The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck takes place in China during the early 20th century. It is about a poor farmer whose belief in the land never changes. He believed that only the land can be trusted and only the land can be generous enough to provide for his children. He believed that until he owns the land, his family will the able to continue the living; land was his life and he believed as long as the land exists his family was safe to overcome the hunger, poverty and other disasters. The main character is the farmer Wang Lung who owns a small land; he marries a slave name O-Ian from the Big House and his life starts changing because his wife helps him to work on the land and bears him five children, most importantly three sons. In the end of the story, however, the legacy that this farmer tries to pass on to his children does not go through because his children looked at land only as a tool to make money without any emotional attachments that Wang Lung and his wife had to their land. His kids got older, they were spoiled and behaved selfishly; all they cared was how much the land was worth to sell.
I really liked this book because it is a very emotional book that tells you about the hardship of life. It also shows how two generations can look at the same thing differently.
Reviewed by E. P., grade 10.
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