Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
The Good Earth
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
Wang Lang, a simple peasant farmer, takes as a wife a battered slave girl who becomes an indomitable, loyal woman. Working the land together, they prosper and increase their holdings, yet Wang eventually betrays his family and neglects the earth he had worshipped.
LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Mehso-so

Buck‘s prose is clear and beautiful, but it is weird reading a book written by a white woman whose family colonized China as missionaries. Still, I was drawn into Wang Lung‘s life as he ascended from a poor farmer to a rich land owner. The attitudes about women and girls as ugly, no better than slaves, etc. is also hard to stomach even if accurate of the time. I‘m glad I read this “classic,†but I‘m not sure it deserves that title. 3â­ï¸

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
13 likes2 comments
blurb
Texreader
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Ebook on sale. Good for #China #readingasia2021

Bookwormjillk One of my favorites 4y
Librarybelle Thanks for sharing! 4y
Tamra I loved this novel! I think I‘ve read twice, which doesn‘t happen often. 4y
44 likes3 comments
review
WorldsOkayestStepMom
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Mehso-so

I liked this story, though at times it was slow. Most of the characters weren't referenced by name, even if they played a large part of the story, like Wang Lung's eldest son/second son/third son. It was also disheartening to read that girls were referred to as slaves through the whole book and that his disabled daughter was known simply as "the fool". I know it is a cultural and historical piece, but I still didn't like that.

blurb
WorldsOkayestStepMom
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

On the recommendation of my husband, I've been reading this book. Hopefully, our power stays on and we are able to stay warm! Oklahoma is in the middle of a huge ice storm right now, some areas of the state have almost an inch of ice already, and we still have 2 more rounds of precip to go!!

blurb
Mtroiano
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

April wrap up - 21 books and so many good ones I can‘t choose a favorite!

Crazeedi Excellent job!👠5y
merelybookish Lots of good books! I read Mists of Avalon a few years ago and enjoyed it! 5y
KatieB You had a great month! 5y
28 likes3 comments
blurb
Mtroiano
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Plans for tonight 📚

blurb
JulAnna
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Quiet Thursday evening, re-reading this classic for a challenge that I set for myself: to read one classic book per month in 2020. This will be for February 🤓

Tamra I really enjoyed The Good Earth. 😠5y
39 likes1 comment
blurb
Reecaspieces
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

This is the audible daily deal. Fantastic book. Just a PSA!

CoverToCoverGirl I added it to my library - hoping to get to it sometime this year - lol 5y
Reecaspieces @CoverToCoverGirl 😂😂😂 I know that feeling 5y
53 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Amiable
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

Wonderful tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. I can't believe I haven't read this classic until now. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Tamra This is a favorite of mine! 😠5y
Amiable @Tamra It‘s wonderful! 5y
47 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Samplergal
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

Another classic I hadn‘t read. This was assigned to us in senior year, but I had mono and had home schooling. So it took a few years to read this. 😉 5 stars.

60 likes2 stack adds
blurb
alexa_d
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

I've got 80 million other books going right now, but since this one is the only one on my #Pulitzer (Fiction, 1932) #SeptemberTBR that is also on #KindleUnlimited, I decided to start it just to see if you can still use #Bookly while also reading on your phone. You can!

blurb
LeahBergen
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

#ChinaGirl

I loved this book and should really reread it one of these days.

#WanderingJune

rubyslippersreads I have the same reading girl (though painted differently), but not the boy. 5y
LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads Oh, do you? ğŸ‘ğŸ»ğŸ‘🻠I found these (bookends, I think?) at a thrift shop a few weeks ago and my husband asked, “Those will end up in a Litsy post, won‘t they?†😆😆 5y
AceOnRoam They are too cute. Your hubby knows you well! 5y
See All 14 Comments
rubyslippersreads @LeahBergen Now I‘ll have to haunt thrift shops looking for the boy! 😀 5y
Chrissyreadit Those bookends are ridiculously cute and perfect. 5y
BiblioLitten How cute are those bookends! ğŸ˜ğŸ˜ 5y
Centique Ohhh I love them ğŸ˜ğŸ˜ğŸ˜ 5y
BarbaraBB What a lovely bookends! 5y
batsy Your husband's comment 😂 5y
Tanisha_A Love them bookends! 5y
Cathythoughts Husband was right about this one ğŸ‘🻠5y
gradcat Great post!! 👠5y
Reviewsbylola Those are so gorgeous! Are all your books in one room or do you have your shelves spread throughout? 5y
Suet624 I agree. I should reread this as well. 5y
90 likes1 stack add14 comments
review
youcanneverreadtomuch
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

Very rarely do I think a book only needs one word to describe how great it is but Pearl Buck's masterpiece only needs this, AMAZING. Please read this beautiful and hopeful story of a farmer and his family in early twentieth century China. #China #Nobel

blurb
Augustdana
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

It‘s a fun idea, but I don‘t think I‘ll be able to handle this. I‘ve got authors in various places and I may be a little too anal.

