The Good Earth--a book review

I've been meaning to read The Good Earth since I first heard about it in grade school. The author, Pearl S. Buck, was born in West Virginia and was part of my WV history lessons back then. This month I finally joined the other millions (billions?), who have read the book when I read it as part of my book club.

The Good Earth was published in 1931 and follows the life of Wang Lung in pre-revolutionary rural China. The book begins with a young Wang Lung preparing for his wedding day and follows his life until he is old and close to death. He values the land and farming above all else which leads him from humble beginnings to being a rich man. Along the way, we see him suffer through famines and personal hardships and watch the way his eventual wealth affects him and the next generation.

This book has been a classic since it came out. It won a Pulitzer Prize and also helped Buck win the Nobel Prize for Literature. (And if that weren't enough, it was chosen for Oprah's Book Club a couple of years ago). What all of this means is the book has been studied and talked about for decades now. Its historical significance and literary merits have been debated by many scholars as well as high school students. So there's a lot of information out there you can read for an in depth analysis of it. However, in the meantime I'm going to tell you what I thought about it when I read it as an afternoon pleasure read.

Buck's writing style is what impressed me the most about this novel. She writes in a simplistic way about profound events. It reminded me of Bible stories where powerful stories are told with just the simple facts. When I was describing this to Theo he said, “You mean she tells you the story, but doesn't tell you how to feel about it.” And I think that is a good description. But among this simple story telling are very rich details about Chinese culture which also play a major role in the plot. All in all, it is a very compelling read.

I thought the book could have ended sooner than it did. It seemed to me that the story plodded along a little longer than it needed to. However, another member of the club thought that Buck was slowing down the story just as Wang Lung's life did as he aged. In retrospect, this made a lot of sense to me. Maybe it ended at just the right time.

What did the other members of the club think? Everyone liked the book, including me, and it provided a good discussion. This is not always the case when everyone likes a book.

Recommendation: If you are one of the few like I was who have not read The Good Earth, give it a try. Unlike some classics, it is an easy, enjoyable read, but like many classics, it will give you much to reflect on.

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But Wait, There's More:

--The Good Earth is the first book in a trilogy about this family. It is followed by Sons and a House Divided.

--I don't like to give away much of the story when I do a review, so I don't do that here. However, if you'd like to know more about The Good Earth, read here.

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--July 19, 2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.

This Week's Food Waste 

 

I knew it was coming--a big food waste week. And this was the week it finally hit. There was a little bit of cucumber and sweet potato salad that went bad because no one really liked them. Also, we go in and out of cottage cheese phases around here and apparently we went out of one right after we bought this container. I hate to see all of this waste, but we will do better next week--unless we don't. :)

This Week's True Food Confessions

We didn't have cake balls this week, but I don't have pictures of anything else.

This week's food is more of a blur than it usually is. We were gone for a few days and had some delicious food during that time. We had chicken and dumplings made for us by a friend that were done to perfection. Another time, we had my favorite hot dog sauce made by my aunt. We also had a refreshing fruit salad made by one of my cousins that was served in a hollowed out watermelon with our family name carved on the side. There was also a chocolate chip cookie competition of sorts in which there was no clear winner. However, there certainly was no loser. :) When we were home, we went out for Theo's birthday for some more good food. Another night we had a frozen pizza and Wally made grilled cheese sandwiches yet another night. Tonight there is a delicious smelling roast waiting for us in the crock pot.

So there's the food jumble for this week. At least no one went hungry. 

Until next time...

 

A Second Look---July 17, 2013

Here's what I saw this week during a Second Look.

The tiger lilies started blooming this week and the swallowtail butterflies really like them.

We saw our first Blackeyed Susan this week.

The sedum is just beginning to form buds. This is the first time I have noticed its buds and I find them quite interesting.

 The skipper butterflies have arrived to enjoy the coneflowers again this year.

Coreopsis

The baby bluebirds have finally fledged. We saw this one hiding in the grass and once again the parents were trying to scare us away from it.

The sparrow's nest now has two eggs in it.

Family Reunion--Part 2

My Family Reunions

My Grandmother and some the Cousins

When I was growing up, we had a picnic every summer to celebrate my grandmother's birthday in July. My aunts and uncles and 23 cousins would gather at The Farm my grandmother lived on to play and talk and eat. The Cousins would play in the creek and catch minnows and crawdads. The Aunts and Uncles would talk. And of course, we would all eat.
 

As the years passed, we grew up and the picnics stopped. There seemed to be too many other things going on in our "grown up" lives to be able to come, and my grandmother had passed away. 

However several years later, we began them again, still at The Farm. This time, many of the 23 Cousins had been joined by spouses and children. The next generation of Children found the creek a great place to play. They caught minnows and crawdads just as their parents had. The Aunts and Uncles smiled as they watched their grandkids and they talked. The Cousins now played horseshoes and croquet and tried to make sure the Children were okay in the creek. But mostly we talked. And of course, we would all eat.

And this year, we gathered again. Our picnic was at a park and not at The Farm, so the little ones played in the mud puddles instead of the creek. Many of the Aunts and Uncles have passed away, but were remembered in pictures and stories. The Cousins were talking about colleges and empty nests and the Children were texting their friends. But mostly we talked. And of course, we all ate.

Family Reunion--2013

Family Reunions

Never enough time to...

Remember those who have gone

And meet those who have joined us.

To catch up on new happenings

And remember the old times.

To enjoy food off the grill

And save room for dessert.

To hug everyone hello

And hug everyone goodbye.