'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck



Synopsis:
Though more than sixty years have passed since this remarkable novel won the Pulitzer Prize, it has retained its popularity and become one of the great modern classics. "I can only write what I know, and I know nothing but China, having always lived there," wrote Pearl Buck. In THE GOOD EARTH she presents a graphic view of a China when the last emperor reigned and the vast political and social upheavals of the twentieth century were but distant rumblings for the ordinary people. This moving, classic story of the honest farmer Wang Lung and his selfless wife O-lan is a must reading for those who would fully appreciate the sweeping changes that have occurred in the lives of the Chinese people during this century.

My Review:
Dunky bought this book for me at MPH when we went to Mid Valley last Saturday night, and I have never stopped reading it since! I first read this book in a thin abridged version back when I was in Primary 6 for English Class Reader subject. To my amazement I saw this book in all its pure full-length novel form! And 357 pages to indulge in!!!

Why do I love it so much? The language for one, is charming without being too flowery. It's simple but the depth of what it implies will move you no end. The characters are memorable, the villains even more so. The story is moving without making you feel sorry for the protagonists. You just feel for them, and like a silent audience, you secretly root for Wang Lung and his wife to pull through the famines and droughts that befell their poor family.

This is a perfect read for a lazy Sunday afternoon, but as for me, I shall re-read it soon enough. It has been one of my most loved stories when I was a child, and as an adult it again succeeded in enthralling me. The thin abridged book is only but less than a hundred pages that leaves out details and elaborations that you can otherwise find in the thick unabridged version. It really makes the story so much darker than it seem so I can understand why they left it out for the kids' benefit.

Thank you hubby!!!

Really enjoyed this book, one of the rare ones that I'd read over and over again periodically. Next, I'll lend this to Dunky, then to my mom and last of all to Shearn, IF he wants to that is.

Will start another post soon if need be so meanwhile, I'll go do a little toy-scouting!

Overall Mood Today: :)

Man, it's been ages since I last updated this thang. I must've been:

A) Busy
B) Horny
C) Broke
D) All of the above

Hehe, guess which one's correct?

Anyways this entry will be a summary of all that's happened since the last update, not inclusive of the toys and mangas I bought... Okay okay so I have been neglecting my manga titles but you simply cannot blame me just because there were tonnes of yummy toys being released faster than you can say 'M-c-F-a-r-l-a-n-e' !

From the beginning of August, there was this fiasco surrounding Dunky's sister and her wedding. Long story cut short, they managed to sort it out like civil people do and in the end, everything went smoothly. During the ceremony at home, I got to meet a handful of his relatives, which is A LOT if you consider the amount of relatives he has. There was Auntie This and Uncle That, but really, I can't remember names that well when there was a sea of bodies just mingling in front of you. So what I did was nod my head and mumbled a few words. Throw in a smile and they'd love you, that's what I told myself. Meh. But they were pretty nice and all, 'cept that those poor sods ALL got wind that I was to be Dunky's future bride. I don't really like people prying into my private lives, so the minute they ask what kinda wedding dinner I want, the prompt reply was: NONE

That's right, you heard it. Zero. Zilch. Kosong. Why spend money unneccesarily on people you hardly know? Why indeed? It's not like they helped us get together, in which in the event of them ever helping me, the most they'd get is a little Sushi King meal voucher. Hah.

I kid you not. These traditions are totally unneccessary. I mean, yeah sure, it's the muhibbah spirit and all but WTF, people usually don't know who's sitting next to them at wedding dinners anyway. ESPECIALLY Chinese wedding dinners. Where's the fun in spending RMXXX per table just to please your in-laws @ relatives? Where's the fun when headaches, stress, and inability to perform nocturnal functions (oops, did I say that? Heheh...) befell you and your beloved spouse?

Anyways, enough ranting, I'll post more next week... PROMISE!

Overall Mood Today: :twisted: