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Pearl of China
From the bestselling author of Red Azalea and Empress Orchid comes the powerful story of the friendship of a lifetime, based on the life of Pearl S. Buck.
In the small southern town of Chin-kiang, in the last days of the nineteenth century, two young girls bump heads and become thick as thieves. Willow is the only child of a destitute family, Pearl the headstrong daughter of zealous Christian missionaries. She will ultimately become the internationally renowned author Pearl S. Buck, but for now she is just a girl embarrassed by her blonde hair and enchanted by her new Chinese friend. The two embark on a friendship that will sustain both of them through one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese history.
Moving out into the world together, the two enter the intellectual fray of the times, share love interests and survive early marriages gone bad. Their shared upbringing inspires Pearl's novels, which celebrate the life of the Chinese peasant and will eventually earn her both a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize. But when a civil war erupts between the Nationalists and Communists, Pearl is forced to flee the country just ahead of angry mobs. Willow, despite close ties to Mao’s inner circle, is punished for loyalty to her 'cultural imperialist' friend. And yet, through love and loss, heartbreak and joy, exile and imprisonment, the two women remain intimately entwined.
In this ambitious new novel, Anchee Min brings to life a courageous and passionate woman who is now hailed in China as a modern heroine. Like nothing before it, Pearl of China tells the story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers, from the perspective of the people she loved and of the land she called home.
In the small southern town of Chin-kiang, in the last days of the nineteenth century, two young girls bump heads and become thick as thieves. Willow is the only child of a destitute family, Pearl the headstrong daughter of zealous Christian missionaries. She will ultimately become the internationally renowned author Pearl S. Buck, but for now she is just a girl embarrassed by her blonde hair and enchanted by her new Chinese friend. The two embark on a friendship that will sustain both of them through one of the most tumultuous periods in Chinese history.
Moving out into the world together, the two enter the intellectual fray of the times, share love interests and survive early marriages gone bad. Their shared upbringing inspires Pearl's novels, which celebrate the life of the Chinese peasant and will eventually earn her both a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize. But when a civil war erupts between the Nationalists and Communists, Pearl is forced to flee the country just ahead of angry mobs. Willow, despite close ties to Mao’s inner circle, is punished for loyalty to her 'cultural imperialist' friend. And yet, through love and loss, heartbreak and joy, exile and imprisonment, the two women remain intimately entwined.
In this ambitious new novel, Anchee Min brings to life a courageous and passionate woman who is now hailed in China as a modern heroine. Like nothing before it, Pearl of China tells the story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers, from the perspective of the people she loved and of the land she called home.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2009
About the author
Anchee Min
12 books855 followersAnchee Min was born in Shanghai in 1957. At seventeen she was sent to a labor collective, where a talent scout for Madame Mao's Shanghai Film Studio recruited her to work as a movie actress. She moved to the United States in 1984. Her first memoir, Red Azalea, was an international bestseller, published in twenty countries. She has since published six novels, including Pearl of China and the forthcoming memoir The Cooked Seed (Bloomsbury, May 7 2013).
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July 15, 2013
**This was a reviewer copy provided by Library Thing**
Pearl of China is a fictionalized account of the life of Pearl Buck as told by her best friend, Willow Yee. From Buck's childhood as a missionary's daughter in China to her life in America during Mao's Great Leap Forward, we see Buck's life through Willow's eyes and, as a result, what her work meant to the Chinese people. Having been raised in China, Buck is presented as more Chinese than American and as the only Westerner who could communicate the Chinese culture without bias, stereotypes, or misunderstanding.
This is a slim book and a fairly quick read, although it seemed longer because I found so much of the novel to be tedious. I appreciate what Min was trying to achieve, but I think perhaps a biography may have better served her purposes than a fictionalized account ever could. Its brevity is problematic in that events move quickly and the transitions are often choppy and unclear. The passage of time is difficult to track as entire decades may pass between one paragraph and the next. This also leads to seeming inconsistencies within the development of characters. In the beginning, Willow and Pearl despise one another and then, inexplicably, they're best friends. Both Willow and her father have problems with the faith preached by Absalom, Pearl's father, but both inexplicably become true believers (this is especially unclear in Willow's case). We never get to fully know Willow or Pearl, which makes it difficult to care about either.
Much of the novel, especially toward the second half, reads more like a textbook being narrated by Willow. There's a great deal of "this happened and then that happened," and this fact-dropping often stands in as evidence for the supposedly deep friendship between Willow and Pearl. As a result, I never really understood how these women became devoted lifelong friends. The second half is also set in Mao's China and for the last 100 pages mentions of Pearl are reduced to "Pearl was once again denied entry to China" statements. We have no idea what life was like for Pearl during this time period, although we do see Willow's suffering as a result of her inability to give up her faith in God (which would also be a rejection of Pearl). Even in what should be the most moving part of the novel, Willow's flat and toneless narration of events makes it difficult to connect with the characters.
While I do respect Min's attempt to show what Pearl Buck means to Chinese culture through Chinese eyes, one's time would be better spent reading Buck's body of work.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Pearl of China is a fictionalized account of the life of Pearl Buck as told by her best friend, Willow Yee. From Buck's childhood as a missionary's daughter in China to her life in America during Mao's Great Leap Forward, we see Buck's life through Willow's eyes and, as a result, what her work meant to the Chinese people. Having been raised in China, Buck is presented as more Chinese than American and as the only Westerner who could communicate the Chinese culture without bias, stereotypes, or misunderstanding.
This is a slim book and a fairly quick read, although it seemed longer because I found so much of the novel to be tedious. I appreciate what Min was trying to achieve, but I think perhaps a biography may have better served her purposes than a fictionalized account ever could. Its brevity is problematic in that events move quickly and the transitions are often choppy and unclear. The passage of time is difficult to track as entire decades may pass between one paragraph and the next. This also leads to seeming inconsistencies within the development of characters. In the beginning, Willow and Pearl despise one another and then, inexplicably, they're best friends. Both Willow and her father have problems with the faith preached by Absalom, Pearl's father, but both inexplicably become true believers (this is especially unclear in Willow's case). We never get to fully know Willow or Pearl, which makes it difficult to care about either.
Much of the novel, especially toward the second half, reads more like a textbook being narrated by Willow. There's a great deal of "this happened and then that happened," and this fact-dropping often stands in as evidence for the supposedly deep friendship between Willow and Pearl. As a result, I never really understood how these women became devoted lifelong friends. The second half is also set in Mao's China and for the last 100 pages mentions of Pearl are reduced to "Pearl was once again denied entry to China" statements. We have no idea what life was like for Pearl during this time period, although we do see Willow's suffering as a result of her inability to give up her faith in God (which would also be a rejection of Pearl). Even in what should be the most moving part of the novel, Willow's flat and toneless narration of events makes it difficult to connect with the characters.
While I do respect Min's attempt to show what Pearl Buck means to Chinese culture through Chinese eyes, one's time would be better spent reading Buck's body of work.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
September 9, 2020
In high school I read "The Good Earth" by Pearl S Buck. It was wonderful to read her life story through the eyes of her best friend Willow Yee, a fictional character in this book.
Pearl's father was a missionary sent to China to the village of Chin-kiang. This is where Pearl meets Willow for the first time. They become life time friends even though through the years they become separated.
This book is beautifully written about the turbulent times in China and the difficulties the Chinese people endured.
Anchee Min was born in Shanghai. During the Cultural Revolution she was ordered to denounce Pearl S Buck as an American Imperalist.
Pearl went on to become an American novelist and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and the Nobel Prize in literature in 1938.
I enjoyed this book very much and will read more books by Pearl S Puck.
Pearl's father was a missionary sent to China to the village of Chin-kiang. This is where Pearl meets Willow for the first time. They become life time friends even though through the years they become separated.
This book is beautifully written about the turbulent times in China and the difficulties the Chinese people endured.
Anchee Min was born in Shanghai. During the Cultural Revolution she was ordered to denounce Pearl S Buck as an American Imperalist.
Pearl went on to become an American novelist and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and the Nobel Prize in literature in 1938.
I enjoyed this book very much and will read more books by Pearl S Puck.
June 19, 2023
"Forta interioara este mult mai importanta decat talentul, mi-a destainuit Hsu Chih-mo. Scrisul e orezul meu si aerul meu. Nimeni n-ar trebui sa se deranjeze sa ia condeiul in mana daca nu simte asa."
New York Times spunea despre Anchee Min ca este o scriitoare paradoxala. Ea este admirata in China dar fiind interzisa nu este citita iar in America este foarte citita insa nu si admirata.
Romanul reprezinta o biografie fictionala a celebrei scriitoare Pearl Buck, prima femeie din America ce a primit Premiul Nobel. Ea este laureata si a premiului Pulitzer, insa atat ea cat si cartile ei sunt interzise in China.
Naratiunea se face din perspectiva unei prietene fictive, Salcia Yee, de la care aflam ca Pearl este fiica lui Absalom, un misionar preot american venit sa raspandeasca crestinismul in China si sotia sa Carrie.
La inceput cele doua fetite nu se inteleg bine, insa Pearl o salveaza pe Salcia de la un viol si cele doua se imprietenesc. Cu timpul strainii sunt persecutati si alungati din Chin-Kiang, refugiindu-se la Shanghai, iar de acolo cele doua discuta prin scrisori.
