It also won the prestigious 1932 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction award. Immediately upon publication in 1931, The Good Earth was an instant hit and would go on to be the bestselling novel for two consecutive years. There are those who lift up their voices and their tears flow and this may be called crying there are those who utter loud lamentations but whose tears do not flow and this may be called howling there are those whose tears flow but who utter no sound and this may be called weeping.” ~ Pearl Buck, The Good Earth

“Now it has been said from ancient times that all women who weep may be divided into three sorts. How will this young couple, with children in tow survive the storms that are meeting them halfway? But just when it seems that everything is flowing smoothly, fate decides to intercede with one of its horrible jokes. With the birth of their first son, prosperity is the hard earned reward that the young couple is receiving for their industriousness. Quiet but diligent, O-lan was Wang Fung’s reliable right hand who worked beside him in tilling the fields. To accompany his son in his farming, the father arranged for his son to be married with O-lan, a young female slave from the great family of the House of Hwang. Springing from the fertile soil is the story of Wang Lung, a young but destitute farmer who is living in an earthen brick house with his father. From the fertile earth blossomed stories – stories of triumphs, of failures, of gain, of losses, of happiness, of sadness. Toiled by industrial and hardworking hands, the earth is a source of pride and joy for the ordinary citizen. It is blessed by nature and throughout its history, these bountiful blessings helped sustain its growing number denizens.

Beyond its diversity and vastness, it is a nation that is pulsating, full of verve, full of life.

The good earth novel