Pearl Buck in China

Journey to The Good Earth

By: Hilary Spurling

Narrated by: Hilary Spurling

The author of the much honored two-volume biography of Henri Matisse unearths the life and work of the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winner Pearl Buck, whose novels in the 1930's and 40's were the first written for a Western audience to describe ordinary life in the still secret China of the late 19th and early 20th century. Published in 1931, The Good Earth sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and is still in print today.

©2010 Hilary Spurling (P)2010 Oasis

Amazing life experience. A feminist, and survivor.

Absolutely loved it. An amazing study of this fabulous soul, and her survival. Will now start reading her books.

A biography as gripping as a novel

If you could sum up Pearl Buck in China in three words, what would they be?

Tragic inspiring mesmerizing

What did you like best about this story?

Pearl Buck's life in China was much more complex and interesting than I would have imagined before listening to this book. And tragic too. The biographer doesn't omit any of the gritty, grimy details of her life. And there were many! But they add substance to Buck's portrait and vividly illustrate what a remarkable woman (person) Pearl Buck was and what a remarkable life she had lived.

Have you listened to any of Hilary Spurling’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Pearl Buck's greatest novel was her life

Any additional comments?

I lived for two years in Nanjing and one year in Zhenjiang and I was never informed that Pearl Buck had lived in either city. Obviously the Chinese are conflicted about her. But China was an important part of her life, and for millions -- both Chinese and non-Chinese -- she offered a glimpse of a civilization that they would otherwise have never known.

Fascinating read with some thoughtful insights

The portrayal of life in China at that time is a unique blend of personal memoir and historical journey, with perspectives on some of the often hidden aspects of living the ministry life in that part of the world - as well as here in the U.S. This book inspired me to read her complete trilogy and other writings on historical aspects of life in China, written in elegantly descriptive prose. She is a master story-teller in her later works.

A far more interesting person than I had realized.

An insight into personalities steeped in two cultures and languages and deeply sympathetic to both.

Ok, but didn’t care for the narrator

Interesting story. Wish each chapter had been a ‘part’ with separate chapters within. Hilary needed to slow down and take a breath between sections. Sometimes felt like one big run-on sentence.