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Kinfolk
Kinfolk is the story of a Chinese family. Dr. Liang moves to America in search of a better life, but his children long to return to China. Each responds to their new life in China differently, providing rich insight into the struggles between Eastern and Western culture, and the differences between generations.
379 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1949
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About the author
Pearl S. Buck
785 books3,036 followersPearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck was an American writer and novelist. She is best known for The Good Earth, the best-selling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and which won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China" and for her "masterpieces", two memoir-biographies of her missionary parents.
Buck was born in West Virginia, but in October 1892, her parents took their 4-month-old baby to China. As the daughter of missionaries and later as a missionary herself, Buck spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, with her parents, and in Nanjing, with her first husband. She and her parents spent their summers in a villa in Kuling, Mount Lu, Jiujiang, and it was during this annual pilgrimage that the young girl decided to become a writer. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, then returned to China. From 1914 to 1932, after marrying John Lossing Buck she served as a Presbyterian missionary, but she came to doubt the need for foreign missions. Her views became controversial during the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy, leading to her resignation. After returning to the United States in 1935, she married the publisher Richard J. Walsh and continued writing prolifically. She became an activist and prominent advocate of the rights of women and racial equality, and wrote widely on Chinese and Asian cultures, becoming particularly well known for her efforts on behalf of Asian and mixed-race adoption.
Buck was born in West Virginia, but in October 1892, her parents took their 4-month-old baby to China. As the daughter of missionaries and later as a missionary herself, Buck spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, with her parents, and in Nanjing, with her first husband. She and her parents spent their summers in a villa in Kuling, Mount Lu, Jiujiang, and it was during this annual pilgrimage that the young girl decided to become a writer. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Virginia, then returned to China. From 1914 to 1932, after marrying John Lossing Buck she served as a Presbyterian missionary, but she came to doubt the need for foreign missions. Her views became controversial during the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy, leading to her resignation. After returning to the United States in 1935, she married the publisher Richard J. Walsh and continued writing prolifically. She became an activist and prominent advocate of the rights of women and racial equality, and wrote widely on Chinese and Asian cultures, becoming particularly well known for her efforts on behalf of Asian and mixed-race adoption.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 22, 2015
Being a full-blooded, American-born Hungarian whose parents came to America from Budapest to escape Communism; I am familiar with the struggle of feeling ties to a home country but also wanting to adapt to the ways of the current home. Pearl S. Buck presents this theme in her novel, “Kinfolk”.
In “Kinfolk”, Buck follows the lives of Dr. Liang, his wife, and children (James, Mary, Peter, and Louise) as Dr. Liang and his wife put aside their “old ways” of living having moved from China to New York City during Communist rule but having to grasp the desire of the eldest children (James and Mary) to return to China. The family becomes divided between “old and new” and “East and West”.
Buck narrates this story quite well mixing her usual peaceful, Zen-like writing combined with a somewhat modern feel which artfully brings the conflict of the novel to life both in terms of plot and prose. This stylistic device is successfully used making the text well-paced, approachable, and relatable. Buck masterfully encourages page-turning.
“Kinfolk” has a classic literature essence as each character is well-developed and rounded; letting Buck dive into detail involving the personal lives and strands. Sometimes, this can be too detailed but the sort of stream of consciousness and literary fiction qualities are well-dispersed with enough dialogue mingled throughout to help the reader not be bogged down. A warning, though: Chapters are somewhat long so small breaks in between may be necessary for some readers.
Once James (and eventually the other siblings) relocates to China; Buck alternates narration and points-of-view between characters and of life in America occurring simultaneously with that in China. This is not overdone or confusing and Buck steadily maintains the pace and focuses on the character studies. In fact, it is quite remarkable how well Buck understands each character, revealing inner psyches. “Kinfolk” is a moving story while also encourages the reader to ‘think’ and explore his/her own feelings.
“Kinfolk” is also infused with a hearty dose of philosophy and insight. This is not forced upon the reader and subtly fits into the storyline but thickens both the plot and substance. Buck masterfully weaves these intricacies together into a seamless text. This depth is carried by surprising and intriguing events which the reader never expects. “Kinfolk” is calm but also unpredictable at the same time.
The conclusion of “Kinfolk” is somewhat disappointing and anticlimactic. On the other hand, it represents life in an honest fashion, maintains Buck’s tone, and fits the story therefore making sense and is reasonable.
“Kinfolk” is a strong novel and one of my top favorites from Buck. It definitely feels much more contemporary than her other works and yet bridges the gaps of meaning. “Kinfolk” is suggested for avid Buck readers and fans of Chinese-cultural novels.
In “Kinfolk”, Buck follows the lives of Dr. Liang, his wife, and children (James, Mary, Peter, and Louise) as Dr. Liang and his wife put aside their “old ways” of living having moved from China to New York City during Communist rule but having to grasp the desire of the eldest children (James and Mary) to return to China. The family becomes divided between “old and new” and “East and West”.
Buck narrates this story quite well mixing her usual peaceful, Zen-like writing combined with a somewhat modern feel which artfully brings the conflict of the novel to life both in terms of plot and prose. This stylistic device is successfully used making the text well-paced, approachable, and relatable. Buck masterfully encourages page-turning.
