when I was a teen and I was fascinated by the stories of the Chinese people. I especially remember the part where one of the characters was expecting a child. She was working in the fields, and when it came time to have her baby, she stopped working, gave birth, then simply went back to the fields and resumed her work. I couldn't believe that some people actually lived like that! It wasn't until later that I found out that that particular part of the book was true. Childbirth is very different in China among the working class. Pearl S. Buck was simply writing about the Chinese culture that she had come to know.
When I first saw an article about Pearl of China by Anchee Min a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted to read it. I have heard about Pearl S. Buck for many years. I'd like to know more. And to see that this is a book written from a Chinese perspective makes it even more intriguing. 
It is written from the viewpoint of a friend of Buck's named Willow. Willow is a compilation of several friends that Buck had while she lived in China. Min tells the story of their friendship and the things they learned from each other as they shared in each other's lives. It is a work of fiction, but the stories are basically true.
Here is a video of the author talking about her new book:
2 comments:
I'm waiting for this one to come too! I've read almost all of Pearl S. Buck's books, I love her writing so much especially the Asian novels. A few of her books are semi auto-biographical so I am really looking forward to reading this new fictional take on her life.
Chinese literate is an interest for me. I took a Chinese History class, and it kept me intrigued. I really should check this novel out. I loved The Good Earth!
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