Pearl pleaca inapoi la colegiu in America si din scrisorile ei aflam ca s-a casatorit cu Lessing Buck, un profesor de la Universitatea din Nanking si misionar agricol in China. Casnicia ei nu este reusita si simtindu-se singura scrie sub pseudonim masculin. In scris se refugiaza si atunci cand afla ca fata ei sufera de retard mental. Cu timpul se indragosteste de fermecatorul poet Hsu Chih-mo care din pacate moare intr-un tragic accident aviatic. Strainii sunt iarasi izgoniti din China si ea este nevoita sa se intoarca in America.
De la Salcia aflam ca in 1932 lui Pearl i se decerneaza Premiul Pulitzer iar in 1938 ia Premiul Nobel pentru romanul "Pamant Bun". In China se instaureaza regimul lui Mao Zedong si Salciei i se cere sa se dezica de prietena ei americana insa aceasta se opune, cu consecinte grave pentru ea.
Pearl refuza sa fie prietena cu sotii Mao si astfel este declarata dusman al Chinei.
Odata cu vizita presedintelui Nixon in China lui Pearl i se refuza intrarea si la scurt timp moare fara sa mai fi avut ocazia de a-si vedea tara la care a tinut atat de mult.
Sfarsitul este impresionant si dureros iar cititorii sensibili, care simt nevoia sa planga, nu ar trebui sa se jeneze... e ok.
Recomand romanul pentru ca zugraveste cu fidelitate si imagini foarte vii regimul comunist din China oferind un portret cald si impresionant al scriitoarei Pearl Buck si pentru ca prin intermediul sau am descoperit o opera din dinastia Qing, "Amantii fluturi", un fel de Romeo si Julieta chineza care mi-a placut foarte mult. Textul este frumos fiind plin de invataminte si in acest sens atasez in continuare cateva citate:
"Virtutea te va intari si va triumfa."
"Esti un om destept, i-a zis Absalom tatei, insa cea mai mare greseala a ta e ca stii multe despre toti zeii in afara de Dumnezeu cel adevarat."
"O persoana cu adevarat desteapta [...] este genul de persoana suficient de inteligenta pentru a-si ascunde desteptaciunea."
"Imi iubesc tara, atat de mult incat o urasc ca nu este tot ce vreau eu sa fie."
"Dar cine vrea sa-i citeasca povestile? Chinezii n-au nevoie de o femeie blonda pentru a spune povestile lor, iar occidentalii nu sunt pasionati de China. Ce o face sa creada ca are o sansa sa reuseasca?"
"Niciun suflet nu este deasupra sau sub oricare altul. In loc de putere, bogatie si noblete, as vrea sa ilustrez simplitate, umilinta si caldura."
New York Times spunea despre Anchee Min ca este o scriitoare paradoxala. Ea este admirata in China dar fiind interzisa nu este citita iar in America este foarte citita insa nu si admirata.
Romanul reprezinta o biografie fictionala a celebrei scriitoare Pearl Buck, prima femeie din America ce a primit Premiul Nobel. Ea este laureata si a premiului Pulitzer, insa atat ea cat si cartile ei sunt interzise in China.
Naratiunea se face din perspectiva unei prietene fictive, Salcia Yee, de la care aflam ca Pearl este fiica lui Absalom, un misionar preot american venit sa raspandeasca crestinismul in China si sotia sa Carrie.
La inceput cele doua fetite nu se inteleg bine, insa Pearl o salveaza pe Salcia de la un viol si cele doua se imprietenesc. Cu timpul strainii sunt persecutati si alungati din Chin-Kiang, refugiindu-se la Shanghai, iar de acolo cele doua discuta prin scrisori.
Pearl pleaca inapoi la colegiu in America si din scrisorile ei aflam ca s-a casatorit cu Lessing Buck, un profesor de la Universitatea din Nanking si misionar agricol in China. Casnicia ei nu este reusita si simtindu-se singura scrie sub pseudonim masculin. In scris se refugiaza si atunci cand afla ca fata ei sufera de retard mental. Cu timpul se indragosteste de fermecatorul poet Hsu Chih-mo care din pacate moare intr-un tragic accident aviatic. Strainii sunt iarasi izgoniti din China si ea este nevoita sa se intoarca in America.
De la Salcia aflam ca in 1932 lui Pearl i se decerneaza Premiul Pulitzer iar in 1938 ia Premiul Nobel pentru romanul "Pamant Bun". In China se instaureaza regimul lui Mao Zedong si Salciei i se cere sa se dezica de prietena ei americana insa aceasta se opune, cu consecinte grave pentru ea.
Pearl refuza sa fie prietena cu sotii Mao si astfel este declarata dusman al Chinei.
Odata cu vizita presedintelui Nixon in China lui Pearl i se refuza intrarea si la scurt timp moare fara sa mai fi avut ocazia de a-si vedea tara la care a tinut atat de mult.
Sfarsitul este impresionant si dureros iar cititorii sensibili, care simt nevoia sa planga, nu ar trebui sa se jeneze... e ok.
Recomand romanul pentru ca zugraveste cu fidelitate si imagini foarte vii regimul comunist din China oferind un portret cald si impresionant al scriitoarei Pearl Buck si pentru ca prin intermediul sau am descoperit o opera din dinastia Qing, "Amantii fluturi", un fel de Romeo si Julieta chineza care mi-a placut foarte mult. Textul este frumos fiind plin de invataminte si in acest sens atasez in continuare cateva citate:
"Virtutea te va intari si va triumfa."
"Esti un om destept, i-a zis Absalom tatei, insa cea mai mare greseala a ta e ca stii multe despre toti zeii in afara de Dumnezeu cel adevarat."
"O persoana cu adevarat desteapta [...] este genul de persoana suficient de inteligenta pentru a-si ascunde desteptaciunea."
"Imi iubesc tara, atat de mult incat o urasc ca nu este tot ce vreau eu sa fie."
"Dar cine vrea sa-i citeasca povestile? Chinezii n-au nevoie de o femeie blonda pentru a spune povestile lor, iar occidentalii nu sunt pasionati de China. Ce o face sa creada ca are o sansa sa reuseasca?"
"Niciun suflet nu este deasupra sau sub oricare altul. In loc de putere, bogatie si noblete, as vrea sa ilustrez simplitate, umilinta si caldura."
November 2, 2018
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (1892-1973) was an American writer and novelist. As a daughter of missionaries, she spent most of her life before 1937 in China. She received Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces.” She was the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The author wished to present her story from a Chinese perspective, as her fellow Chinese saw her. In order to do this, she presented Pear’s story through her relationships with her actual Chinese friends. The author “combined a number of Pear’s actual friends from different phases of her life to create the character of Willow.”
The story starts in the last days of the 19th century, in a small town of Chin-kiang in southern China.
Willow is the only child of a destitute father. They steal to survive.
Pearl is a daughter of Christian missionaries.
The two girls meet, when Willow steals Absalom’s (Pearl’s father) wallet and Pearl chases Willow to reclaim the wallet. And that’s not the only time Pearl catches Willow stealing. But sometimes it takes only one event to turn an ‘enemy acquaintance’ into a ‘caring friendship’; when one in need is helped by the other.
Absalom’s first attempts at converting people are not successful. In his first efforts to convert Willow’s father, he loses the battle. “How can Jesus protect others when he couldn’t even protect himself? (…) Listen, foreigner, my suggestions might help you. Put clothes on Jesus and give him a weapon. Look at our god of war, Guan-gong. He wears a general’s robe made of heavy metal, and he carries a powerful sword.” The people pay no attention to the missionary. They laugh at him. They think of him as a harmless fool.
Then it takes only one Chinese person to change the mission’s direction. Willow’s father points, “Look, we have fed our gods and they are fat and happy. But what have they done for us?”
When Willow is 14, she is engaged to be married to a man twice her age and she has no say in the decision.
Pearl is world away in Shanghai enrolled in a missionary middle school.
Five years later, after the Boxer Rebellion, the girls reunite for a short time and then Pearl moves to the States where she continues her education, including writing.
When Pearl returns to China, she finds comfort in writing.
In 1930s, the Nationalist government is fighting against Communism, which is seen as a foreign idea. Thus the church is seen as hiding place for Communists. Westerners start evacuating. It is no longer safe for Pearl to remain in China.
This beautifully captivating story is set against turbulent times of Chinese history, first the Boxer Rebellion, then the Civil War and Cultural Revolution.
The author skillfully presents the first failed attempts of Absalom’s conversions with sharp-tongue descriptions.
@FB/BestHistoricalFiction
The author wished to present her story from a Chinese perspective, as her fellow Chinese saw her. In order to do this, she presented Pear’s story through her relationships with her actual Chinese friends. The author “combined a number of Pear’s actual friends from different phases of her life to create the character of Willow.”
The story starts in the last days of the 19th century, in a small town of Chin-kiang in southern China.
Willow is the only child of a destitute father. They steal to survive.
Pearl is a daughter of Christian missionaries.