“Kinfolk” has a classic literature essence as each character is well-developed and rounded; letting Buck dive into detail involving the personal lives and strands. Sometimes, this can be too detailed but the sort of stream of consciousness and literary fiction qualities are well-dispersed with enough dialogue mingled throughout to help the reader not be bogged down. A warning, though: Chapters are somewhat long so small breaks in between may be necessary for some readers.
Once James (and eventually the other siblings) relocates to China; Buck alternates narration and points-of-view between characters and of life in America occurring simultaneously with that in China. This is not overdone or confusing and Buck steadily maintains the pace and focuses on the character studies. In fact, it is quite remarkable how well Buck understands each character, revealing inner psyches. “Kinfolk” is a moving story while also encourages the reader to ‘think’ and explore his/her own feelings.
“Kinfolk” is also infused with a hearty dose of philosophy and insight. This is not forced upon the reader and subtly fits into the storyline but thickens both the plot and substance. Buck masterfully weaves these intricacies together into a seamless text. This depth is carried by surprising and intriguing events which the reader never expects. “Kinfolk” is calm but also unpredictable at the same time.
The conclusion of “Kinfolk” is somewhat disappointing and anticlimactic. On the other hand, it represents life in an honest fashion, maintains Buck’s tone, and fits the story therefore making sense and is reasonable.
“Kinfolk” is a strong novel and one of my top favorites from Buck. It definitely feels much more contemporary than her other works and yet bridges the gaps of meaning. “Kinfolk” is suggested for avid Buck readers and fans of Chinese-cultural novels.
December 4, 2023
Growing up, I was surrounded by books by Pearl S. Buck, my mother being a fan. For years I have not read her, and when I caught sight of a paperback on my shelf I thought it was time to experience her again. Wikipedia says "Buck was born in West Virginia, but in October 1892, her parents took their 4-month-old baby to China. As the daughter of missionaries and later as a missionary herself, Buck spent most of her life before 1934 in Zhenjiang, with her parents, and in Nanjing, with her first husband. "
Being intimately acquainted with China and having lived there a good portion of her life, she is able to describe the Chinese people of 1948 (in this book) as not one characteristic, but a multitude of ideas, hopes and fears. Written just before the culmination of the communist revolution in China, she describes the good and bad of the previous government and culture. After the communists came to power she was denied re-entry to the country.
The story covers two continents, a father who is an emigrant and his children with their diverse tempers and aspirations. It is a fantastic character study, and I loved every minute reading it. I hope to read many more of her novels.
Being intimately acquainted with China and having lived there a good portion of her life, she is able to describe the Chinese people of 1948 (in this book) as not one characteristic, but a multitude of ideas, hopes and fears. Written just before the culmination of the communist revolution in China, she describes the good and bad of the previous government and culture. After the communists came to power she was denied re-entry to the country.
The story covers two continents, a father who is an emigrant and his children with their diverse tempers and aspirations. It is a fantastic character study, and I loved every minute reading it. I hope to read many more of her novels.
January 15, 2020
Excellent book set in a particular place and time, China in the mid-1940s. The war with Japan seems to have ended and the struggle between the KMT (Nationalist) remnants and communists is ongoing, but largely in the background. Much of China remains peasantry.
The story centers on one extended family and the trials and travails of four of that family who return to China while it is effectively disintegrating. It was a bit of a slow read for me in part because I wanted to savor it and in part because it made me stop to consider how the author had woven strands of Confucianism into the story. The way in which the author did that emphasized a bit of the downside of that way of thought and the effect it had on China. The book has dark moments, but it is not a dark book. Rather it is, in part, a study in the capacity to endure and adapt. It is also a study in what it was and to perhaps some extent still is to be Chinese.
Pearl Buck was a gifted writer. Her prose is tight and poignant: "But what did Peter know of secret police dressed as common men? He nodded, and the next moment he felt a round cold piece of metal at his temple. But this was only for a fraction of a second. Then upon a roar of thunder he felt himself lifted from earth into heaven and he knew no more."
Ultimately though, the author does not attempt to explain as much to elucidate: "You can't change what has been going on so long Mary," he told her, and yet understanding all she felt. He knew very often this catch of the heart, this sense of shame, before the poor here in his own land. Yet what could any of them do? It was all too old. One could not change eternity.” In these sentences, she captures something of what it was like to be Chinese then.
Some denizens of political correctness suggest that Pearl Buck might not have been fully credible because she was not ethnically Chinese. For me, that is classic inside the box thinking. From 3 months of age (1892 until 1934) she lived her life in China, except for 1910 to 1914 when she returned to the US to attend college and the year after the Nanjing Incident (1927) which she spent in Japan. She grew up with Chinese children and one could argue that Mandarin was as much her first spoken language as English. She remains one of most authentic chroniclers of Chinese life during the time that saw the end of imperial China.
The story centers on one extended family and the trials and travails of four of that family who return to China while it is effectively disintegrating. It was a bit of a slow read for me in part because I wanted to savor it and in part because it made me stop to consider how the author had woven strands of Confucianism into the story. The way in which the author did that emphasized a bit of the downside of that way of thought and the effect it had on China. The book has dark moments, but it is not a dark book. Rather it is, in part, a study in the capacity to endure and adapt. It is also a study in what it was and to perhaps some extent still is to be Chinese.
Pearl Buck was a gifted writer. Her prose is tight and poignant: "But what did Peter know of secret police dressed as common men? He nodded, and the next moment he felt a round cold piece of metal at his temple. But this was only for a fraction of a second. Then upon a roar of thunder he felt himself lifted from earth into heaven and he knew no more."