Emilymdxn I tried putting my books in colour order, gave up halfway through and now they‘re in odd mini gradients with some shelves bothering with the system and some not. It‘s a bit of a mess but I quite like that absolutely no one can find anything other than me... someone will ask me for a book and I have to be like ‘I had that at uni, it‘s quite tall and brown, so it‘ll be on this shelf!‘, makes me feel like a wizard 6y
Augustdana @Emilymdxn AMAZING!! 🤣🤣 that is a lot of power to wield. Maybe I will keep this around for a while 6y
19 likes2 comments
review
Schwifty
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Mehso-so

I wasn't overly thrilled about this story. It's a classic tale of boom and bust and the pitfalls of giving into impulses and pride, but I could not sympathize with any of the characters or relate to the story -not surprising considering the rather alien setting. If there was anything remarkable about it, it was that the prose style seems to have been consciously designed to evoke a timeless, ancient China.

quote
shawnmooney
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

erzascarletbookgasm This book was a pleasant surprise for me. 6y
37 likes2 stack adds1 comment
quote
shawnmooney
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

quote
shawnmooney
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

LeahBergen 😆😆 6y
CouronneDhiver Perfect 👌🽠😂 6y
41 likes2 comments
quote
shawnmooney
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

LeahBergen 😆😆 6y
43 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
sblbooks
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

I've loved this book ever since I first read it in high school. #anewchapter 5 I'll Always Love This Book.
@vkois88 and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 💛💛💛 6y
vkois88 â¤â¤â¤ 6y
22 likes2 comments
review
Weester
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
Pickpick

ğŸˆğŸˆğŸˆğŸˆ

review
MJSanty
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

I enjoyed reading this #classic from my #library. Seeing how differently people from that time and culture thought was both interesting and difficult. Difficult because their attitudes especially towards women was something that took an effort to read through.
I liked the themes of cycles. Not only seasons, and famine and plenty, but also the cycles of age and wealth that seemed to lock people into certain roles and actions.
Would recommend, 8/10.

review
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

This book made me feel all sorts of ways.

I had an enormous amount of empathy for Wang Lung's wife, O-Lan. It killed me how little she thought of herself, and reminded me of how I used to view myself for a large portion of my life. She truly believed she was so ugly that it was impossible for anyone to ever really love her. Sadly, for the most part, even her husband was unable to love her as she deserved because of her ugliness.
#classics

Amiable I loved this book so much more than I expected! 6y
KristinaRay @Amiable So did I! I was surprised that a book with this set and setting could be so captivating. (edited) 6y
54 likes2 stack adds2 comments
quote
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück

To himself then he remembered that once he had been afraid because he would‘ve been seized against his will, but now he was too old for use and besides he was rich and the rich need not fear anything.

quote
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

“And to him war was a thing like earth and sky and water and why it was no one knew but only that it was.â€
#classics #24in48

Jess7 🤗 6y
61 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
This post contains spoilers
show me

I am so irritated with Wang Lung right now. This part where he brings Lotus into his home. Poor O-Lan! I can‘t imagine what it would be like to be blatantly discarded by your husband like that. How painful, how disempowering, after everything they‘ve gone through...😔
#classics

11 likes1 stack add
blurb
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

The way they felt about females boggles my mind. The way they thought in general; it‘s so different. I‘m finding it very interesting getting this peek into Wang Lung‘s brain. I‘m surprised I‘m finding a book about rural life in pre revolutionary China so compelling.
#classics

54 likes1 stack add
quote
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück

Only a few of the beans did Wang Lung hide in his own hand and these he put into his own mouth and he chewed them into a soft pulp and then putting his lips to the lips of his daughter he pushed into her mouth the food, and watching her small lips move, he felt himself fed.
#classics #quotes

quote
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
quote
KristinaRay
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

I just finished the first chapter and I‘m fascinated. #classics

dawn-pInk Loved that book. Been meaning to finish the series. I hope you enjoy! 6y
KristinaRay @dawn-pInk Thanks. I tried to read it 15 years ago and got nowhere. This time I was drawn in immediately. It‘s fascinating! 6y
HannaPolkadots I got drawn in quickly too, it is a very interesting portrayal of rural life. 6y
32 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
APLitlife
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Doing some reading for school while camping in the Smoky Mountains. #teachersoflitsy

tracey38 Have fun camping. That's a beautiful area. 6y
29 likes1 comment
blurb
smilingshelves
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

