Both Buck Books Buckled

Exit Bucks, Enter Orczy

This happened on Friday (19th) when i was in my evening bus reading the novel. I was kinda upset while reading ’The Good Earth’. Wang Lung and his wife, Olan have been married for about two decades by which Wang Lung’s financial status changes from Poor to Moderate to Rags to Wealthy. It is Olan who is with him, setback after setback in the entire rigmarole. It is because of her chance incident when poor get to loot the rich, which he becomes the wealthy person. Now, he has laborers who work for him in his vast fields... But then once (due to sheer idleness at home) he goes to a brothel and then gets attracted to a woman there. This is where the book repulsed me. I skimmed through the book (something I rarely do) and know he brings this woman to his residence. I could not read further, I was almost putting it down as another of the incomplete books...

But to ignore Olan who is the chief and I think the only reason for his success. Very nicely written, but it will take some time for me to muster myself to complete this.

Hmm, but then to take a break from the book, I am reading Portrait of a Marriage by the same author. I don’t know where exactly I stopped reading this book earlier on, OR why I did stop; but I am almost at the end of the book, should be able to finish it this evening. Liking it, have suggested Rahul to read this too!

*****

Have completed PoM, and liked it, it is very deep and makes you think about your haves and your have-nots - it made me think how rich life is and how we should treasure each other.

Back to The Good Earth, I have now read, what to me, seemed the ugly part - where he actually brings her to his house. To me Wang Lung was the hero of the book, now with the entry of this, this woman; I feel Olan is the hero of the book and Wang Lung also admits this to himself - for instance he is ashamed of himself each time he passes by Olan! Once I read the whole book I realized that it is a good book. It does talk about both the good and bad things about people - that makes it more humane...

This way, both Buck books were buckled. Now off to The Scarlet Pimpernel