Ultimately though, the author does not attempt to explain as much to elucidate: "You can't change what has been going on so long Mary," he told her, and yet understanding all she felt. He knew very often this catch of the heart, this sense of shame, before the poor here in his own land. Yet what could any of them do? It was all too old. One could not change eternity.” In these sentences, she captures something of what it was like to be Chinese then.
Some denizens of political correctness suggest that Pearl Buck might not have been fully credible because she was not ethnically Chinese. For me, that is classic inside the box thinking. From 3 months of age (1892 until 1934) she lived her life in China, except for 1910 to 1914 when she returned to the US to attend college and the year after the Nanjing Incident (1927) which she spent in Japan. She grew up with Chinese children and one could argue that Mandarin was as much her first spoken language as English. She remains one of most authentic chroniclers of Chinese life during the time that saw the end of imperial China.
April 29, 2011
This is my favorite book by Pearl Buck so far. It is the story of an ex-patriot Chinese family before World War II. The parents left China with two young children. The children return to their ancestral village when they are grown. Pearl Buck understands both cultures so well and the vagaries and conflict when the two meet and co-mingle. Each character is beautifully and fully drawn in all their complexities. I highly recommend this book.
September 21, 2018
Is this novel how Pearl Buck supposed China would recover after World War II? It seems so. The message is plain and simple: respect for tradition while making way for modern science and technology. Written before the Communist victory and ouster of Chiang Kai-shek from the Chinese mainland, Kinfolk and Buck underestimate the ferocity of the forces of revolution that would sweep away her beloved traditions forever. Against the backdrop of the current year, 2018, such seems even more true.
Again, as with all Buck novels, the story is intriguing. But Kinfolk revealed a side of her I had never encountered before. For in it, she displays a mastery of comedic banter among the Liang family that counterpoints the very serious social developments molding and, in some cases, whisking away individual lives. So strong was it at times that I began to have a nagging feeling that I had seen these characterizations work within a dramatic plot before. Then, it hit me. I swear that Kinfolk at times resembles a Charlie Chan movie (I like Charlie Chan, for what it's worth). The elder Chinese patriarch forever quoting Confucius, while his Americanized children, especially Number One and Number Two Sons, seem determined to express their American manners and ways of speech ever more aggressively. The same even happens with Charlie's daughters. At any rate, the comedic tone of the novel is given free rein, so much so that the one notable death is almost treated dismissively.
How much of Chinese culture and society do we understand from Buck's novels? I'm not sure. I do know we come to quite a clear understanding of Pearl Buck's understanding of Chinese culture. Yet no matter how much Buck wished otherwise, she was always an outsider, someone who did not and could not belong. Her zealotry in "converting" the Chinese to her way of thinking reflected all too American values that simply were misplaced in China. Her dreams of emancipated women, elevated peasants, and widespread freedom within a traditional collectivized family oriented culture were just not fated to work. For all of the appeals of Kinfolk and Buck to the contrary, there will never be a bridge of unity between East and West. The reality is there to see, today. Oddly enough, it is the Japanese, whose civilization Buck excoriated in Dragon Seed, who have come closest to meeting her ideal of the future.
Again, as with all Buck novels, the story is intriguing. But Kinfolk revealed a side of her I had never encountered before. For in it, she displays a mastery of comedic banter among the Liang family that counterpoints the very serious social developments molding and, in some cases, whisking away individual lives. So strong was it at times that I began to have a nagging feeling that I had seen these characterizations work within a dramatic plot before. Then, it hit me. I swear that Kinfolk at times resembles a Charlie Chan movie (I like Charlie Chan, for what it's worth). The elder Chinese patriarch forever quoting Confucius, while his Americanized children, especially Number One and Number Two Sons, seem determined to express their American manners and ways of speech ever more aggressively. The same even happens with Charlie's daughters. At any rate, the comedic tone of the novel is given free rein, so much so that the one notable death is almost treated dismissively.
How much of Chinese culture and society do we understand from Buck's novels? I'm not sure. I do know we come to quite a clear understanding of Pearl Buck's understanding of Chinese culture. Yet no matter how much Buck wished otherwise, she was always an outsider, someone who did not and could not belong. Her zealotry in "converting" the Chinese to her way of thinking reflected all too American values that simply were misplaced in China. Her dreams of emancipated women, elevated peasants, and widespread freedom within a traditional collectivized family oriented culture were just not fated to work. For all of the appeals of Kinfolk and Buck to the contrary, there will never be a bridge of unity between East and West. The reality is there to see, today. Oddly enough, it is the Japanese, whose civilization Buck excoriated in Dragon Seed, who have come closest to meeting her ideal of the future.
August 10, 2016
Beautiful story of a family returning to China and connecting with their homeland. I love the author and this book is written so well it makes it a joy to read. the story is well told without a lot of extraneous fluff, but still vivid enough to see the world unfold in the pages.
September 24, 2017
Once again Pearl Buck's book did not disappoint. Such real character (except for the younger sister in this book) and a story line that does not go the way one expects it to go. After finishing the book I still think of these people and their lives and choices.
December 31, 2022
A many layered tale about an immigrant Chinese family in the US, whose second generation kids go back to China and experience it on their own, albeit in different ways. As usual it was complex and deep.
