The Good Earth

Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: Derek Kennedy April 1, 1999

The novel The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck, is about a Chinese peasant named Wang Lung who starts off his life by struggling to even eat and by the end of the book he had enough money to buy food for the whole town. But after his death his family uses the money unwisely, falls, and they become broke. I did not care for this book that much. It was dull and each time I started reading it I would start to fall asleep. There was no suspension and all and the characters were boring. Maybe if you were into Chinese history or culture you would like it. It had a lot of descriptive writing and a real good use of vocabulary. My favorite part in the book was at the end of the book because I could stay awake for a lot longer. And I finally could read a new book. It was also a pretty good way the author ended the book. I do not think The Good Earth was an important book to read unless you were doing or wanted to learn about Chinese history and culture. I think this way because the book was really boring to read especially for teenagers.

Rating:
Summary: I did not enjoy The Good Earth
Review: I have just finished reading The Good Earth . It is about a man named Wang Lung and his struggle to be happy and to have a prosperous life. He needs to earn for his family and keep them alive through famine, drought, and hard times. Once he has money he thinks he will be happy. Many things then happen to him and he then learns that money doesn't buy happiness. Personally I didn't like the book. It was a good novel and well written I just did not enjoy the topic. You may enjoy it. It depends on the kind of writing you like. China is not something I enjoy reading about. My favorite part of the book was the way it ended. I won't tell you how but I will say that it left something to be imaged. For some The Good Earth would be important to read. It teaches many lessons about life and happiness. One who needs to learn this will need to read the book. It has taught me some lessons I will never forget. I hope you enjoy reading The Good Earth.

Rating:
Summary: A several line summary of the book.
Review: The novel The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, is about a Chinese farmer who works amongst test and time itself to become rich. After marriing a poor slave named O-lan, Wang Lung, the main character, worked with his new wife to famr his land. Working with and extra hand, Wang Lung was able to buy things more often and infact bought some additional land. After a drought came, starvation forced those of Wang Lung's town to go south in search of food. There, he pulled rickshas for silver and once they had enough money from that and money found, they went home. Bringing back grain for planting, Wang Lung grew in his fields once more. After some time Wang Lung strayed from his family and purchased a Concubine named Lotus. She ended up causing great stiffe in the family as she showed to Wang Lung's children that though he worked for every penny Wang Lung was truly greedy. The children ended up growing up disobedient. Wang Lung's final wish before he died was that his children did not sell his land, but they acknowledged to each other that they would. I did not enjoy the book The Good Earth because it did not meat my interests. The book was rather slow moving in my mind and had little excitement. The characters were pretty well devloped but they seamed to interact in a way that I did not seam to enjoy. They seamed to never be alone because there was always at least two people, this does not seam right.

My favorite part was, though not for the reasons one might think, was when O-lan died. It showed that though Wang-Lung was only human, he was not a very good man because he could not even look at O-lan's hideous face even as she was dieing.

I do not think that The Good Earth is a very good book because I did not enjoy it. If you enjoy reading of former Chinese culture it would be a good book for you though.

Rating:
Summary: A Novel Of Full Circle
Review: Katelyn Giarratana Enrichment 9A Period 5

The book The Good Earth is a very complex book written with simple language. The Good Earth is basically about the rise and fall of one family. Wang Lung is a very poor farmer at the start of The Good Earth. He must go the great house of Hwang for a wife. His wife was a slave at the house for many years. From the beginning Wang's wife, O-lan, brings him good fortune. She is clever and works from dawn until dusk without rest. She bears him sons and speaks true advice. When the famine hit they were forced to relocate to the South. O-lan is the one that enables them to survive in their new surroundings. When they are finally able to return to the land Wang discovers a cask of jewels on his wife's body. He sells the jewels for land and from this land becomes rich. With his wealth idleness sets in. Wang takes another wife. He grows to loath O-lan because of her looks. O-lan dies. Wang grows old and richer yet. His sons are like young lords. Bursting with silver and education. With the death of their father they will sell the land and so the house of Wang will fall. I enjoyed the Good Earth immensely. I really liked the main idea and the simple way the story was told. Emotions were expressed vividly through the characters. The book's full circle plot adds to its interest. My favorite part of the Good Earth was when O-lan was dying. That part was filled with so much emotion. You felt so much empathy for her when she called out "I am ugly and know I can not be loved." This women has worked and obeyed Wang Lung from the moment she came into his house. I think The Good Earth is extremely important to read. It adds more cultural diversity to our sheltered lives which will make us better people in the future. This is extremely important and will help us become better developed and intellectually more sound.

Rating:
Summary: horribil , great to line a bird cage
Review: The novel The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck was a great look

at Chinese culture. The book was about a Chinese farmer and the

hardships of his life, and how he got by.

I didn't like this book at all. I thought that it was boring

and uninteresting, it would be a good book for older person to

read. It isn't a really good book for 14 and 15 year old kids to

read, especially since they are use to read about boyfriends who

are cheating on their girlfriends , and the tangled webs they

weave.

My favorite part of the book was the ending. Because it

finally ended my misery.

I think that it is an important book to read , if you want

to learn about Chinese culture. But for kids our age the book

really important because it was boring and really slow moving. It

also had a dragged out end , and a bad plot line. I felt that it

bored the reader, which causes them to lose interest, so they stop

reading it. I know from experience that the book is dragged out.

