	Iofy
Format:	Audio
ISBN-10:	1600832725
ISBN-13:	9781600832727

Publisher's Note
Despite wealth, land was the main thing. With "The good earth" the North American writer Pearl Buck obtained the Nobel Prize in 1938, because this portrait of a very poor Chinese peasant, whom by obtaining wealth becomes more depraved and full of vices, has universal characteristics and its beautiful lyricism. Besides the strength of the argument, her picturesque passages turned the novel into a classic since its publication. It is an unforgettable work and there are those who assure that they can read it again and again because something new is always found.