September 21, 2024
Another enjoyable read, probably my favorite of hers so far. She writes in an easy and enjoyable style but that often still strikes me with "Oh I liked that sentence" There were quite a few characters in this that I found myself endeared to
October 22, 2017
Pearl Buck never disappoints. Her prose is not fancy, but so perfectly descriptive it is like watching a movie. I fell in love with the Liang family.
June 24, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. It beautifully depicts the lives and conflicts of a Chinese family who emigrated to America in the late 1940s and the Chinese -American young people who returned to China during this period of great upheaval.
I couldn't have read it at a better time. Over a month ago I went to an interesting lecture about China from after WWII to the present, and then read a biography of an American who was in China during those years and married into an aristocratic Chinese family. Both the biography and Pearl S. Buck's novel are both set in Peking during the same years. Some events in both books take place in the same locations and depict the huge turmoil, breakdown and social change in China during that period. Kinfolk also brings the characters into a traditional rural village where life is so far continuing mostly the old way, while the Americans who have returned figure out how to help things in the village without upsetting age old traditional culture.
I couldn't have read it at a better time. Over a month ago I went to an interesting lecture about China from after WWII to the present, and then read a biography of an American who was in China during those years and married into an aristocratic Chinese family. Both the biography and Pearl S. Buck's novel are both set in Peking during the same years. Some events in both books take place in the same locations and depict the huge turmoil, breakdown and social change in China during that period. Kinfolk also brings the characters into a traditional rural village where life is so far continuing mostly the old way, while the Americans who have returned figure out how to help things in the village without upsetting age old traditional culture.
February 21, 2018
Love, love, love Pearl S. Buck's writing!!! This book was on my Kindle and I had already read it once. But needed something to do while waiting for an appointment. Ended up reading the entire thing again!! If you liked Good Earth, you will like this one as well.
August 17, 2018
So Wonderful!
I’d forgotten how much I love Pearl S Buck! Such a master at peeling back the layers of a family, of the characters, culture(s) and times. I’m still marveling at how you realize the true roles each member of the family plays.
I’d forgotten how much I love Pearl S Buck! Such a master at peeling back the layers of a family, of the characters, culture(s) and times. I’m still marveling at how you realize the true roles each member of the family plays.
February 20, 2023
Pearl S. Buck writing about the tensions between culture and generations is amazing and beautiful and remains remarkably relevant.
December 6, 2021
"It takes a certain kind of person to live in China now," Chen mused.
"What kind of person?", Mary asked.
“Someone who can see true meanings, someone who does not only want the world better but believes it can be made better, and gets angry because it's not done, someone who is not willing to hide himself in one of the few good places left in the world-someone who is tough!”
Pearl S.Buck was an American born and brought up in China. This gave her a window into two vastly different cultures. Though her credibility as a representative of Chinese culture to the English speaking world has been questioned, I believe her mixed background is perfect for a novel like Kinfolk , which begins in Manhattan and moves into hinterland China. Kinfolk follows the Liang family as they grapple with the problem of being an immigrant in America and of being outsiders in China.
The novel is set in the middle to late 1940s with a tumultuous background (“ we have finished with one age to begin another ”). Post the Japanese invasion, China was in the final stages of Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalist government before Mao’s declaration of the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Dr. Liang is a Chinese intellectual settled in the U.S.A, writing for western readers. He has a firm belief in Confucian values and a stubborn moral center. But the China in his mind is the China of the past, and though he paints a rosy picture of his homeland, he realizes that he does not belong to the China of the present. “ Surely men like myself represent more perfectly than peasants can the spirit of Chinese civilization. Our nation has always been ruled by our intellectuals ”, he says at one point. Surely, not a view that would be appreciated by peasants in the midst of a revolution against their landowning feudal lords.
But Kinfolk’s primary focus is on Dr.Liang’s children - James, Mary, Peter and Lili. James and Mary feel a great desire to contribute to their home country. Peter and Lily, born in the U.S.A., are more Americanized. James, a skilled surgeon, takes up a job in his home land and, due to circumstances, is joined by his siblings. Kinfolk deals with their journey in trying to adapt to their home country, and getting accepted by their extended family. At the heart of the novel is a conflict between modernism and tradition, with Pearl S.Buck trying not to take a stand either way.
Personally, Kinfolk started off on a relatable note, thanks to the setting in Manhattan, especially the localities around Riverside Drive. Dr. Liang’s attempt to balance pride in his ancestry and shame on aspects that the Western World would consider despicable is also well portrayed : “ Americans tend to think too little of us, and we should not therefore lend ourselves to their low opinion “, he says.
