Bright Procession

by John Sedges (pseudonym), Pearl S. Buck

Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso

204 pages

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Pseudonym of Pearl S. Buck

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: "Bright Procession" is one of Pearl Buck's American novels, although she is best remembered by her Chinese novels. In fact, this is her American novel I've most liked, even more than "The Long Love," my previous American favorite from this author up to now, until I read this one. All things considered, my favorite book by her is "East wind, west wind," which is one of my ten most beloved books of all time.

I think it's obvious that this novel is partially auto-biographical, even though its main character is a man, rather than a woman, like the author. Buck was the daughter of a missionary, as Stephen is the son of a preacher, and Stephen's difficulties to understand his father are probably parallel to Pearl's problems with her own father, whom she described fully in a book: "Fighting Angel."

ESPAÑOL: Esta es una de las novelas de Pearl Buck sobre la vida en los Estados Unidos, aunque se la recuerda mejor por sus novelas sobre China. De hecho, esta es su novela estadounidense que más me ha gustado, incluso más que "Un solo amor", que había sido mi anterior favorita americana de esta autora, hasta que leí esta. En conjunto, mi libro favorito entre todos los suyos es "Viento del Este, Viento del Oeste", uno de mis diez libros preferidos de todos los tiempos.

Creo que es obvio que esta novela es parcialmente autobiográfica, a pesar de que el personaje principal sea un hombre y no una mujer, como la autora. Buck era hija de un misionero, como Stephen lo es de un predicador, y las dificultades de Stephen para comprender a su padre probablemente sean paralelas a los problemas de Pearl con su propio padre, a quien describió en un libro: "El ángel luchador".

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a master storyteller!

[Irene Azuaje · Rating 2 out of 5]

Demasiado lento para mi gusto.

[Alexx Tsuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

No se me hizo una historia muy interesante.

[Santi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: The Bright Procession by Pearl S. Buck

Pearl S. Buck, best known for her sweeping tales of China and the resilience of its people, surprises us with The Bright Procession, a novel that diverges from her familiar terrain and instead offers a deeply introspective, emotionally harrowing narrative rooted in the intimate corners of a marriage—and the unbearable silence that follows a tragic choice.

At its heart is a husband, a quiet man of quiet routines, who finds his world upended by the suicide of his wife. Her death is not only a personal catastrophe but a revelation, peeling back the illusions of their union and exposing the unspoken voids that had long existed. Buck, with her signature grace and emotional acuity, navigates the internal collapse of a man forced to grapple with questions that may never be answered: Why did she leave? Did I ever truly know her? Could I have saved her?

What makes this novel so unusual—and unforgettable—is how Buck refuses to romanticize grief. The protagonist does not heal in grand, cinematic sweeps. Instead, he survives in hesitant steps, painfully human and achingly real. He digs through remnants of his wife’s life, seeking clarity, sometimes blaming himself, sometimes feeling nothing at all. In his silence, Buck creates a symphony of mourning: raw, fractured, and yet strangely luminous.

There’s a kind of brutal beauty in how Buck portrays the complexity of mental illness, marriage, and self-deception. The protagonist’s survival isn’t a triumph in the usual sense—he doesn’t emerge stronger or wiser, but he endures. He learns to live with the absence, to live despite the questions. And in that slow, unglamorous endurance, Buck gives us one of her most poignant meditations on love and loss.

The Bright Procession may not be Buck's most famous novel, but for those who have loved and lost, who have asked impossible questions in the dark, it is perhaps her most haunting. I loved every page. Even when it hurt. Especially when it hurt.


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[Nasti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not know what demon possessed me when I read this book. I binged it in 6 hours. I never read this kind of books.
It's not even too good or too bad I'm just honestly shocked it captivated me so badly. I'm an Atheist, and idc if this made me like or dislike this book more.
That's something not even my Grandma would read and yet here I am. Wth