After reading The Good Earth (bwl 58), I turned to this engrossing biography of the author. Her domineering father - an archetypal zealous missionary - dragged his sweet-tempered wife and young family to China but despite or perhaps because of the atmosphere of religious fervour, it was Pearl's empathy with the Chinese that shaped her imagination, leading her to become one of the greatest writers on the country which remained her spiritual home throughout her adulthood in America.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 59 Winter 2011 ) |