Kinfolk is structured in the mold of a classic, with well defined characters and fairly predictable character arcs. James is the character around whom the plot revolves, and he grapples to resolve the conflict between his scientific training as a surgeon and the traditional values of his ancestral relatives. Mary is his closest confidante, with a “ honesty that will not be corrupted ”. Her headstrongness clashes with the traditional patriarchy of her hometown. Peter is in an impressionable age, and has strong opinions. His initial reaction in China is “ I don't like living in a country where everything is falling to pieces and all that is worth talking about is the past ”. Lili is fully Americanized, and has the entitlement of an American. “ Lili was so soft, she yielded everywhere -- until one knew she had really yielded nowhere. ”
There are other interesting characters in the fray as well. Liu Chen is the most admirable among these. He gets to mouth lines such as “ scholar, landlord, magistrate, warlord - there you have the tyrants of the people ”, and probably reflects the views of the author the most. I couldn’t help but love Young Wong, whose outlook of life is simply surmised by “ with my belly certain of fullness three times a day, I fear no god or man ”. However, the best character in Kinfolk is undoubtedly Mrs. Liang. Her defining characterestic is, at least initially, just that “ she never thought of herself ”. But as Mary comes to realize, “ her mother was not at all a stupid woman. It was true that hers was a brain which could neither receive nor retain an abstract idea, that is, an idea that has nothing to do with the simple welfare of those she loved. Heaven, God, Government, Communism, War, Human Rights, Religion, all the large words which provided modern arguement she tolerated as amusement only for men ”.
But Kinfolk is not a perfect novel. It’s classical style makes the actions of some of the characters predictable. The 1940s is a tumultuous period in Chinese history, but the backdrop does not convincingly weave into the story. I expected to learn more about the upheavals in society, but Kinfolk’s focus is narrower. It seems as if the author does not want to take a political stance, and wants to take a centrist attitude in the tradition versus modernism debate. The conclusion is abrupt as well. Pearl S. Buck does attempt to anticipate this criticism with the concluding lines “ what is the end of the story? There is no end. Life folds into life, and the river flows on ”. It did not work for me.
What worked for me however is the portrayal of Mrs. Liang. She is portrayed as a “ bridge between these centuries ” (the 18th century of pastoral China and the 20th century of modern China). In fact her transition into one of the central characters in the eyes of Mary is what made this book work for me.
PS: You can read a better formatted version of this review at and navigate to my other writings from https://www.thefreudiancouch.com/2021...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2023
BUCK, Pearl S.: „Kinfolk“, Franktfurt Berlin Wien 1959
Ein Roman, der in der Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts spielt. Chinesen, die in Amerika leben und deren Kinder in die Heimat China zurückwollen. Für die Eltern war es unverständlich, dass der eben mit dem Medizinstudium in New York fertig gewordene Sohn nach China übersiedeln will. Seine Verlobte will auch nicht mitgehen und so macht er es allein. Der Vater schickt letztlich alle seine drei Kinder, denn die jüngste Tochter hatte sich in einen Amerikaner verliebt, den der Vater nicht akzeptiert. James, der junge Doktor ging zuerst und arbeitete in einem Krankenhaus. Die Geschwister folgten. Der jüngere Bruder studierte in Peking, die Schwestern suchten selbst Beschäftigungen. Mary, die Ältere arbeitete mit Kindern im Krankenhaus. Die Jüngere war eine Amerikanerin geworden und konnte sich in China nicht eingewöhnen. Sie lernte einen amerikanischen Soldaten kennen, dessen Freundin ein Kind bekam und dabei gestorben ist. Sie heiratet ihn und geht mit ihm und dem Kind nach Amerika zurück. Die verbliebenen Geschwister besuchen das Dorf, aus dem der Vater stammte. Letztlich entschieden sie ins Dorf zu übersiedeln und den Menschen dort zu helfen. Sie führten eine Schule ein, ein Badehaus und James behandelte die Kranken. Sein chinesischer Freund war mitgekommen und heiratete Mary, die Schwester. Der jüngere Bruder ging nach Peking zurück. Er konnte sich mit dem armen Leben am Land nicht abfinden. Er hatte aber kommunistische Freunde und diese wurden verfolgt. So bekam auch er Probleme und wurde letztlich von der Geheimpolizei getötet. Seine Leiche warf man in einen Brunnen. Gegen Geld konnte James den Leichnam seines Bruders bekommen, um ihn zu bestatten.
Die Eltern sind in New York allein zu Hause. Die Mutter ist traditionsverbunden. Der Vater lehrt den Konfuzianismus. Sie waren eine Vernunftehe eingegangen. Sie, aus einfachen Verhältnissen hatte erst nach der Hochzeit lesen und schreiben gelernt. Er sympathisiert mit einer engagierten chinesisch-französischen Frau. Als die Tochter in China heiratet fliegt die Mutter nach. Der Mann bleibt allein. Die Affäre mit der angebeteten Frau wird von ihr beendet und der Mann findet wieder zu seiner Ehefrau zurück und freut sich auf ihr Heimkommen. Sie sucht aber noch nach einer Ehefrau für den ältesten Sohn.
Der Roman handelt in den Jahren nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. In China herrscht ein Bürgerkrieg. Im Dorf, in das die jungen Menschen letztlich übersiedeln dominiert Onkel Tao. Er, der Älteste der Familie bestimmt und behindert die neuen Ideen der Ankömmlinge. Die Autorin zeigt in diesem Roman sehr gut das Konfliktpotenzial zwischen Amerikanern und Chinesen und jenes zwischen Fortschrittlichen und Traditionellen auf. Auch ist der Unterschied zwischen Stadt- und Landbevölkerung noch extrem.
In einer Zeit, in der viele Chinesen in den Westen kommen wollen, machen es die Kinder von Dr. Liang umgekehrt: sie kehren in ihre Heimat China zurück und versuchen sich einzubringen, um dieses große Land wieder fortschrittlich zu machen. Heute ist China eine Weltmacht, aber dieses Buch ist ein Zeitdokument, in dem man erfährt, wie sich China in den letzten 100 Jahren entwickelt hat.
