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crunch1009's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While reading through the book, I found myself incredibly engaged in every chapter. At times, it did feel rather slow but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The characters, I had a hard time trying to like, really only being fond of O-lan. The ending though, practically ruined the whole book for me. I felt sick to my stomach when reading the last 3 chapters and almost stopped reading it entirely. I can’t really see myself entirely understanding why Pearl S. Buck ended the book like so, but, it’s still a good read nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Cannibalism
tracie_mcd's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was an epic, historical fiction multi-generational family drama of life in a very small Chinese town. The book was written in 1931 and it is hard to pin down the exact time frame of the story but there are hints to it with references to a war and “revolution” that take place at different times during the story but our very short passing references. The depiction of women and their lives during this time period in China is hard to read and I found myself so sympathetic to the first wife and mother, O’Lan. She was such an incredible woman and the lack of kindness or love shown to her through her entire life (too spite being the biggest reason for the families eventual prosperity) really bothered and saddened me. The fact that she received no real credit for all she did and that her husband didn’t really acknowledge or appreciate her and all she contributed until the end of her life and again at the end of his life made me unsympathetic to Wang Lung however I do believe it to be an honest and truthful portrayal of most women’s lives in China during that time. I struggled with the problematic references to the clearly special needs daughter in the novel but again we’re probably accurate given the time frame and location of the story. This book should have been a 5 star book for me due to my love of epic, historical period novels but I think the hard lives, famine and poverty were hard to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Classism, Misogyny, and Slavery
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment
sarah_speaks's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Slavery, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, and War
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