More reading time than I expected to sneak in yesterday. I finished one book and made progress in two others. I'm looking forward to October when I'll hopefully get a day of dedicated reading time again. #readathon
@DeweysReadathon

31 likes1 stack add
blurb
smilingshelves
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Our daily routine of Mommy reading while my little guy wakes up from his nap by watching VeggieTales Silly Songs. Perfect for getting a little more reading in for the #readathon!
@DeweysReadathon

Jprglisa I miss my son‘s naps so much more on days like this. Could get a lot more done! Glad to see you sneaking in some extra time though! 7y
BucklingBookshelves We have a difference of opinion on naptime going on here lately 😒 This seems pretty similar to our morning wake up routine though — kiddo gets some cartoons and I (usually) read for a bit. When I don‘t squander that time, it is a nice way to start the day, especially if we‘ve had a rough night. 😊📚 7y
29 likes2 comments
blurb
smilingshelves
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

I know I'm not going to get much reading in today, but I wanted to participate in the #readathon anyway! I should be able to finish The Vanderbeekers and hopefully make some progress in the tagged book. Happy Readathon Day!
@DeweysReadathon

Tamra I loved The Good Earth! 7y
smilingshelves @Tamra I'm really enjoying it so far, too! 7y
30 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
ElishaLovesBooks
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Congratulations @hermyknee on this awesome giveaway!! These are some of my old and new favorite books(so hard to pick!!) and a mug that reminds me of sunny skies and warm weather when it feels like winter is neverending in Chi-town! Also, I‘m a little obsessed with coffee and am loving this idea! #CoffeeCoffeeCoffee

AlaMich Love your Miami mug. I have San Francisco and if I ever take another vacation, I will add to my collection 😊😳 7y
ElishaLovesBooks @AlaMich They are great! 😊 7y
Bourriquet76 I picked my Disneyland mug like this! 7y
76 likes2 stack adds3 comments
review
laduper
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
Mehso-so

I had never read this before, so thought I‘d try it out. It was okay, definitely not a fave, but it‘s certainly an important book and shares a unique voice with the world. I didn‘t really identify with any of the characters, but that‘s part of what makes the book special.

1 like1 stack add
review
Bookwormjillk
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

Worthy of the term classic. Highly recommend. #litsyclassics

Tamra Yes! 7y
Dulcinella â¤ï¸ 7y
25 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
Dolly
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

I reread so few books, but much time passed between reads here - junior high to middle age. A book must be very well liked to earn a second read or have special significance in my life. Thanks for the generous giveaway!
#GimmeGimme
@Liberty

Tamra I loved this, read it twice. 7y
Dolly 😀 7y
GlassAsDiamonds I‘ve never read this but lived in China for a few years where it‘s recommended *all* the time (by expats).... will look forward to hearing what you think of it on the re-read. 😊 7y
Dulcinella Very interesting book. 7y
60 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
Dolly
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

One of the 10 books everyone should read in their lifetime. I rarely reread but this classic is an exception. Early Bird Books deal for today.

Lacythebookworm This book made such an impact on me when I read it as a teen. I should probably reread it. Great recommendation! 7y
Dolly @Lacythebookworm I think it was assigned in junior high. What stuck with me was the woman who was working in the fields, gave birth, then went back out into the fields like having a baby was a lunch break. (edited) 7y
Lacythebookworm Yes! And the ending devastated me. 7y
See All 6 Comments
Lmstraubie My son is reading this now. I was planning to reread it with him. I need to get on that! 7y
Dolly @Lmstraubie Is he reading it for school? If so what grade? How fantastic that you have someone to discuss the book with! 💕 7y
Lmstraubie Yes, for school. He's a freshman. â˜ºï¸ 7y
50 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
msc1977
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
blurb
Cinfhen
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

#FallIntoBooks #classicsforclassichaters #ClassicHaters might be too strong a word, but they really are not my jam
These 4 I read as an adult and loved them all! Also, how do YOU define what falls under the category of a classic?!? Withstands the test of time? Something revolutionary?? Written before your lifetime??