Ein Roman, der in der Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts spielt. Chinesen, die in Amerika leben und deren Kinder in die Heimat China zurückwollen. Für die Eltern war es unverständlich, dass der eben mit dem Medizinstudium in New York fertig gewordene Sohn nach China übersiedeln will. Seine Verlobte will auch nicht mitgehen und so macht er es allein. Der Vater schickt letztlich alle seine drei Kinder, denn die jüngste Tochter hatte sich in einen Amerikaner verliebt, den der Vater nicht akzeptiert. James, der junge Doktor ging zuerst und arbeitete in einem Krankenhaus. Die Geschwister folgten. Der jüngere Bruder studierte in Peking, die Schwestern suchten selbst Beschäftigungen. Mary, die Ältere arbeitete mit Kindern im Krankenhaus. Die Jüngere war eine Amerikanerin geworden und konnte sich in China nicht eingewöhnen. Sie lernte einen amerikanischen Soldaten kennen, dessen Freundin ein Kind bekam und dabei gestorben ist. Sie heiratet ihn und geht mit ihm und dem Kind nach Amerika zurück. Die verbliebenen Geschwister besuchen das Dorf, aus dem der Vater stammte. Letztlich entschieden sie ins Dorf zu übersiedeln und den Menschen dort zu helfen. Sie führten eine Schule ein, ein Badehaus und James behandelte die Kranken. Sein chinesischer Freund war mitgekommen und heiratete Mary, die Schwester. Der jüngere Bruder ging nach Peking zurück. Er konnte sich mit dem armen Leben am Land nicht abfinden. Er hatte aber kommunistische Freunde und diese wurden verfolgt. So bekam auch er Probleme und wurde letztlich von der Geheimpolizei getötet. Seine Leiche warf man in einen Brunnen. Gegen Geld konnte James den Leichnam seines Bruders bekommen, um ihn zu bestatten.
Die Eltern sind in New York allein zu Hause. Die Mutter ist traditionsverbunden. Der Vater lehrt den Konfuzianismus. Sie waren eine Vernunftehe eingegangen. Sie, aus einfachen Verhältnissen hatte erst nach der Hochzeit lesen und schreiben gelernt. Er sympathisiert mit einer engagierten chinesisch-französischen Frau. Als die Tochter in China heiratet fliegt die Mutter nach. Der Mann bleibt allein. Die Affäre mit der angebeteten Frau wird von ihr beendet und der Mann findet wieder zu seiner Ehefrau zurück und freut sich auf ihr Heimkommen. Sie sucht aber noch nach einer Ehefrau für den ältesten Sohn.
Der Roman handelt in den Jahren nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. In China herrscht ein Bürgerkrieg. Im Dorf, in das die jungen Menschen letztlich übersiedeln dominiert Onkel Tao. Er, der Älteste der Familie bestimmt und behindert die neuen Ideen der Ankömmlinge. Die Autorin zeigt in diesem Roman sehr gut das Konfliktpotenzial zwischen Amerikanern und Chinesen und jenes zwischen Fortschrittlichen und Traditionellen auf. Auch ist der Unterschied zwischen Stadt- und Landbevölkerung noch extrem.
In einer Zeit, in der viele Chinesen in den Westen kommen wollen, machen es die Kinder von Dr. Liang umgekehrt: sie kehren in ihre Heimat China zurück und versuchen sich einzubringen, um dieses große Land wieder fortschrittlich zu machen. Heute ist China eine Weltmacht, aber dieses Buch ist ein Zeitdokument, in dem man erfährt, wie sich China in den letzten 100 Jahren entwickelt hat.
June 19, 2021
Written in 1949, Pearl Buck's account of the Liangs, a family of Chinese migrants to New York in the mid 1940’s and their attempts to bridge two cultures is quietly but masterfully written.
The story picks up the Liang family in New York some years after emigrating when they have well and truly settled in. Despite having adapted to life in the US, the older members of the family still feel deeply conflicted about their sense of belonging. On the one hand, the two children born in the US embrace its culture fully, but the two who were born in China constantly feel the pull of their ancestral home.
The father, Wen Hua Liang is an academic with a somewhat superior attitude. He reveres Confucius and the ancient civilisation of China and refuses to acknowledge the societal upheavals caused by the fall of empire, the Japanese invasion, the rise of Communisim and decline of the Nationalists. Fed by his outdated and recalcitrant views, his two older children view distant China through his rosy spectacles and yearn to return. Their mother, on the other hand, has bridged the divide between cultures. She has a close understanding of both, but a deeper one of her home country where her roots lie. Her culturally-defined female role of accommodating her husband has served her well in adjusting to a new culture with vastly different customs.
The resolution for the younger members of the family comes when the four children return/ travel to ‘Peking’ with lofty aspirations of playing a significant role in supporting a new society that, with their help, will be educated, with good hygiene and improved health care. Instead they experience a society in turmoil that is nothing like their expectations and that proves quite resistant to their Americanisms. On the one hand, the traditions of the old are deeply entrenched, but on the other is a fast-growing movement to raze the old and replace it completely with a new order. The four Liangs deal with this cultural disorder and their ambivalent feelings towards it in different ways - with some happy and some tragic results. The story touches briefly on the American-born brother and sister, but focuses predominantly on the Chinese-born siblings who barely focus on the wildfire growth of communism and instead embrace old traditions by returning to their rural ancestral home that is still rooted in the 18th century. There they attempt to adjust their ideals of health and education to the resistance arising from what they see as rural ignorance. Mary, the sister, manages this effortlessly, but Peter the oldest brother has to do a lot of soul searching before he is ready to relinquish much of his American ideals and be fully accepted by his Chinese family.
