The Good Earth

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
This novel is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the first in a trilogy. It is set in turn of the century China. Wang Lung is a poor farmer caring for his aged father. As the book opens he is on his way to the rich lord's house to basically buy one of the slaves to take as a wife. The story follows Wang Lung and O-lan and their land. They soon conceive a son and are extremely proud of their good fortune. Then because of the popularity of opium, the rich lord falls upon hard times and Wang Lung is able to purchase a piece of his land. The sun seems to be shining on the pair as they have two more children and their land produces richly.
A famine takes place one winter just as their fourth child, a girl is born. O-lan kills the baby and the family sets off for the southern city to beg for food and do what they can to make money. Wang Lung knows with certainty that though they are in the midst of hard times, the land waits for their return. The tide begins to turn for the family when a mob of people hardest hit by the dwindling economy raid the home of a rich lord. Wang Lung is able to make off with gold coins and return to his land and buy seed.
The land and the family prosper. O-lan gives birth to twins. At one point Wang Lung has so much money and too much time on his hands. He becomes obsessed with a prostitute in a tea house, buys her, or marries her and brings her home. O-lan and the aged father both die. Because Wang Lung has saved money and bounty from his harvests no longer is he at the mercy of the weather and he prospers no matter drought, flood or war. He also is able to buy the rest of the land from the rich lord and eventually the home that the rich lord lived in, where O-lan grew up and served as a slave.
I had my doubts about being able to enjoy this book since it has become an Oprah's Book Club choice. I truly did though. I loved Wang Lung and just when he was about to make me so mad I wanted to stomp on his foot, I would end up loving him again. He took great care of his 'poor fool'. (Their first daughter never progressed mentally probably from the famine and complete lack of food as an infant.) I did feel great sorrow for O-lan at times. I also feel liked I learned a lot about a culture which I am hardly familiar. I believe this book may have been used in the early part of the 1900's as a kind of propaganda, with which we were supposed to feel some kinship with the Chinese culture in order to see them as allies. By the end I can't stand Wang Lung's children. The land has been their whole lives. It has done everything for them, been everything to them and they plan to sell it off once Wang Lung dies. I know I'm probably not doing this book justice........it sounds pretty boring......but following these humble people from the beginning of their lives together at a young age, until their death, you really get to know and love them.
Rating 5
Rating PG The murder of the baby was HORRIBLE! Actually you just know it happens, it's not a play by play.