The two girls meet, when Willow steals Absalom’s (Pearl’s father) wallet and Pearl chases Willow to reclaim the wallet. And that’s not the only time Pearl catches Willow stealing. But sometimes it takes only one event to turn an ‘enemy acquaintance’ into a ‘caring friendship’; when one in need is helped by the other.
Absalom’s first attempts at converting people are not successful. In his first efforts to convert Willow’s father, he loses the battle. “How can Jesus protect others when he couldn’t even protect himself? (…) Listen, foreigner, my suggestions might help you. Put clothes on Jesus and give him a weapon. Look at our god of war, Guan-gong. He wears a general’s robe made of heavy metal, and he carries a powerful sword.” The people pay no attention to the missionary. They laugh at him. They think of him as a harmless fool.
Then it takes only one Chinese person to change the mission’s direction. Willow’s father points, “Look, we have fed our gods and they are fat and happy. But what have they done for us?”
When Willow is 14, she is engaged to be married to a man twice her age and she has no say in the decision.
Pearl is world away in Shanghai enrolled in a missionary middle school.
Five years later, after the Boxer Rebellion, the girls reunite for a short time and then Pearl moves to the States where she continues her education, including writing.
When Pearl returns to China, she finds comfort in writing.
In 1930s, the Nationalist government is fighting against Communism, which is seen as a foreign idea. Thus the church is seen as hiding place for Communists. Westerners start evacuating. It is no longer safe for Pearl to remain in China.
This beautifully captivating story is set against turbulent times of Chinese history, first the Boxer Rebellion, then the Civil War and Cultural Revolution.
The author skillfully presents the first failed attempts of Absalom’s conversions with sharp-tongue descriptions.
@FB/BestHistoricalFiction
April 21, 2010
Only three stars, and I will try and explain why. First of all the title tells you the book is about Pearl S. Buck, but much of what you learn about her is summarized in short sentences. So much is missing. Pearl is described throough the eyes of her friend Willow Yee. The book is in fact more about Willow's life than Pearl's! Furthermore, a very large portion of the book concerns Christianity in China. I think the title is deceptive and falsely attracts readers by flagging with Pearl's name.
We all know a good author should show rather thean tell us what happens and how people feel. I continually felt that I was being told a story. She thought this and then he did that. This was very, very disturbing. As you get further into the book you feel this less, but the first 1/3 of the book was very hard for me. It was all a rather distant story with lots of talk about Christianity. Furthermore, how Christianity was portrayed in the beginning was very disturbing. Absalom, Pearl's father, could only think of converting the Chinese. NOTHING else was important to this guy!. He totally neglected his family. You cannot help but think - is HE a good person? At the same time the Chinese were only interested in a religion that would benefit them materially. Willow's father thought he could benefit by aiding Absalom so he "sold" Chrisianity, convincing the Chinese villagers that their old gods had failed. Look how miserable their lives were. The whole thing, although perhaps realistic, was like a PR gimmick and it was disgusting. By the end of the book, the Chinese Christian converts really DID believe in the principles of Christianity, and I felt more comfortable. Absalom established the largest Christina community in southern China. Still, I am not religious and I always felt a distance between their beliefs and my own. I continually was fighting the thought - how can they feel that? How can they believe that?
So why not just one star? Well, the latter half of the book covers more history - the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in the 30s, the Boxer Rebellion, Madame Mao personality traits, how dissident prisoners were treated and the procession of power from Dr. Sun Yat-sen to Chiang Kai-shek and later to Mao to Madame Mao to Chou En-lai to Deng Xiaoping. I found this a good SUMMARY of what happened. I think life during the Cultural Revolution was well portrayed. At this point Pearl has left China! You see what I mean, the book really isn't about Pearl! Yes, what she was writing and how she almost came to visit China with Nixon are carefully described. (Note - I use the word described again!) However you DO get to know Pearl. You understand what moved her. You understand how she truly felt more Chinese than American. I very much liked how the book ended. In talking about the garden in Pearl's American home and Willow's visit to Pearl's grave you grasp the beauty of different cultures. Ultimately I think the book does a good job of portraying how a Chinese thinks. To survive you must hide what your really think. History has taught them to grab at straws and think of ingenuous ways to get by. Look at the recent history of invasion by Japan, then civil war and then Mao....... I also enjoyed learning about the poet Hsu Chih-mo, the musician Ah-Bing and several Chinese traditions, particularly the "tofu banquet". I am definitely glad I read the book, but I don't like that the author sold it under a false name (ie the title)!
I received this book in the mail as a present from Tara. THANK YOU TARA.
BOY oh boy does Belgium mail suck!!! I mailed Year of Wonders to Tara a few days before she mailed hers, and still mine hasn't reached her...... Now more than a month has gone by and my book has not been delivered!!!!!! Am I mad? No, I am furious! I have been having huge angry "discussions" with the postal services here. I have to admit defeat. I can do nothing........ Well at least I got a chance to express my anger in French! I am sure they got my point, no matter how badly I expressed it! And Tara was sent a box of Belgian chocolates instead! They are probably better than the lost book! This second package I mailed "insured". If they loose this one they can follow it step by step to see whio ate the chocolate. I hope they arrive, un-nibbled on!
(((HUGS))) to Tara!
P.S. the book I sent Tara DID eventually arrive - after a delay of 40 days. I wonder if someone read it along the way?! Now hopefully Tara acan read and nibble chocolates at the same time. :0)
We all know a good author should show rather thean tell us what happens and how people feel. I continually felt that I was being told a story. She thought this and then he did that. This was very, very disturbing. As you get further into the book you feel this less, but the first 1/3 of the book was very hard for me. It was all a rather distant story with lots of talk about Christianity. Furthermore, how Christianity was portrayed in the beginning was very disturbing. Absalom, Pearl's father, could only think of converting the Chinese. NOTHING else was important to this guy!. He totally neglected his family. You cannot help but think - is HE a good person? At the same time the Chinese were only interested in a religion that would benefit them materially. Willow's father thought he could benefit by aiding Absalom so he "sold" Chrisianity, convincing the Chinese villagers that their old gods had failed. Look how miserable their lives were. The whole thing, although perhaps realistic, was like a PR gimmick and it was disgusting. By the end of the book, the Chinese Christian converts really DID believe in the principles of Christianity, and I felt more comfortable. Absalom established the largest Christina community in southern China. Still, I am not religious and I always felt a distance between their beliefs and my own. I continually was fighting the thought - how can they feel that? How can they believe that?
So why not just one star? Well, the latter half of the book covers more history - the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in the 30s, the Boxer Rebellion, Madame Mao personality traits, how dissident prisoners were treated and the procession of power from Dr. Sun Yat-sen to Chiang Kai-shek and later to Mao to Madame Mao to Chou En-lai to Deng Xiaoping. I found this a good SUMMARY of what happened. I think life during the Cultural Revolution was well portrayed. At this point Pearl has left China! You see what I mean, the book really isn't about Pearl! Yes, what she was writing and how she almost came to visit China with Nixon are carefully described. (Note - I use the word described again!) However you DO get to know Pearl. You understand what moved her. You understand how she truly felt more Chinese than American. I very much liked how the book ended. In talking about the garden in Pearl's American home and Willow's visit to Pearl's grave you grasp the beauty of different cultures. Ultimately I think the book does a good job of portraying how a Chinese thinks. To survive you must hide what your really think. History has taught them to grab at straws and think of ingenuous ways to get by. Look at the recent history of invasion by Japan, then civil war and then Mao....... I also enjoyed learning about the poet Hsu Chih-mo, the musician Ah-Bing and several Chinese traditions, particularly the "tofu banquet". I am definitely glad I read the book, but I don't like that the author sold it under a false name (ie the title)!
I received this book in the mail as a present from Tara. THANK YOU TARA.
BOY oh boy does Belgium mail suck!!! I mailed Year of Wonders to Tara a few days before she mailed hers, and still mine hasn't reached her...... Now more than a month has gone by and my book has not been delivered!!!!!! Am I mad? No, I am furious! I have been having huge angry "discussions" with the postal services here. I have to admit defeat. I can do nothing........ Well at least I got a chance to express my anger in French! I am sure they got my point, no matter how badly I expressed it! And Tara was sent a box of Belgian chocolates instead! They are probably better than the lost book! This second package I mailed "insured". If they loose this one they can follow it step by step to see whio ate the chocolate. I hope they arrive, un-nibbled on!
(((HUGS))) to Tara!
P.S. the book I sent Tara DID eventually arrive - after a delay of 40 days. I wonder if someone read it along the way?! Now hopefully Tara acan read and nibble chocolates at the same time. :0)
September 15, 2016
Pearl S. Buck was my first introduction to China. I remember curling up and reading her books particularly The Good Earth when I was in high school. I was just so fascinated. This is a fictionalized version of her life in China told through the eyes of her childhood friend, Willow Yee.
The story takes us through their childhood through Mao's terrifying reign even though Pearl was not in China in those times. It takes us on a journey on what happened to people who defended Pearl in those times. I have no idea if that part is true. The parts about Madam Mao horrified me. For those who think women would rule in a more gentle, empathetic manner with less war, I want to point out Madam Mao, Catherine the Great, Eva Peron and Imelda Marcos. Shudder.
