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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.52
EAN num: 9781559210393
ISBN number: 1559210397
Label: Moyer Bell
Manufacturer: Moyer Bell
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 313
Printing Date: 1992-11
Publishing house: Moyer Bell
Sale Popularity Level: 26313
Studio: Moyer Bell
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Second in the trilogy that began with The Good Earth, Buck's classic and starkly real tale of sons rising against their honored fathers tells of the bitter struggle to the death between the old and the new in China. Revolutions sweep the vast nation, leaving destruction and death in their wake, yet also promising emancipation to China's oppressed millions who are groping for a way to survive in a modern age.
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Rated by buyers 
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Generational conflict in China as the country undergoes dramatic political and economic changes. As relevant yesterday as yesterday in understanding the Chinese people.
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I got this book in a timely fashion and am looking forward to reading it.
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The Good Earth follows the life of a farmer by the name of Wang Lung as he suffers life's trials and successes to build a dynasty that will span through many generations.
Sons picks up where THE GOOD EARTH leaves off and opens on the end of Wang Lung's life as he prepares to die and his sons inherit his properties and possessions. As the story progresses Pearl Buck no longer refers to the sons by their names but instead begins to call them names based upon their character and occupation. The eldest son becomes known as Wang the landlord because he makes his living by renting out his father's lands. The second son becomes known as Wang the merchant because he makes his living as a merchant. The youngest son becomes known as Wang the Tiger as he becomes a soldier and War Lord. SONS contains aspects of all of their lives but in particular follows the life of Wang the Tiger.
In THE GOOD EARTH Wang Lung made his living upon the land, and it was very important that his land be protected. He had seen the fall of the great house of Hwang as the family had ceased to value the land and the sons had become spoiled little princes who spent their money on Opium, women and gambling. Wang Lung wanted his sons to value the land but then gave his sons everything his newly acquired wealth and position could afford, and they too became spoiled little princes who did not know the value of the land. He charged them fervently never to sell the land. Upon his death in the book SONS Wang Lung's son's almost immediately begin to sell off the land and go through the inheritance that their father had left to them.
As with most of Pearl Buck's books it is not so much what happens in the story as it is the development of the characters and their lives as they unfold that is of particular interest.
Wang the landlord became a fat, glutenous, gambling, womanizer who struggles to keep the money from flowing out twice as fast as it flows in. Wang the merchant becomes a wise shrewd merchant and does quite well financially but does not value the land as his father did. Wang the Tiger sets forth to become a War Lord, using his father's land to finance his armies. The book follows his life as he conquers different lands and then tries to retain control of them. Wang the Tiger has a soft heart for a war lord and finds injustice difficult to stomach. He realizes that the one thing he is missing are sons as his brothers have, so he marries and finds great joy when he has a son of his own and watches his son's growth into manhood. He wishes his son to follow in his footsteps and become a Lord of War, but the boy, while he is obedient in his training, lacks the desire to be as his father. Just as Wang the Tiger did not desire to be as his father but instead chose another path, it is obvious that Wang the Tiger's son will also choose to follow a different path.
While I am not sure of the exact time setting of this book, it is clear that it is a more recent time in history when China stands upon a threshold of change to the modern instead of the traditional. Pearl Buck does a wonderful job in this book as in all her books of showing us a picture of Chinese life and culture. The book doesn't have to 'move' quickly with lots of plot twists because her characters are so interesting and real that it holds the interest of the reader.
Sons is worth reading if you have read THE GOOD EARTH because you find out what happens in the lives of the characters with whom you already have a connection. Compared with Pearl Buck's other works I was not as impressed with this book but did find it interesting.
Rated by buyers 
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Book jacket says that this work, a follow on the moving and thoughtful The Good Earth, is written as a chinese novel, with its structure and approach. I found it very tedious, with constant repetition of events of daily lives, (how many feasts can one describe in a single book?). I think this is perhaps more of a scholars book now, i.e. one used to illustrate the chinese novel than one which holds interest, or illuminates human nature. Characters are quite formulaic and stylized.
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Having thoroughly enjoyed The Good Earth, I was really looking forward to this sequel. This sequel traces the lives of Wang Lung's three sons. With all due respect to Ms. Buck, however, I found this book to be a disappointment. The characters here are not as vividly portrayed or interesting as the ones in The Good Earth -- the characters here appear more one-dimensional and less likeable, and it was hard to sympathize with their plight. The writing style seems to differ from that in The Good Earth as well. While the style in The Good Earth was vivid, colorful, poignant and moving, the writing style in this book appeared verbose and awkward. Some of the sections of the book were plain boring and difficult to read through. Overall, love the setting, general story and Pearl S. Buck, but be warned that this book is not exactly like The Good Earth in terms of style and character development.
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