Seventy years after being written, this novel might have picked up criticism from the Chinese-American community who may object to having their story told by a white American woman ( even though she did grow up in China), but, given the spirit of the time of writing, Pearl Buck managed admirably to project the strong sense of dislodgement many migrants feel and to express how some deal with it by denying fault with the old country, some by despising it and others left quite ambivalent about their feelings for both new and old countries.
The story picks up the Liang family in New York some years after emigrating when they have well and truly settled in. Despite having adapted to life in the US, the older members of the family still feel deeply conflicted about their sense of belonging. On the one hand, the two children born in the US embrace its culture fully, but the two who were born in China constantly feel the pull of their ancestral home.
The father, Wen Hua Liang is an academic with a somewhat superior attitude. He reveres Confucius and the ancient civilisation of China and refuses to acknowledge the societal upheavals caused by the fall of empire, the Japanese invasion, the rise of Communisim and decline of the Nationalists. Fed by his outdated and recalcitrant views, his two older children view distant China through his rosy spectacles and yearn to return. Their mother, on the other hand, has bridged the divide between cultures. She has a close understanding of both, but a deeper one of her home country where her roots lie. Her culturally-defined female role of accommodating her husband has served her well in adjusting to a new culture with vastly different customs.
The resolution for the younger members of the family comes when the four children return/ travel to ‘Peking’ with lofty aspirations of playing a significant role in supporting a new society that, with their help, will be educated, with good hygiene and improved health care. Instead they experience a society in turmoil that is nothing like their expectations and that proves quite resistant to their Americanisms. On the one hand, the traditions of the old are deeply entrenched, but on the other is a fast-growing movement to raze the old and replace it completely with a new order. The four Liangs deal with this cultural disorder and their ambivalent feelings towards it in different ways - with some happy and some tragic results. The story touches briefly on the American-born brother and sister, but focuses predominantly on the Chinese-born siblings who barely focus on the wildfire growth of communism and instead embrace old traditions by returning to their rural ancestral home that is still rooted in the 18th century. There they attempt to adjust their ideals of health and education to the resistance arising from what they see as rural ignorance. Mary, the sister, manages this effortlessly, but Peter the oldest brother has to do a lot of soul searching before he is ready to relinquish much of his American ideals and be fully accepted by his Chinese family.
Seventy years after being written, this novel might have picked up criticism from the Chinese-American community who may object to having their story told by a white American woman ( even though she did grow up in China), but, given the spirit of the time of writing, Pearl Buck managed admirably to project the strong sense of dislodgement many migrants feel and to express how some deal with it by denying fault with the old country, some by despising it and others left quite ambivalent about their feelings for both new and old countries.
October 20, 2021
What is the end of the story? There is no end. Life folds into life , and the stream flows on.
#Kinfolk
BOOK REVIEW
Every family has a story to tell and kinfolk is the story of Liang family
Mr Liang moves to America with his wife and two kids and has two more. He finds his roots in a foreign land but his two kids who were born in China want to go back and help the people(their kinfolk). People who need all the help in the distressed poverty ridden country.
This is their tale of going back, their hardships, their lonliness, their adjusting. It has all the elements of a good story with love, heartbreaks, finding love again, small triumphs, victory just like every family has.
I am no stranger to #pearlsbuck books and this book again did not dissappoint me. It is an easy to relate story with lucid language and tout prose. It flows easily and when it ends you have fallen in love with all the characters. They leave you wanting for more.
I personally loved the simplicity of all the characters.
If you like to read about stories based in #china or #asia i am sure you will enjoy it.
#Kinfolk
BOOK REVIEW
Every family has a story to tell and kinfolk is the story of Liang family
Mr Liang moves to America with his wife and two kids and has two more. He finds his roots in a foreign land but his two kids who were born in China want to go back and help the people(their kinfolk). People who need all the help in the distressed poverty ridden country.
This is their tale of going back, their hardships, their lonliness, their adjusting. It has all the elements of a good story with love, heartbreaks, finding love again, small triumphs, victory just like every family has.
I am no stranger to #pearlsbuck books and this book again did not dissappoint me. It is an easy to relate story with lucid language and tout prose. It flows easily and when it ends you have fallen in love with all the characters. They leave you wanting for more.
I personally loved the simplicity of all the characters.
If you like to read about stories based in #china or #asia i am sure you will enjoy it.
August 10, 2021
I have read almost all of Pearl S. Buck's novels. I was very excited to start Kinfolk as I read the reviews and was intrigued by the storyline. I love the way Buck's novels flow. This story follows the story of a group of four Chinese- American siblings who grew up in New York. When they were all young adults they moved back to China after a family scandal. The two oldest siblings are the focus of the story.
Pros:
- A lovely story of how complex sibling relationships can be
- Buck does an excellent job at explaining the difficulties of modern ways vs. traditional ways
Cons:
-At times the story is clunky and hard to read
- The storyline is pretty flat with minimal arches
- The end needs work. I am upset that Buck said they lived happily ever after but does not mention the cultural revelation, the rise up of communisum etc.