It is unfortunate that the writing is not better in this. It tends to be choppy and flits around a great deal. It also doesn't have much, if anything, about Pearl after she leaves China about halfway through the book.
The story takes us through their childhood through Mao's terrifying reign even though Pearl was not in China in those times. It takes us on a journey on what happened to people who defended Pearl in those times. I have no idea if that part is true. The parts about Madam Mao horrified me. For those who think women would rule in a more gentle, empathetic manner with less war, I want to point out Madam Mao, Catherine the Great, Eva Peron and Imelda Marcos. Shudder.
It is unfortunate that the writing is not better in this. It tends to be choppy and flits around a great deal. It also doesn't have much, if anything, about Pearl after she leaves China about halfway through the book.
January 25, 2022
Pearl S Buck was an american author, nobel laureate, who grew-up in China at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. She was also one of my grandmother's favourite authors. Strange by the way, how my grandmother, who has been gone for many years, still influences me. I keep finding those things that i want to do or read or see because my grandmother liked them. So Pearl Buck's novels that I read a couple of, so far, is one such recommendation from behind the grave and an interest in Anchee Min’s novel about Pearl Buck was only a natural consequence. And it was brilliant, I loved it.
The story is about two girls, one caucasian - Pearl, and one oriental - Willow. Willow, by the way, used to be a weed before she became a willow. Her grandmother thought that you can't sink any lower than a weed, so the name would provide a necessary protection against the evil spirits who will surely not be interested in such an lowly creature. Willow's father loved poetry and literature but was not particularly successful at whatever he ventured to do, so both he and his daughter ended up begging and stealing from among others, Pearl's father. Pearl's father - Absalom, was a christian missionary, a preacher who was much more interested in saving souls then nourishing the needs of his family. Pearls mother showed christian charity by caring and saving the bodies of the people around her, and attracted this way more souls to her husband's church then he did, by his religious arguments.
The girls, Willow and Pearl, became best friends and the story of their friendship goes on through the turbulent times in China's history, from the reign of empress dowager, through the Boxers uprisal, Chiang Kai-shek’s war, Mao's terror and the cultural revolution until the near modern times. Pearl's family appears as it may have been seen by their neighbors. The christian preacher who struggles to explain his religion and who builds relationships with his flock of convertee’s, as the years go by remains largely himself, the westerner in foregin country. His daughter Pearl though, although brought up to be undeniably christian just like her mother, also grows-up to be as Chinese as the only surrounding that she knows, and is unavoidably stuck between worlds. For the rest of her life she will be looking for a tween soul who would like her, be both home and a stranger in both worlds.
Later on, when she will be forced to flee from the growing hate for the foreigners and will return to her “home country” that she hardly knows, she will establish her own China on her estate, and create literature that shows China and the Chinese that she knows and loves like no-one else.
My sincere gratitude to Ms Min for this beautiful and touching picture of my grandmother's favourite author.
The story is about two girls, one caucasian - Pearl, and one oriental - Willow. Willow, by the way, used to be a weed before she became a willow. Her grandmother thought that you can't sink any lower than a weed, so the name would provide a necessary protection against the evil spirits who will surely not be interested in such an lowly creature. Willow's father loved poetry and literature but was not particularly successful at whatever he ventured to do, so both he and his daughter ended up begging and stealing from among others, Pearl's father. Pearl's father - Absalom, was a christian missionary, a preacher who was much more interested in saving souls then nourishing the needs of his family. Pearls mother showed christian charity by caring and saving the bodies of the people around her, and attracted this way more souls to her husband's church then he did, by his religious arguments.
The girls, Willow and Pearl, became best friends and the story of their friendship goes on through the turbulent times in China's history, from the reign of empress dowager, through the Boxers uprisal, Chiang Kai-shek’s war, Mao's terror and the cultural revolution until the near modern times. Pearl's family appears as it may have been seen by their neighbors. The christian preacher who struggles to explain his religion and who builds relationships with his flock of convertee’s, as the years go by remains largely himself, the westerner in foregin country. His daughter Pearl though, although brought up to be undeniably christian just like her mother, also grows-up to be as Chinese as the only surrounding that she knows, and is unavoidably stuck between worlds. For the rest of her life she will be looking for a tween soul who would like her, be both home and a stranger in both worlds.
Later on, when she will be forced to flee from the growing hate for the foreigners and will return to her “home country” that she hardly knows, she will establish her own China on her estate, and create literature that shows China and the Chinese that she knows and loves like no-one else.
My sincere gratitude to Ms Min for this beautiful and touching picture of my grandmother's favourite author.
March 30, 2010
I was very excited at the chance to review Anchee Min's Pearl of China. I have an uncle who would carefully select books for me. When I was in fifth grade, he introduced me to Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth. The Good Earth was the first grown up book that I read; the story was so absorbing and sad that it stayed with me for a long time. It was The Good Earth that sparked my interest in China.
In Pearl of China, Anchee Min introduces Pearl S. Buck at a young age. We meet Pearl as a young girl as she befriends Willow, a young Chinese girl. Pearl Sydenstricker is the daughter of American missionaries stationed in Chin-kiang, a small town south of the Yangtze River. The villagers are not interested in converting but they're drawn to the Sydenstrickers because of the food, medicine and music that they offer.
Pearl and Willow's friendship gets off on a rocky start but they quickly become inseparable. Curious, active, and high spirited girls, Pearl and Willow get into all sorts of adventures. They lived under the Qing Dynasty and survived the Boxer Rebellion in relative innocence until the Sydenstrickers were forced to retreat to Shanghai. After this separation and by the time that they're 14, Pearl and Willow's lives take very different directions. Pearl is in a missionary middle school in Shanghai while Willow is engaged to a wealthy older man.
Though the friends live very different lives, they make a point of seeing each other and remain very close friends. This friendship continues even after Pearl moves to the United States for college. When Pearl and her husband return to China years later, Pearl confides the details of her life to Willow. Willow shares her own life's disappointments and the women continue to find strength in their friendship - even years later when Pearl is forced to leave China and their letters are censored.
Violence explodes in China and the country undergoes momentous changes from the Japanese occupation to Nationalist control to the eventual victory of Mao and the Communist Party. Like everyone around them, Pearl and Willow find their lives changed. Pearl moves to the United States and she is recognized worldwide for her writing with the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Willow's husband becomes one of Mao's trusted advisers but as her friendship remains a source of strength it also becomes a political liability for Willow.
Pearl of China is as much a story of loyalty and friendship in historic times as it is the story of Pearl S. Buck as a woman of China and a dedicated and gifted writer. I found Pearl of China moving and inspiring - a glimpse into the life of one of the most interesting people of the 20th century.
ISBN-10: 1596916974 - Hardcover $24.00
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1 edition (March 30, 2010), 288 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
In Pearl of China, Anchee Min introduces Pearl S. Buck at a young age. We meet Pearl as a young girl as she befriends Willow, a young Chinese girl. Pearl Sydenstricker is the daughter of American missionaries stationed in Chin-kiang, a small town south of the Yangtze River. The villagers are not interested in converting but they're drawn to the Sydenstrickers because of the food, medicine and music that they offer.
Pearl and Willow's friendship gets off on a rocky start but they quickly become inseparable. Curious, active, and high spirited girls, Pearl and Willow get into all sorts of adventures. They lived under the Qing Dynasty and survived the Boxer Rebellion in relative innocence until the Sydenstrickers were forced to retreat to Shanghai. After this separation and by the time that they're 14, Pearl and Willow's lives take very different directions. Pearl is in a missionary middle school in Shanghai while Willow is engaged to a wealthy older man.
Though the friends live very different lives, they make a point of seeing each other and remain very close friends. This friendship continues even after Pearl moves to the United States for college. When Pearl and her husband return to China years later, Pearl confides the details of her life to Willow. Willow shares her own life's disappointments and the women continue to find strength in their friendship - even years later when Pearl is forced to leave China and their letters are censored.
Violence explodes in China and the country undergoes momentous changes from the Japanese occupation to Nationalist control to the eventual victory of Mao and the Communist Party. Like everyone around them, Pearl and Willow find their lives changed. Pearl moves to the United States and she is recognized worldwide for her writing with the Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Willow's husband becomes one of Mao's trusted advisers but as her friendship remains a source of strength it also becomes a political liability for Willow.
Pearl of China is as much a story of loyalty and friendship in historic times as it is the story of Pearl S. Buck as a woman of China and a dedicated and gifted writer. I found Pearl of China moving and inspiring - a glimpse into the life of one of the most interesting people of the 20th century.
ISBN-10: 1596916974 - Hardcover $24.00
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1 edition (March 30, 2010), 288 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
May 9, 2013
Since the plot was already described elsewhere, I won't add anything new regarding this topic.
In particular, I do hate books which mix fiction with biography since one never knows what is real fact and what is fiction. I really would prefer to read an honest biography of this great and unforgettable writer named Pearl Buck.
I won't criticize the order which Anchee Min received to denounce Pearl Buck as an American imperialist since it seems she doesn't was aware of the existence of the vow of silence.
For this reason and due to this very disappointing book, I just removed any other book written by this author. We certainly have better books to be read about this cultural Chinese period.
