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)

Timeless

Would you listen to The Good Earth again? Why?

This story is impeccably crafted in its simplicity -- it's human-ness. The performance by Anthony Heald is outstanding. I will be looking for more audio books with his voice, an incredible narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The character of the wife was painfully plain in her manner, but thoroughly supporting the family throughout.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was when Wang Lung appreciated his wife and cared for her as she lay dying.

Also, I loved the connection Wang Lung had to the land around him.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When O-lan was having children alone and went right back to the fields

Any additional comments?

An incredibly good story on all counts. It's multi-faceted, thoroughly a character study through the life of one farmer. I loved it thoroughly. Anthony Heald is an amazing talent.

Excellent story. Lots of Chinese history and culture.

Well written, entertaining book involving much Chinese social and economic culture. Worth reading! Very enjoyable and I looked forward to listening to the book at every opportunity.

one of my favorites

I love this book. the story is so captivating, harrowing at times, you really get to FEEL the characters and hate them or love them. the narrator in this recording is really good and I love how he changes the voice of the main character as he gets older, you really get a sense of how he's aged. this is one of my favorite stories.

Even better than the book

I first read The Good Earth when I was in elementary school and I still have that book in my bookcase. I've read it numerous times and since I wanted to listen to a book that I was familiar with, I picked this one.

Anthony Heald did an outstanding job on this book. He actually sounded Asian while he was narrating, and he felt the parts instead of just reading them. I never knew this was a trilogy until now and I downloaded the next book Sons, but it just isn't the same. It's narrated by someone else and it sounds flat and dull.

As someone who loved this book most of my life, I highly recommend this audible version of The Good Earth. You won't be sorry!

A Classic

I have read and/or listened to this wonderful book more times than I can count. I love Pearl S. Buck’s stories of China so much. The narrator is perfect and one of my favorites. I wish he also narrated the remaining two books in the trilogy. Wang Lung is a fascinating main character to follow through his life and its many tribulations. The character of O-Lan is, in many ways, a sad one, yet she is one of the more interesting in the book. Highly recommend.

Classic

Entertaining thoughtful book full of nuggets of honest wisdom. Every one should read at least once.

Excellent

This book is a classic for a reason. It is an excellent and timeless story. The narrator lived up to the excellence of the story. He was fabulous! Definitely five stars all around!

An example of how a simple language can sound reach and satisfying.

This book came recommended through another work of fiction. While the language appears simple, the author manages to deliver a gripping and historically charged tale of a family life in China in the late 19 early 20th century. It highlights the position of women in a Chinese society of that time as well as their male counterparts.

A Memorable Classic! Pearl S. Buck at her best

Read this Pearl S. Buck classic many years ago, and it was a great pleasure to hear the story of Wang Lung once again!
I plan on continuing the Trilogy, while following the generations of his family and what happens to the land that Wang cherished.

In my top 5 books

I’m not one to read a book more than once. This is the only book I’ve read more than once, and as I thought about reading it again, I thought I’d see what the audiobook was like. It did not disappoint! I loved the narrator! He brought a favorite book to life. I would listen to it again and will find more audio by this narrator.