Siannalyn I've just discovered Flowers for Algernon a couple of months ago, but since then is in my wish list. I hope to read it, sooner or later! 7y
Sace That is a good question. So many classics just seem to be accepted as classics and maybe they haven't really withstood a test of time. It's interesting to see how some classics are coming under fire for outdated attitudes and language. I tend to think a classic is one that speaks to the whole of the human condition, even is sometimes the attitudes of the past don't coincide with the attitudes of the present. Am I making sense? 7y
Cortg We were just talking about The Good Earth last night. I had no idea there was a movie. My co-worker was like, yeah, one of those old movies. It doesn't have any Chinese people, they just taped their eyes back. Yep, 1937. 7y
See All 19 Comments
ElishaLovesBooks I have read The Good Earth a few times starting in high school and loved it every time! @RestlessFickleBookSlut your answer above makes a lot of sense-that's basically the defining characteristic I use when teaching what a literary classic is to 8th graders. 😊 7y
Sace Whew! I have a hard time defining classic. Thank goodness my job doesn't depend on it! I know I'm guilty of sometimes accepting something as classic just because. I went to high school at a time where the western "Canon" was still influential. I love seeing students today being exposed to diverse literature. It's a great time to be a reader! 7y
Theresa I used to define a classic as a book "someone" (Who?? No clue, but their opinion matters to others for some reason) said was important. Most of the classics I read when I was younger were school assignments & I didn't really care for them. I'm enjoying slowly rediscovering some of them as an adult, but I still can't define "classic" well. 7y
Cinfhen I like your explanation a lot @RestlessFickleBookSlut totally makes sense & teaching 8th grade classics sounds challenging but awesome @ElishaLovesBooks 7y
Cinfhen I struggle with the definition too @Theresa 7y
kiminreverse I am such a classics hater! I've liked TKAM, Of Mice and Men, and the childrens book 7y
Cinfhen I enjoyed those 3 as well but I'm with you...if it was written in the 1800's I'm probably going to HATE IT @kiminreverse 7y
Aseleener I'm in a classic lit book club and our rule is that a book has to be 50 years old. I think we could use another parameter, as some books members have suggested are ones I've never even heard of. We often look to see if there was ever a movie made about it. 7y
Aseleener @Cortg Yes, we watched The Good Earth movie in January. It is so horrible! We love watching the old movies at our meetings; drinking wine, making fun, and complaining about how it doesn't follow the book. 7y
Aseleener To me a "classic" is simply a book that is referenced often. That is my main motivation for reading them. Even if I don't enjoy it, I know what people are talking about when they bring it up. There is a great sense of accomplishment when a book you're reading mentions another book, and you're like, "Hey, I've read that!" 7y
Cinfhen How often does your book club met? How interesting your take on a classic - I totally get what you mean! @Aseleener (edited) 7y
Cinfhen My book club just selected a classic for October, which I'm already dreading (edited) 7y
twohectobooks Ah, don't dread Edith Wharton, she's great! 7y
DivineDiana I am a Classics fan, and have a personal goal to read more of them (however it is defined 🤔). So, I am very happy that one of my Book Clubs took my suggestion and our October read is (edited) 7y
Andrew65 @Cinfhen A good discussion about what constitutes a classic book, in general I don't read many classics but given the definitions above perhaps I have read many classics of the future. 7y
RealLifeReading I reckon a book published at least 50 years ago is a classic. 7y
101 likes6 stack adds19 comments
review
KathyWheeler
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

Another one checked off my TBR Bingo! This was a good book showing how the lives of ordinary people can seem untouched even when the society around them is experiencing a vast upheaval -- in this case, China's Cultural Revolution. Buck's use of language is also interesting; it seems even Biblical at times.

19 likes2 stack adds
review
sofiaga
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

This is my first Pearl Buck book ever and I can say I am glad that my Nobelistas Bookclub is allowing me to become familiar with works like this. You can tell she lived in and loved China , not only because of her understanding of the culture but because of her phrases which are so poetic yet simple. I like the theme and the reflection about what happens to people when they are disconnected from the earth.

review
katty_rod
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick
blurb
SpeculativeFemale
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

I pulled out this beat up old copy of a classic for today.

#junebookbugs #aplanetinthetitle
@RealLifeReading

Annl I loved this book. I have not read the other books in the trilogy. 7y
30 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
suvata
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

25 likes2 stack adds
review
AshleyHoss820
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image
Pickpick

Biggest Book in 1931. Oh, man. This book is good. I couldn't exactly identify with the main characters (except maybe O-Lan), but it was mostly because of cultural relevance and such. But I could definitely identify with the themes: What we work so hard for, how soon we can forget where we came from, generational gaps, appreciating the simple things as we age...I will definitely re-read this one.

15 likes3 stack adds
blurb
Rachel.Rencher
The Good Earth | Pearl S. Bück
post image

Pleasant surprise from Thrift Books! Totally thought I ordered a paperback, and they sent me this beautiful hardback copy of The Good Earth.

Re-reading this story now because I feel it's one I didn't fully appreciate when it was assigned to me in my highschool lit class.

Lucas.Rencher Such a good book! 8y
BkClubCare Read this for book club and we had a delightful stimulating conversation abt this book. 8y
RinaBrahmbhattBarot So beautiful :) 8y
Eyelit That is such a lovely edition! 8y
79 likes5 stack adds5 comments