In particular, I do hate books which mix fiction with biography since one never knows what is real fact and what is fiction. I really would prefer to read an honest biography of this great and unforgettable writer named Pearl Buck.
I won't criticize the order which Anchee Min received to denounce Pearl Buck as an American imperialist since it seems she doesn't was aware of the existence of the vow of silence.
For this reason and due to this very disappointing book, I just removed any other book written by this author. We certainly have better books to be read about this cultural Chinese period.
May 7, 2010
Pearl of China was an interesting but kind of disappointing book. I appreciated knowing more about Pearl Buck and her life in China, but the book left me wanting. Where were the great descriptions of life - good or bad - in China? There is such a wealth of material that could have been used to fill out the predictable story. I did learn a few new things, but at times, realizing it was a fictionalized account, wondered about the veracity.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book. I was just wishing for more!
*this book was a first reads early release copy.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book. I was just wishing for more!
*this book was a first reads early release copy.
November 22, 2016
I enjoyed the new perspective on the cultural revolution in this book. It gave a mix of western and Chinese points of view. I would like to point out that I do not believe this book is about Christianity in China, it is more about the cultural revolution and how other beliefs fared at the time.
September 20, 2017
The Chinese don't need a blonde woman to tell their stories[.]Pearl S. Buck was once one of my comfort reads, both for ease of engagement as well as the added bonus of Nobel Prize for Lit woman whose main topics involved the country many of my childhood friends and compatriots hailed from. Over time, I began to recognize the hegemony white people had over the tales of non-white countries, and decided to put a break on those stories, fiction or non-fiction, however well-intentioned. This has resulted in forgoing 'The Things They Carried' for Novel Without a Name, 'Redeployment' for The Corpse Exhibition and Other Stories of Iraq, 'Out of Africa' for Wizard of the Crow, and myriad other substitutions that sacrificed pop culture reference know how for a closer understanding. It also meant putting Buck and a few others on a so far permanent hold, as their bibliography was, for whatever reason, completely devoted to discussing a country and its people which they may have had personal experience with, but had no personal stake in. In the world of the Internet, there's little excuse for not going straight to the multifarious sources of 180 plus countries, especially with Amazon, evil that it is, being so willing to deliver.
What to make of Anchee Min's work? I'd read her before, but only in memoir form, a tendency I've noticed with regards to writings of people of color, wherein I consider them worth reading not for their creative works but for any sensational life material. So, this book killed the bird of rectification/expansion, as well as the one of deciding whether Buck should have a second chance. I'm aware that interpreting popular fiction as a sustained argument is not encouraged, but my assumptions about whether an author knows what they're talking about even when they aren't of a a particular marginalized demographic are only as good so long as I listen to said demographic. So, I kept an eye on what I liked and what I didn't like about Min's fictional take on a nonfictional figure. What I liked: the historical context, the grounding of discussions of representative literature spanning from Lu Hsun to Cao Xueqin, and the gossipy little details that clarified how exactly Buck came to assume she had enough knowledge, credibility, and enculturation to write stories about a land her family had to audacity to proselytize within. What I didn't like: the outright dismissal of Marx (especially aggravating when reading Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 on the side), the prose in general, and the complete and utter lack of middle ground between Christian capitalistic white savior complex and Chinese communistic indoctrination. I understand that this is not the most seriously endeavored fiction, but analysis of cross culture, however casual, always suffers when life is reduced to a dichotomy.
In the end, I may return to Buck, but not right now. She has survived well enough without me, and I have enough works of actual china, Buck-reviled Story of the Stone included, to last me for quite some time. I also have enough writing of white women that, forever reason, shines a spotlight on the process of colonization and/or settlement, as if this brand of feminism is only afforded room during imperial matters. In any case, this was a good exercise in multiculturalism, least on the other side of the customary divide.
March 10, 2019
I enjoy stories based on “real people” and the lives they lead. This author has done a good job of presenting Pearl Buck’s life. At times the point of view she utilized—that of a childhood friend trapped the author. When the two friends are separated as adults your knowledge of Pearl becomes secondary to the friend’s day-to-day life. But it was an interesting, thoughtful story.
July 14, 2017
I felt like it took me way too long to read through this book. I'm not sure why. It wasn't a long book. It wasn't boring. I didn't have that impatient feeling of "I can't wait for this to end." But, it didn't really grab me and I would not say it is Min's best work. It begins as the friendship of Pearl Buck and Willow Yee in a small town in China where they both lived. Since this is historical fiction, I know that it is not reality. I think one of the problems is the book is ambivalent whether it is to be about Willow Yee or Pearl Buck. The majority of it does follow Willow Yee and Mao's China. The fight to continue Pearl Buck's father's work in Christian ministry with Willow Yee's father trying to lead the church as Mao condemn's Christianity. It was moderately interesting without getting into much detail.
February 19, 2010
At times while reading this, I questioned whether this book was really about Pearl Buck or about Christianity in China. I realize that with Pearl being the daughter of missionaries, religion is unavoidable. However, the religious talk, the god this and god that was overwhelming. I occasionally will pick up a Christian fiction book due to the story lines they contain and I honestly feel this book had more "god talk" than any Christian novel I have picked up.
Pearl grew up in early 1900s China and her story is told from the viewpoint of her best friend, Willow. The beginning is great except for the religion and church stuff being mentioned constantly and I enjoyed reading about the young girls growing up. Upon Pearl's leaving to attend college in the United States, however, a lot of very interesting stuff like marriages and pregnancies is just summed up in a few sentences in letters to Pearl. The book then continues in this fashion. Pearl adopts a daughter and there is one sentence devoted to it. Um, I would consider adopting a child a major life episode deserving more attention. Later, when Willow goes thru a shocking episode it is neatly summed up in a matter such as this: "They kidnapped me and tortured me and I fainted." That is not a quote from the book, but an example of how the story is told. I would have preferred more details about the drama in these two women's lives and what they were feeling than what was going on with the church and Absalom.
Then it gets political with Communism and Mao taking over. The last quarter had a bit more "feeling" to it, more like this author's "Empress Orchid" and more like what I was expecting. However, I didn't really like this book. Between the religion and the skipping over what could have been amazing stories, it was a miss for me. After putting it down for the last time tho, I realized I knew a lot more about the Boxer Rebellion, Madame Mao, and Chinese culture in general than I did before I picked it up so three stars.
Pearl grew up in early 1900s China and her story is told from the viewpoint of her best friend, Willow. The beginning is great except for the religion and church stuff being mentioned constantly and I enjoyed reading about the young girls growing up. Upon Pearl's leaving to attend college in the United States, however, a lot of very interesting stuff like marriages and pregnancies is just summed up in a few sentences in letters to Pearl. The book then continues in this fashion. Pearl adopts a daughter and there is one sentence devoted to it. Um, I would consider adopting a child a major life episode deserving more attention. Later, when Willow goes thru a shocking episode it is neatly summed up in a matter such as this: "They kidnapped me and tortured me and I fainted." That is not a quote from the book, but an example of how the story is told. I would have preferred more details about the drama in these two women's lives and what they were feeling than what was going on with the church and Absalom.
Then it gets political with Communism and Mao taking over. The last quarter had a bit more "feeling" to it, more like this author's "Empress Orchid" and more like what I was expecting. However, I didn't really like this book. Between the religion and the skipping over what could have been amazing stories, it was a miss for me. After putting it down for the last time tho, I realized I knew a lot more about the Boxer Rebellion, Madame Mao, and Chinese culture in general than I did before I picked it up so three stars.
June 15, 2010
This happens to be my introduction to Pearl S. Buck (yes --- I'm a late comer)... but what an introduction it was! I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and found myself pulled directly into the story - especially in the early years. I thought it captured the essence of small town life in rural China in the early 1900s very well - and reminded me some of my time I lived in a small town in Taiwan (albeit 100 years later).
This book also has served (for me) as introduction to much of Chinese 20th century history (e.g. the Boxer Rebellion, Mao Zedong (& Madame Mao), Chaing Kai-shek, etc...). I personally enjoyed the way this history was shown through the eyes of Willow - a childhood and lifelong friend of Pearl (apparently a completely fictional character after reading these other reviews).
I'm now very interested in reading more about 20th century China, and more about / from Pearl S. Buck.
This book also has served (for me) as introduction to much of Chinese 20th century history (e.g. the Boxer Rebellion, Mao Zedong (& Madame Mao), Chaing Kai-shek, etc...). I personally enjoyed the way this history was shown through the eyes of Willow - a childhood and lifelong friend of Pearl (apparently a completely fictional character after reading these other reviews).
I'm now very interested in reading more about 20th century China, and more about / from Pearl S. Buck.
March 1, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to recommend it to others. The relationship between Willow and Pearl was special indeed and the glimpse into Pearl S. Buck's life in China was a treasure.
January 11, 2021
Bana biraz abartılmış gibi geldi biyografik denilebilecek bir eser ama önyargılı olmak istemiyorum ama tam olarak yazılanların gerçekten anlatıldığı gibi olması biraz şüpheli yani ne kadar komünizmin karşıtı dahi olsanız abartılmanın da biraz ahlaki etik tarafı olmalı.
September 13, 2011
I discovered Pearl Buck in my teens and devoured her books. Over the years I have them time and again never tiring of her stories of China and vivid descriptions of the people and the places they lived. I think it is due to her writing that I have always been fascinated with China.
