The Good Earth

By: Pearl S. Buck

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize Winner, Novel 1932

This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic tells the poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall.

Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.

©1958 Pearl S. Buck (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"A beautiful, beautiful book. At last we read, in the pages of a novel, of the real people of China." ( Saturday Review)
" The Good Earth has style, power, coherence and a pervasive sense of dramatic reality." ( New York Times Book Review)
"To read this story of Wang Lung is to be slowly and deeply purified; and when the last page is finished it is as if some significant part of one's own days were over." ( Bookman)

An amazing story teller!

This is PEARL S. BUCK. I just finished three of her books. THE GOOD EARTH, SONS and A HOUSE DIVIDED, from Audible.com. All I ever knew about Buck was the Hollywood production of The Good Earth, with Katherine Hepburn. Needles to say they butchered it. Looking for a new audiobook I gave Buck a try. OMG! I burned through the above three books in 2.5 weeks. What a brilliant writer.

The Good Earth

I read this book in my youth and now listened to it and I remembered why it is a classic. I loved the narrator. I loved the story.

Still amazing

This book still holds up. It’s a classic for a reason. Well read by a wonderful narrator.

A BEAUTIFULLY- WRITTEN CLASSIC

A book full of meaning, tradition, and of life. The beauty, and sometimes cunning wisdom of the old Chinese way of life is shown to those of us who know little of it. This book filled me with an inner peace while I read it, and I was happy to find the other two parts of this magnificent trilogy.

Wonderful

it was a wonderful story took me back in time the reading was great there is nothing bad about it I recommend this book to anybody who loves a good story

The Good Earth

A moving work of literary genius. The masterfully told story of one good man who experiences the full range of good fortune and hardship during his many years. Along the way he accumulates wisdom, compassion and a heightened awareness of what sustained him through his life, his love for the land.
If you have not read it, this book belongs on your “bucket list”.

Absolutely Wonderful

I read this as a child and I'm glad I revisited it on Audible. The narration is superb and brought this beautiful story to a new level. I highly recommend it.

First novel I read about 12

Living on a farm in the 50 I understood the land being my first novel it opened a new world for me I became an avid reader. Enjoyed the reading .

Wonderful Story.

A very humble coming of age book a great classic. The narrator does an awesome job making the story that much better. Great for a book club.

Perfect accompaniment for vegan

Would you consider the audio edition of The Good Earth to be better than the print version?

Yes, because, as with all books, it kept me from reading too fast. Kept me attentive.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The wife, I just can't remember her name, it was a few months ago.