Review
With 30 out of 35 reviewers rating it 4 or 5 stars, Pearl of China
is a top pick amongst BookBrowse readers! Here's what they have to say:
This book is a miracle of words. Anchee Min is a gifted writer whose skills bring the reader along on her journey. While the book may seem to focus on Pearl S. Buck, to me the real heroine was Willow Lee and her undying dedication to her friend (Martha L). At times, I found myself responding to the novel as if the events really happened. The words are beautiful, especially the poetry that is interspersed throughout the book (Trezeline B). I did wonder throughout whether the narrator had been a real person; was there really a Willow? I am now inspired to find out, which may be the highest recommendation I can give (Kristen H). Be prepared to stay up all night until you have finished this novel as it will capture your...
Beyond the Book
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (born June 26, 1892 in Hillsboro, West Virginia) was an important and much lauded American writer, famous for her depictions of China and Chinese culture, which earned her a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for the novel
The Good Earth and the first Nobel Prize awarded to an American woman for Literature in 1938 "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces".
She grew up in the town of Chenchiang, China and was raised by missionary parents until, at 15-years-old, she was sent to Shanghai to attend boarding school. She later...