This book is a very well done blend of fiction and true history. It tells the story of Pearl's young life among the chinese and her friendship with Willow. Willow is probably a composite of many friends Pearl actually had.
Pearl's father went to China as a missionary with her mother, her younger sister Grace and herself. They lived in a small village, Chin-kiang. Pearl meets Willow when they are both very young. Willow, a few years older, steals to help her family survive. In trying to steal from Pearl a friendship is forged that cover many decades and history.
The book tells a good deal of Pearl Buck's own struggle with her life and her desire to become a writer. But this book is much more about the struggles of the people that Pearl Buck loved and championed.
The two women seem to live mirrored lives. An American who wanted all things Chinese and a Chinese who wanted all things American. Not because they thought the politics was better but because they had come to love someone so much they wanted to emulate them. Willow felt loved and cared for by Carie, Pearl's mother, who taught her sing and stood up for her. Pearl's father, though emotionally distanced from his own family, came to be Willow's family's savior. He gave a job to her father that allowed them to lead more honest lives and therefore have self-respect that was so important in their culture.
At the end of the book the mirrored image becomes distinct in a letter Willow writes to her oldest friend she has not seen in many, many years. She has gone to America to see Pearl's grave. She is astonished to find that in America Pearl has recreated China in her own home and property. Even her grave, remote and discreet, bears only a small marker with three Chinese symbols depicting her name. It is surrounded by bamboo. She plans on taking back seeds from trees in the countryside Pearl lived in to have planted on her grave when she dies. In the letter she has written she tells of her three granddaughters all named after Pearl (Pearl who had only one natural daughter, had adopted other Asian children)They both had written, loved the same people, loved the same men. Two women whose friendship was so strong they endured years of absolute silence and miles of distance and still felt strong ties to the other.
This book is a very well done blend of fiction and true history. It tells the story of Pearl's young life among the chinese and her friendship with Willow. Willow is probably a composite of many friends Pearl actually had.
Pearl's father went to China as a missionary with her mother, her younger sister Grace and herself. They lived in a small village, Chin-kiang. Pearl meets Willow when they are both very young. Willow, a few years older, steals to help her family survive. In trying to steal from Pearl a friendship is forged that cover many decades and history.
The book tells a good deal of Pearl Buck's own struggle with her life and her desire to become a writer. But this book is much more about the struggles of the people that Pearl Buck loved and championed.
The two women seem to live mirrored lives. An American who wanted all things Chinese and a Chinese who wanted all things American. Not because they thought the politics was better but because they had come to love someone so much they wanted to emulate them. Willow felt loved and cared for by Carie, Pearl's mother, who taught her sing and stood up for her. Pearl's father, though emotionally distanced from his own family, came to be Willow's family's savior. He gave a job to her father that allowed them to lead more honest lives and therefore have self-respect that was so important in their culture.
At the end of the book the mirrored image becomes distinct in a letter Willow writes to her oldest friend she has not seen in many, many years. She has gone to America to see Pearl's grave. She is astonished to find that in America Pearl has recreated China in her own home and property. Even her grave, remote and discreet, bears only a small marker with three Chinese symbols depicting her name. It is surrounded by bamboo. She plans on taking back seeds from trees in the countryside Pearl lived in to have planted on her grave when she dies. In the letter she has written she tells of her three granddaughters all named after Pearl (Pearl who had only one natural daughter, had adopted other Asian children)They both had written, loved the same people, loved the same men. Two women whose friendship was so strong they endured years of absolute silence and miles of distance and still felt strong ties to the other.
May 31, 2010
This was an unexpected surprise, to say the least, and a good one at that! I heard the author, Anchee Min, on NPR one day, talking about Pearl S. Buck and how Anchee Min's new novel was inspired by Pearl Buck's love for the Chinese people.
Growing up, Anchee Min had been told, by the Communist government of China, that she is to hate Pearl Buck, because she was a Christian and a North American (although Pearl Buck was raised in Zhenjiang, China). Later on in life, when Anchee Min had moved to North America, she was doing a book reading in Chicago, when a woman at the reading asked her if she had read any books by Pearl Buck. She had to confess that she hadn't read any of her works and remembered the instilled hatred toward Buck. The woman proceeded to tell Anchee Min that Pearl Buck's writings (especially a novel called "The Good Earth") about China had made her fall in love with the Chinese people. The woman then gave Anchee Min a copy of "The Good Earth".
Anchee Min finished the book on the plane ride back from Chicago and wept, as she realized just how respectfully and truly Pearl Buck had portrayed the Chinese peasants and farmers; this was a side of China that not even Chinese writers had ever written about so well. It was then that the idea for "Pearl of China" was conceived.
When I heard this on NPR, I decided that I have to first read "The Good Earth", because I have great love and fondness for the Chinese people, as well. I would then follow up my reading of "The Good Earth", by reading Anchee Min's "Pearl of China". I had no idea of what to expect of Min's book, but the biggest and most wonderful surprise was that the entire book focused around the conflict between Western Christianity, China's Nationalists, China's Communists, and how Pearl Buck and her family had bridged the gap between the Chinese understanding of Jesus and their own Eastern religious beliefs and philosophies. A good deal of attention is given to the idea that loving someone because of who they are, culturally and otherwise, is one of the best ways to point people from other nationalities and cultures toward Jesus.
This was a fantastic book and I would recommend it for anyone and everyone; especially, those who love Chinese culture/people or have an interest in cross-cultural contextualization.
Paranthetically, I seriously think this would make a great movie. I'm going to see if I can somehow write to Anchee Min and suggest she consider a movie adaptation.
Growing up, Anchee Min had been told, by the Communist government of China, that she is to hate Pearl Buck, because she was a Christian and a North American (although Pearl Buck was raised in Zhenjiang, China). Later on in life, when Anchee Min had moved to North America, she was doing a book reading in Chicago, when a woman at the reading asked her if she had read any books by Pearl Buck. She had to confess that she hadn't read any of her works and remembered the instilled hatred toward Buck. The woman proceeded to tell Anchee Min that Pearl Buck's writings (especially a novel called "The Good Earth") about China had made her fall in love with the Chinese people. The woman then gave Anchee Min a copy of "The Good Earth".
Anchee Min finished the book on the plane ride back from Chicago and wept, as she realized just how respectfully and truly Pearl Buck had portrayed the Chinese peasants and farmers; this was a side of China that not even Chinese writers had ever written about so well. It was then that the idea for "Pearl of China" was conceived.
When I heard this on NPR, I decided that I have to first read "The Good Earth", because I have great love and fondness for the Chinese people, as well. I would then follow up my reading of "The Good Earth", by reading Anchee Min's "Pearl of China". I had no idea of what to expect of Min's book, but the biggest and most wonderful surprise was that the entire book focused around the conflict between Western Christianity, China's Nationalists, China's Communists, and how Pearl Buck and her family had bridged the gap between the Chinese understanding of Jesus and their own Eastern religious beliefs and philosophies. A good deal of attention is given to the idea that loving someone because of who they are, culturally and otherwise, is one of the best ways to point people from other nationalities and cultures toward Jesus.
This was a fantastic book and I would recommend it for anyone and everyone; especially, those who love Chinese culture/people or have an interest in cross-cultural contextualization.
Paranthetically, I seriously think this would make a great movie. I'm going to see if I can somehow write to Anchee Min and suggest she consider a movie adaptation.
April 6, 2010
Willow's father wanted to name her "Weed", because he said if she started out in the lowest possible place, life could only get better. But, her grandmother prevailed and named the baby Willow. Willow Yee, the narrator of Pearl of China, is a fictional character who tells the story of Pearl S. Buck woven though her own life story. This is also a brief telling of the history of China from 1900 to the 1970's.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about one of my favorite authors, Pearl Buck. This retelling of her story reminded me of how difficult her life was. She was raised in China where her father was a missionary. She had a retarded daughter, and a difficult relationship with her first husband, Lossing Buck. She and her family suffered through the conflict between the Japanese, the Nationalist Chinese and feudal warlords, escaping narrowly with their lives on more than one occasion. Eventually Pearl permanently moved to Pennsylvania. She published over 70 books and received both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes for literature.
The last part of the book focuses on Willow and her family, as they suffer through Mao's cultural revolution. Willow is conveniently a witness to many of the important events in 20th century China.
The story is beautifully told with interspersed poetry all through the book. Min describes every day details of the young girl's lives and times. I felt I could see the celebrations and plays that they so enjoyed. In the end she describes the Chinese garden that Pearl had created for herself in beautiful language. The story doesn't spare the ugly details of life which are described so well that you can almost smell the toilets that Willow is forced to clean as punishment for defying Madame Mao.
I highly recommend this book to all who enjoyed reading Pearl Buck's books and to anyone interested in Chinese life and culture.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about one of my favorite authors, Pearl Buck. This retelling of her story reminded me of how difficult her life was. She was raised in China where her father was a missionary. She had a retarded daughter, and a difficult relationship with her first husband, Lossing Buck. She and her family suffered through the conflict between the Japanese, the Nationalist Chinese and feudal warlords, escaping narrowly with their lives on more than one occasion. Eventually Pearl permanently moved to Pennsylvania. She published over 70 books and received both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes for literature.
