Peony

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful novel that is worth reading and re-reading
Review: This was the first Pearl Buck book I ever read. I still re-read it with a lot of enjoyment.

The language Pearl Buck uses is clever; in the Good Earth she keeps the language simple, to catch the thought patterns of the peasant farmers. In Peony, she tries to capture the formal interactions between masters and servants, between men and women both Chinese and of foreign descent. She succeeds brilliantly in making the speech patterns of each character suit their role.

The story is wide-ranging, from inside the walls of a Chinese-Jewish household with its extended family and servants, all the way to the Manchu court of the Western Empress Tzu Hsi. The story of the Jews in China is well-told and interesting.

And of course Pearl Buck is first and foremost a wonderful story teller. If you like Amy Tan, you are sure to enjoy this book too.