Books by Pearl Buck
“I read this book when I was about nine years old. It just made such an impact on me. O-Lan, the mother in this book, gives birth to two sons and two daughters, one of whom she strangles in infancy because there is not enough food to sustain the family. She’s born a slave. She’s plain and coarse. She toils silently and stoically all her life to provide for her family and is basically never rewarded. When her husband gets a little wealthier, virtually the first thing he does is take in a concubine. O-Lan has stuck with me for all these years.” Read more...
The best books on Being a Mother
Amy Chua, Lawyer
Interviews where books by Pearl Buck were recommended
Historical Fiction Set in China
China’s dramatic landscapes, rich culture, and tumultuous political history serves as a rich seam for historical novels. Here, we’ve drawn together a list of recommended titles, selected by and discussed with Five Books interviewees over the years.
The best books on Being a Mother, recommended by Amy Chua
The author of the self-satirising memoir on ambitious “tiger mothers” talks us through the books about motherhood that have made the most impact on her.