The last part of the book focuses on Willow and her family, as they suffer through Mao's cultural revolution. Willow is conveniently a witness to many of the important events in 20th century China.
The story is beautifully told with interspersed poetry all through the book. Min describes every day details of the young girl's lives and times. I felt I could see the celebrations and plays that they so enjoyed. In the end she describes the Chinese garden that Pearl had created for herself in beautiful language. The story doesn't spare the ugly details of life which are described so well that you can almost smell the toilets that Willow is forced to clean as punishment for defying Madame Mao.
I highly recommend this book to all who enjoyed reading Pearl Buck's books and to anyone interested in Chinese life and culture.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Pearl of China - Nevisande : Anchee Min - ISBN : 1596916974 - ISBN13 : 9781596916975 - Dar 278 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2009
February 19, 2021
Comencé a leerlo sin ninguna expectativa y me ha sorprendido bastante. A través de la vida de la protagonista descubres la llegada de los misioneros cristianos a China, la pobreza en las zonas rurales, la Revolución Cultural, la represión, el hermetismo del país... Además he descubierto la historia de Pearl Buck, premio Nobel de literatura, de la que espero poder leer su obra en algún momento.
March 24, 2010
I kept changing my mind over whether this was a two star read or a three. I got this through Goodreads First Reads, and was excited. I am not very good with history or geography as academic subjects, so I enjoy historical fiction that entertainingly fills in those gaps.
I read The Great Wave in grade school, and The Good Earth as an adult, I've been to the Pearl S. Buck house, so I consider myself passingly familiar with her and her work, eager to learn more about her life, even from a fictionalized biography. What threw me, as I began the book, is that this is not a book about Pearl. This is a book about Christianity and Communism in China, about what it means to be Chinese, in which Pearl is an incidental character and forms one example of what it means to be Chinese. The narrator is a native Chinese named Willow, whose father is a beggar/thief/conman. She meets Pearl when Pearl's missionary father brings the family to China in order to convert the "heathens". Pearl and Willow become friends, and Willow's father becomes Pearl's father's disciple. Willow's father first seems to be grifting the Church, and Willow converts simply for the free meals, but as the narrative moves, both become true believers. This takes place off screen, and I suppose it is gradual, but it seems that in one section Willow only enjoys singing hymns, and in the next she is almost martyred for her faith.
There are several incidences like this, where we are told things, not shown. Good friends Pearl and Willow both fall for the same guy. Willow is honest about loving him, Pearl denies it. The guy chooses Pearl and they have a passionate hidden affair. At no point do we understand why any of the people involved care for each other, and it doesn't seem to cause any rift in the friendship whatsoever. As a reader, I felt NONE of the emotion. Even the emotion of suspense and immediacy was taken away from me. I did not know enough about Pearl's life or Chinese history to know what events would happen next and when. I vaguely knew she had an unhappy marriage and something was wrong with her biological daughter, but that is it. Willow is an invented character, pieced together from several friends Pearl had in real life, so I couldn't have been previously spoiled on that front. I could have been surprised by an event or pulled into the action, but Willow's narration never allows us to. She continuously says things like "I didn't know that was the last time I would see him alive" etc that serve no purpose except to take away any suspense or immediacy. At one point, Willow tells us in the narration that this is the last time she will see Pearl, but the book continues for several chapters more, including a few times when the characters think they will see Pearl again. Obviously they don't.
It was only things like this that caused me to rate this two stars. "It was ok". I kept being thrown out of the story, and I might not have finished it except that I used it as an airport read and I was a captive audience. The book makes me want to read more of Pearl's works and possibly a biography, but the book as itself is unsatisfying.
I read The Great Wave in grade school, and The Good Earth as an adult, I've been to the Pearl S. Buck house, so I consider myself passingly familiar with her and her work, eager to learn more about her life, even from a fictionalized biography. What threw me, as I began the book, is that this is not a book about Pearl. This is a book about Christianity and Communism in China, about what it means to be Chinese, in which Pearl is an incidental character and forms one example of what it means to be Chinese. The narrator is a native Chinese named Willow, whose father is a beggar/thief/conman. She meets Pearl when Pearl's missionary father brings the family to China in order to convert the "heathens". Pearl and Willow become friends, and Willow's father becomes Pearl's father's disciple. Willow's father first seems to be grifting the Church, and Willow converts simply for the free meals, but as the narrative moves, both become true believers. This takes place off screen, and I suppose it is gradual, but it seems that in one section Willow only enjoys singing hymns, and in the next she is almost martyred for her faith.
There are several incidences like this, where we are told things, not shown. Good friends Pearl and Willow both fall for the same guy. Willow is honest about loving him, Pearl denies it. The guy chooses Pearl and they have a passionate hidden affair. At no point do we understand why any of the people involved care for each other, and it doesn't seem to cause any rift in the friendship whatsoever. As a reader, I felt NONE of the emotion. Even the emotion of suspense and immediacy was taken away from me. I did not know enough about Pearl's life or Chinese history to know what events would happen next and when. I vaguely knew she had an unhappy marriage and something was wrong with her biological daughter, but that is it. Willow is an invented character, pieced together from several friends Pearl had in real life, so I couldn't have been previously spoiled on that front. I could have been surprised by an event or pulled into the action, but Willow's narration never allows us to. She continuously says things like "I didn't know that was the last time I would see him alive" etc that serve no purpose except to take away any suspense or immediacy. At one point, Willow tells us in the narration that this is the last time she will see Pearl, but the book continues for several chapters more, including a few times when the characters think they will see Pearl again. Obviously they don't.
It was only things like this that caused me to rate this two stars. "It was ok". I kept being thrown out of the story, and I might not have finished it except that I used it as an airport read and I was a captive audience. The book makes me want to read more of Pearl's works and possibly a biography, but the book as itself is unsatisfying.
October 14, 2012
As a teenager in China during the Cultural Revolution, author Anchee Min was asked to denounce the so-called "American cultural imperialist" Pearl Buck. Years later, in the U. S., she had the opportunity of reading Buck's work and was ashamed that she had been forced to write against someone who obviously knew China and its people so well. Pearl of China is her paean to Buck, and as such is a touching reminder of a writer who, despite winning the Nobel Prize in 1938, is mostly dismissed by this generation's readers and critics.
The book, however, is ill-conceived as a novel. Min's attempt to to encompass almost all of Chinese history from 1900 to 1980 simply simply can't be done in less than 500 pages. It is even more of a tricky business if you have a single, first-person narrator who not only witnesses the triumphs and excesses of Mao Zedong's China, but who also is Pearl Buck's best friend.
Anchee Min is at her best when describing the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, as she does in Wild Ginger and her memoir Red Azalea, and she gives new insights here. But the narrative cage she puts herself in allows her to reward our reading with little else. Her characters are never fully developed simply because she does not spend enough time on them. Many of the more exciting scenes, such as where Buck and her family are almost shot by a Warlord and his band of Red Guards, are pure fiction. In fact, despite the title, the character of Pearl Buck seems almost thrown in, as she appears in less than half the novel. It is as if the rest of the story got away with Min and she could find no good way to juxtapose the Chinese history lesson with the homage to Buck.
I'm not sure that Min has written her best novel yet, but I am sure than this is not it. Recommended only for fans of Min and anyone who wants to read everything on the Chinese Cultural Revolution. I would have given maybe 2.3 stars for effort, but am forced by the rules to round it down to 2.
The book, however, is ill-conceived as a novel. Min's attempt to to encompass almost all of Chinese history from 1900 to 1980 simply simply can't be done in less than 500 pages. It is even more of a tricky business if you have a single, first-person narrator who not only witnesses the triumphs and excesses of Mao Zedong's China, but who also is Pearl Buck's best friend.
Anchee Min is at her best when describing the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, as she does in Wild Ginger and her memoir Red Azalea, and she gives new insights here. But the narrative cage she puts herself in allows her to reward our reading with little else. Her characters are never fully developed simply because she does not spend enough time on them. Many of the more exciting scenes, such as where Buck and her family are almost shot by a Warlord and his band of Red Guards, are pure fiction. In fact, despite the title, the character of Pearl Buck seems almost thrown in, as she appears in less than half the novel. It is as if the rest of the story got away with Min and she could find no good way to juxtapose the Chinese history lesson with the homage to Buck.
I'm not sure that Min has written her best novel yet, but I am sure than this is not it. Recommended only for fans of Min and anyone who wants to read everything on the Chinese Cultural Revolution. I would have given maybe 2.3 stars for effort, but am forced by the rules to round it down to 2.
March 25, 2010
Ok, I was trying to get a good sense of how I felt reading this book. I read The Last Empress and I also read The Good Earth. Because I had a little insight of the author and her subject, I thought I would LOVE this book. I didn't. The Last Empress was full of color and life; this book wasn't. The Good Earth was deep and emotional; this book wasn't.