Pros:
- A lovely story of how complex sibling relationships can be
- Buck does an excellent job at explaining the difficulties of modern ways vs. traditional ways
Cons:
-At times the story is clunky and hard to read
- The storyline is pretty flat with minimal arches
- The end needs work. I am upset that Buck said they lived happily ever after but does not mention the cultural revelation, the rise up of communisum etc.
March 6, 2021
A fascinating read taking us back to 1940s China. A study of the East v West ie Chinese v American cultures city v village life via the medium of a young family returning to their roots in search of their own identities.
In today's world fighting the pandemic it was an accidental but topical find. The China of pre Communist days still in awe of the West, following ancestral traditions, in need of change and betterment.
In today's world fighting the pandemic it was an accidental but topical find. The China of pre Communist days still in awe of the West, following ancestral traditions, in need of change and betterment.
August 1, 2021
As a fan of The Good Earth and Pavilion of Women, I was excited about reading Kinfolk. This story differs from those other novels, however, in that it is set in more modern times, takes place in both the United States and China, and has multiple main characters. Perhaps it was just that I was expecting something more like Buck's other works, but I did not enjoy this one as much.
September 13, 2021
Surprisingly I have never heard or seen many recommendations for Pearl Buck’s books . Kinfolk is a story of a family of Chinese immigrants from US whose children have various reactions and understanding of their roots and interactions with their ‘ kinfolk’ . A peak into how vast majority of China used to be live in the past in rural settings, oppressed by govt and scared of communists. Recommended !
January 9, 2022
Fate had different things planned for each member of this family
I can relate a lot to how the characters feel about their roots vs the land where they were brought up. None of them predicted that things would end up the way they did for them, but just like real life, it’s unpredictable and outcomes are brought about by some of our own choices. I’m satisfied with the direction it took and where they all ended up.
I can relate a lot to how the characters feel about their roots vs the land where they were brought up. None of them predicted that things would end up the way they did for them, but just like real life, it’s unpredictable and outcomes are brought about by some of our own choices. I’m satisfied with the direction it took and where they all ended up.
March 2, 2023
Homage to Life, Old and New.
Though not the very best, this is among the most outstanding of Buck’s works. Her aim here is to bridge the gap between modern life as exemplified by North American society and the peasants’ life in pre-revolutionary China, with its subtle mixture of ignorance and ancestral wisdom. Her message is that the latter should not be subverted or replaced by the former, but gradually changed and improved from within, from its roots up…
Though not the very best, this is among the most outstanding of Buck’s works. Her aim here is to bridge the gap between modern life as exemplified by North American society and the peasants’ life in pre-revolutionary China, with its subtle mixture of ignorance and ancestral wisdom. Her message is that the latter should not be subverted or replaced by the former, but gradually changed and improved from within, from its roots up…
July 20, 2024
This long story was a true revelation to me. I never read before anything of Pearl S. Buck and I’m happy that I started with this. Each carachter is clearly underlined and reveals not only the difference between east and west, but between human beings. Good and evil are mixed in each person’s heart. How they struggles, which’s the winner depends on many things, not only the person’s will. Fascinatingly we are lead to watch this struggle and hopenthat the best prevails.
February 23, 2021
Kinfolk
Interesting story of a Chinese family living in New York. Buck’s characters are finely drawn and realistic. The older children want to go live in China. Father is a withdrawn, intellectual. Mother is down to earth and warm. I enjoy learning about Chinese culture. Ms Buck has written a number of other books about China. I loved every one that I read.
Interesting story of a Chinese family living in New York. Buck’s characters are finely drawn and realistic. The older children want to go live in China. Father is a withdrawn, intellectual. Mother is down to earth and warm. I enjoy learning about Chinese culture. Ms Buck has written a number of other books about China. I loved every one that I read.
March 12, 2021
It took a while to get into this story, but I ended up really liking it. It was written in the late 1940s about a Chinese family who lives in New York. The children return to China, which works well for some of them but not for others. I loved seeing how the parents and children adapt to life in another country.
October 7, 2022
The making of a life. Bucks story is very real, thought provoking.
Such a real story of the struggles of real people. Makes one realize how hard it is to truly know a person and how someone from a different culture makes knowing even harder. The setting and reality of poverty and ignorance made the
story even more interesting . I wanted to know more!
Such a real story of the struggles of real people. Makes one realize how hard it is to truly know a person and how someone from a different culture makes knowing even harder. The setting and reality of poverty and ignorance made the
story even more interesting . I wanted to know more!
November 1, 2022
I have had this book on my shelf unread for decades. On a recent road trip, I decided to take this on our journey. I absolutely loved this book. It was very well written (Pearl S. Buck, so no surprise) and the characters were very well developed. I will miss this family now that I've finished the book.
January 26, 2023
Wonderful book
Pearl s. Buck makes China real to me. This book, more than any of her others that I've read brings pre-communist China to life for me. The differences between American culture and that of the wealthy Chinese along with the people of the earth is illustrated so entertainingly that I found myself anxious to return to the book when I was away.
Pearl s. Buck makes China real to me. This book, more than any of her others that I've read brings pre-communist China to life for me. The differences between American culture and that of the wealthy Chinese along with the people of the earth is illustrated so entertainingly that I found myself anxious to return to the book when I was away.
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