On nights that I couldn't sleep I would pick the book up and

start to read, in a few quick minutes I would be sleeping like a

baby.

Rating:
Summary: This book was enjoyable, and taught some valuable lessons.
Review: This book was very well written, and it taught a few important morals. It shows how one man used the earth to rise up above everything that faced him, and how he went from being a poor farmer to being the head of a powerful Chinese dynasty. This books presents many themes, such as the relationship between man and earth. It also shows how quickly one's morals can be changed in certain circumstances. This book is an important book to read, because so much can be learned by it. This book tells one some very important life lessons, such as not letting your ego get in the way of your life. It teaches that money and power changes people, but only if it is allowed to. Generally, I liked this book. There were certain parts that had trouble keeping my interest, but all in all, I think it was a great book. It provided an inside view of China, that I had never known existed. I learned much about China through this book. A couple of parts in this book actually made me cry. Considering that this is only a book, that is a big accomplishment. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading books that teach them things they may have never known before.

Rating:
Summary: Good stuff, yo!
Review: The Good Earth, is about Wang Lung's plights with the earth. Many other things occupy Wangs life, but the earth is his main concern. He works the land as his father did before him. When famine strikes Wang Lungs land, he and his family are forced to go south for the winter. They have to work hard and beg all winter, and if they had not been so lucky as to be at the city when a revolution was occurring, which enabled them to loot the rich mans house, they might still be very poor. His new found riches gave him the ability to buy for himself a concubine from a teahouse in town. This started Wang Lungs Downward spiral. I thought this book was very good. It was like a window into the Chinese culture. My favorite part of the book was when Wang-Lung says to the old teacher in regard to his boys that he is sending to school, "So if you would like to please me, beat them." I also think that The Good Earth is indispensable to any person that fancies himself well read. I think that because of what I said previously about it being a window to the Chinese culture.

Rating:
Summary: Summary and Opinion of The Good Earth
Review: The Good Earth was an interesting book regarding life in China in the late nineteenth century. The main character, Wang Lung, has farmed the land all his life. His father and his father and his father all were farmers; the land was in his blood. When drought struck the northern city where his farm was located, He was forced to move his starving family to the south where they were to become beggars and theives. One night, revolution swept through the city and the peasants stormed a rich house. Wang Lung gathers enough gold to travel back north to the land. Soon, he notices his faithful wife, O-Lan, was carrying a bag full of valueable jewels. On these jewels the family becomes rich and powerful, which brings more bad than good to the simple farmer. My opinion of this book is a positive one. The author was skilled at conveying her point and keeping the reader's interest in mind. She used great descriptive language and accurately described Chinese culture at the time. My favorite part was when Wang Lung returned from the north in great prosper. This was my favorite part mostly because it was the only happy one in the story. The Good Earth was a very important book. It is most important because it deals with many moral and ethical questions such as gender equality.

Rating:
Summary: This book makes a good table-leveler.
Review: This book did not keep my attention for long. After about the first chapter I was just reading it because I had to. So this is my review: The book started off with the main character named Wang Lung, getting ready to pick up his bride. He is mocked in the Great House of Hwang, and it disparaged in front of the Old Lady. Wang Lung finally leaves with his bride, O-Lan, after having the most embarrassing experience in his life. This proceeds with several years of good fortune. He is borne two sons, but at the birth of their third child, O-lan has a girl. This is almost considered a sin in China, and brings bad luck upon O-lan and Wang Lung. They see black crows on the horizon, and several pages water, experience a drought. This causes the whole family to move south to find food and shelter. Shortly after a few events, they return back to the land more wealthy and powerful then ever.

My favorite parts of the book were the death parts, because it meant "This many down, that many more to go." Don't get me wrong, the book was okay, if you had the time. I am a very busy person with 4-H clubs and did not have much time to read the book. I recommend it to a person who has absolutely nothing to do.

Rating:
Summary: The book was informative, but not really that interesting
Review: The book The Good Earth takes place in a small town in China during the early 1900's.It is about a poor farmer named Wang-lung who gets married, though he is repulsed by his wife's appearence. The crops are growing very well untill there is a drought. The family moves to the South to start over. During thier stay in the South the boxer rebelion breaks out and the peasents of the city go crazy and break down the doors of a great house. Wang-lung takes part in the theving and finds a man who fears for his life and gives Wang-lung all the money that he has. The money that the family has now is enough to go back to thier land. After the rebellion things are going very well. Wang-lung takes on numerous slaves and one concubine and hher personal slave, who his wife O-lan hates. The family becomes very rich and moves into the abondoned house of Hwang, once the richest house in town. As the money comes in dicontent grows. The sons hate eachother and thier wives are just as bad. The land, which was the most important thing in Wang-lung's life is now forgotten. When Wan-lung dies his greedy sons divide the land and sell it. The book was informative, though not always interesting. There were some dry spots where you felt like killing yourself so you wouldn't have to read any more but the book way not so bad as a whole. The author really made you hate Wang-lung for the decisions that he made. You could tell from the beginning that the first son was going to be a spender. I liked it for the most part but those parts were really hard to get through. My favorite part was when the first son wanted to push his Uncle's family into the flood waters. It was interestint to see that much hate in a person that is susposed to be calm. This is a very important book to read. It shows the reader what it was like to be a poor farmer in the early 1900's.