I have deep respect for both authors and it is very interesting to understand the life of an American with a Chinese heart in China in the early 1900's. I just didn't get a sense of passion in the writing. I think Min tried too hard. I feel like she was walking on a razor's edge, not to insult, not to idolize. I feel like she has so much emotion about the subject but couldn't give it to the story (for fear of offending???). There is a lot of history, but also speculation of the events. I felt some of it was contrived and wished upon the characters. One can get a sense of a character's heroism without the hero being perfect or wonderful. Too much good intention leads to a story without depth.
I think there was too much left unsaid - maybe Min didn't know? I wanted more about the exact condition of her daughter. I wanted more depth on her relationship with her husband, good or bad; or her lover. I felt like a distant observer. Maybe Min could have taken just a couple incidents from Buck's life and really dug deep. The most I got in emotion was fear and frustration and there wasn't really any resolution, good or bad.
I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I wasn't even interested in finishing it. I wanted to be interested...
I have to give the book a couple stars because I respect Min's attempt on this work and her reasons for her desire to do it. I also have admiration for Pearl Buck, to write about the country that was her heart and do it with such passion.
I have deep respect for both authors and it is very interesting to understand the life of an American with a Chinese heart in China in the early 1900's. I just didn't get a sense of passion in the writing. I think Min tried too hard. I feel like she was walking on a razor's edge, not to insult, not to idolize. I feel like she has so much emotion about the subject but couldn't give it to the story (for fear of offending???). There is a lot of history, but also speculation of the events. I felt some of it was contrived and wished upon the characters. One can get a sense of a character's heroism without the hero being perfect or wonderful. Too much good intention leads to a story without depth.
I think there was too much left unsaid - maybe Min didn't know? I wanted more about the exact condition of her daughter. I wanted more depth on her relationship with her husband, good or bad; or her lover. I felt like a distant observer. Maybe Min could have taken just a couple incidents from Buck's life and really dug deep. The most I got in emotion was fear and frustration and there wasn't really any resolution, good or bad.
I wanted to love this book, but I didn't. I wasn't even interested in finishing it. I wanted to be interested...
I have to give the book a couple stars because I respect Min's attempt on this work and her reasons for her desire to do it. I also have admiration for Pearl Buck, to write about the country that was her heart and do it with such passion.
December 12, 2023
Pearl of China is a fictional composite of probable people in China known to Pearl S. Buck throughout her life. The narrator of the tale is Willow, an early childhood friend of Pearl's who tells of Pearl's life and childhood in Chinag-kua, and companions her periodically as Pearl returns to China before leaving with the advent of Mao's takeover and the expulsion of foreigners. Moving through the major events of Chinese history and politics (with some serious literary license) until the end of Pearl's life and the opening of China again to the West. It ends with Willow visiting Pearl's grave and home in America.
I found this an interesting read. The setting up and focus on Pearl and Willow's childhood was interesting but slow paced. It evolves into Pearl and Willow's adult lives (viewed from Willow's perspective). This part covers many major events in Chinese - Western relations in later years, including Madame Mao's reactions to Pearl S. Buck herself. While I felt that this section could have been more fleshed out in parts, and that the letters were slightly disconcerting - as they had no responses - to fully treat all of these events would have made this a tome of too large proportions and much past the perspective of a historical novel as was the obvious scope initially. I particularly enjoyed the Author's Note of how Anchee Min's perspective had been formed regarding Pearl S. Buck while growing up, and how it had changed since. Her own experience as an author is also telling. I do not think she needed a mea culpa, but this is a fine attempt.
I think many will find this a delightful companion read to biographies of Pearl S. Buck and her own wonderful novels. Both are authors to be read with pleasure.
I found this an interesting read. The setting up and focus on Pearl and Willow's childhood was interesting but slow paced. It evolves into Pearl and Willow's adult lives (viewed from Willow's perspective). This part covers many major events in Chinese - Western relations in later years, including Madame Mao's reactions to Pearl S. Buck herself. While I felt that this section could have been more fleshed out in parts, and that the letters were slightly disconcerting - as they had no responses - to fully treat all of these events would have made this a tome of too large proportions and much past the perspective of a historical novel as was the obvious scope initially. I particularly enjoyed the Author's Note of how Anchee Min's perspective had been formed regarding Pearl S. Buck while growing up, and how it had changed since. Her own experience as an author is also telling. I do not think she needed a mea culpa, but this is a fine attempt.
I think many will find this a delightful companion read to biographies of Pearl S. Buck and her own wonderful novels. Both are authors to be read with pleasure.
August 15, 2010
Wow, what a disappointing book. Having read several of Pearl S. Buck's novels years and years ago, I was excited to come across Pearl of China on the "New Acquisitions" shelf at the library. The idea of learning about the woman who sculpted such wonderful stories was irresistable, but this book did not satisfy. In fact, I felt a bit taken advantage of - the story told only snippets of Buck's life, but page after page of her childhood friend, Willow Yee. This wasn't a problem in itself as Willow leads a difficult, tragedy-laden life, but it felt somewhat misleading given the title of the book.
I also was not particularly fond of the style of writing. Sentences were short and choppy, and descriptions that could have made the book truly come alive were lacking. When I came to Part Two of the story, my hopes were that as the main character matured, so would go the style of writing, but the juvenile tone remained consistant to the end of the book. As the character Willow had limited education that may have been the whole point of using this style, but it made for a less than pleasurable reading experience. In fact, at several points in the book I wondered to myself if this was the kind of feeling elementary teachers get when they read essay after essay written "I did this and then I did this and after that I did this." Ugh.
The one positive that I have to say about this book is that it has rekindled my interest in Pearl S. Buck and her books. Maybe that was the real point.
I also was not particularly fond of the style of writing. Sentences were short and choppy, and descriptions that could have made the book truly come alive were lacking. When I came to Part Two of the story, my hopes were that as the main character matured, so would go the style of writing, but the juvenile tone remained consistant to the end of the book. As the character Willow had limited education that may have been the whole point of using this style, but it made for a less than pleasurable reading experience. In fact, at several points in the book I wondered to myself if this was the kind of feeling elementary teachers get when they read essay after essay written "I did this and then I did this and after that I did this." Ugh.
The one positive that I have to say about this book is that it has rekindled my interest in Pearl S. Buck and her books. Maybe that was the real point.
July 22, 2012
"Willow of China" would have been more appropriate
Just used Pearl to make a buck
This piece of historical fiction supposedly "brings new color to the remarkable life of Pearl S. Buck, illuminated by the sweep of history and an intimate, unforgettable friendship". But that was NOT the case. There was a sweep of history that was revealed through Pearl's "friend" Willow but the friendship was a mere contrivance to provide this sweep of history.
There was little in-depth revelation of Pearl S Buck; she was a mere character to frame Willow's story against. The author obviously has an insight into the history of Mao's China but I was looking for Pearl to come to life, and for me this didn't happen.
The history itself was choppy with some parts, for example the Boxer Rebellion or the Japanese invasion, given little depth while the evils of Mao and Communist China consumed so much of the storyline. There were a few moments of WTF with characters that refused to die ... the author subjected them to labour camps, deprivation, torture, poverty and extreme old age and they just lived on, and on.
Just used Pearl to make a buck
This piece of historical fiction supposedly "brings new color to the remarkable life of Pearl S. Buck, illuminated by the sweep of history and an intimate, unforgettable friendship". But that was NOT the case. There was a sweep of history that was revealed through Pearl's "friend" Willow but the friendship was a mere contrivance to provide this sweep of history.
There was little in-depth revelation of Pearl S Buck; she was a mere character to frame Willow's story against. The author obviously has an insight into the history of Mao's China but I was looking for Pearl to come to life, and for me this didn't happen.
The history itself was choppy with some parts, for example the Boxer Rebellion or the Japanese invasion, given little depth while the evils of Mao and Communist China consumed so much of the storyline. There were a few moments of WTF with characters that refused to die ... the author subjected them to labour camps, deprivation, torture, poverty and extreme old age and they just lived on, and on.
April 27, 2013
Pearl of China is a tricky novel. Min set out to tell the story of Pearl S. Buck, perhaps the most famous and influential writer on China in the 20th century. But Min wanted to tell the story from a Chinese perspective, which becomes difficult after Buck was forced to leave China in 1934. The book continues on until after Buck's death in 1973, so a large portion of Buck's life is left out and the book instead follows the life of the narrator, the fictional Willow.
Even without Buck's presence, the book is an enjoyable read. Anyone interested in the lives of Chinese people (both friends and enemies of Chairman and Madam Mao) during the cultural revolution will enjoy this book. But if you are looking for a story about the life of Pearl Buck, you will be happy with the first half of the book, but will find the second half sorely lacking. I found myself turning to the internet as soon as I was done reading to find out more about Buck's life after China and her foundation, Pearl S. Buck International.
This isn't my favorite Anchee Min book, but it still is a strong story that certainly is worth a read. 4 stars.
Even without Buck's presence, the book is an enjoyable read. Anyone interested in the lives of Chinese people (both friends and enemies of Chairman and Madam Mao) during the cultural revolution will enjoy this book. But if you are looking for a story about the life of Pearl Buck, you will be happy with the first half of the book, but will find the second half sorely lacking. I found myself turning to the internet as soon as I was done reading to find out more about Buck's life after China and her foundation, Pearl S. Buck International.
This isn't my favorite Anchee Min book, but it still is a strong story that certainly is worth a read. 4 stars.
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