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The New Year
This is a story of hope and reconciliation. It is about an American father and his Eurasian son living in Korea. It is not without some soul-searching and a great deal of understanding on the part of his American wife that they get together as a family.
The father is an aspiring politician in Philadelphia. Put in shock and a moral dilemma by the sudden knowledge of his son, conceived while a soldier stationed in Korea, the father weighs his political future against his responsibilities to himself and his wife. The situation is further complicated by his childless marriage.
This is very modern in its treatment of a politician's seemingly conflicting goals of public success and conscientious personal behavior. The story confronts the disparity of two cultures: east and west and two generations. It is a very timely book for all of those reasons, but the reward of reading this book is Pearl Buck's ability as a story teller. Marital love, parental love, alienation, adoption, and ambition are all woven into this marvelous, poignant novel.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
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465 people want to read
About the author
Pearl S. Buck
789 books3,048 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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March 9, 2016
I’d forgotten how much I like Pearl S. Buck. Some time ago I read “The Good Earth” – her masterpiece – and found it a remarkable book. I’m going to reread it and write a review (stay tuned).
Most recently, at a used bookstore in Colorado Springs I found an old copy of “The New Year”. Finished with all of W. Somerset Maugham’s books and looking for fiction with meaning (hard to find these days) I considered myself fortuitous and bought the novel (and another – stay tuned for that too).
I was not disappointed. Pearl S. Buck is a remarkable novelist. A missionary kid (like me), her parents were Presbyterian missionaries in China in the late 1800s – when the mission field was the most exciting thing. Now the diplomats, the aid workers and the adventure travelers have rendered that part of the missionary job obsolete (making recruitment more difficult), but more than 100 years ago if you wanted to learn about our exotic world, there was nothing better than being a missionary.
This novel is about an American who had been a soldier in Korea during the war – and who, during his time living there, had fathered a child. But he has a problem. He is running for political office, and has ambitions that a mixed race, illegitimate child might torpedo.
What should he do?
The whole book is about that question – and the process by which he finds an answer to it. The twist, it is not him asking or answering the question. While the novel is written in omniscient (all points of view) the majority of the novel is spent inside the head of the man’s wife – as she comes to grip with her husband’s indiscretion, his past life, his newfound responsibility and what she should do about it all.
It is a very good book – as all Buck’s books are. Real problems, with real people. It only took me the better part of a day and half or two to read – but it was worth it. I hope you also find this story insightful, as I did.
Most recently, at a used bookstore in Colorado Springs I found an old copy of “The New Year”. Finished with all of W. Somerset Maugham’s books and looking for fiction with meaning (hard to find these days) I considered myself fortuitous and bought the novel (and another – stay tuned for that too).
I was not disappointed. Pearl S. Buck is a remarkable novelist. A missionary kid (like me), her parents were Presbyterian missionaries in China in the late 1800s – when the mission field was the most exciting thing. Now the diplomats, the aid workers and the adventure travelers have rendered that part of the missionary job obsolete (making recruitment more difficult), but more than 100 years ago if you wanted to learn about our exotic world, there was nothing better than being a missionary.
This novel is about an American who had been a soldier in Korea during the war – and who, during his time living there, had fathered a child. But he has a problem. He is running for political office, and has ambitions that a mixed race, illegitimate child might torpedo.
What should he do?
The whole book is about that question – and the process by which he finds an answer to it. The twist, it is not him asking or answering the question. While the novel is written in omniscient (all points of view) the majority of the novel is spent inside the head of the man’s wife – as she comes to grip with her husband’s indiscretion, his past life, his newfound responsibility and what she should do about it all.
It is a very good book – as all Buck’s books are. Real problems, with real people. It only took me the better part of a day and half or two to read – but it was worth it. I hope you also find this story insightful, as I did.
October 12, 2021
I read The Good Earth by Pearl Buck when my daughter was reading it in high school. And I honestly cannot remember much about it. Not sure what that says, not so much about the book, but about me. So, I approached this book with a bit of apprehension.
But it is one of those books I probably would not have chosen on my own. This was for a book group. And as is almost always true, I'm glad I read it. Was it life changing? No. Did it bring up deep questions? Yes. Life almost always brings dichotomies. And this book did.
Almost true to the culture of 2021, this book is about a politician with a past. And how that past is "handled" or plays out is what creates the story. It is about the clashing of two cultures through war. It is about what integrity really means, and I don't think that question was satisfactorily answered. But mostly, it is about life, and situations, and happiness and loneliness. And how each person has to determine all of that for themselves.
My favorite part of the story is about a conversation between Kim Christopher, the half Korean-half American son of the politician, and Dr. Bartlett, the headmaster of the school Christopher is attending. And the use of the dragonfly to illustrate creatures that change and adapt through a lifespan. It is beautiful! And so enhances my love of dragonflies.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it is an easy read that flows well. There are great questions of life, and love, and responsibility that are not completely answered. So you get to decide some of the answers for yourself.
But it is one of those books I probably would not have chosen on my own. This was for a book group. And as is almost always true, I'm glad I read it. Was it life changing? No. Did it bring up deep questions? Yes. Life almost always brings dichotomies. And this book did.
Almost true to the culture of 2021, this book is about a politician with a past. And how that past is "handled" or plays out is what creates the story. It is about the clashing of two cultures through war. It is about what integrity really means, and I don't think that question was satisfactorily answered. But mostly, it is about life, and situations, and happiness and loneliness. And how each person has to determine all of that for themselves.
My favorite part of the story is about a conversation between Kim Christopher, the half Korean-half American son of the politician, and Dr. Bartlett, the headmaster of the school Christopher is attending. And the use of the dragonfly to illustrate creatures that change and adapt through a lifespan. It is beautiful! And so enhances my love of dragonflies.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it is an easy read that flows well. There are great questions of life, and love, and responsibility that are not completely answered. So you get to decide some of the answers for yourself.
June 11, 2016
The first 50 pages were terrible. Again with Pearl Bucks later books, i felt like this was written by two different people. Buck wrote the center part which took place in Korea and it was real pearl buck, Great. Like she had this idea for a story and then had to come up with a way to introduce the characters and situation. That was the first 50 pages. Then how to end it, She had so many possible ways, she could even had not gone any farther than the part in Korea and it would still have been a good book. She chose a tear jerking ending which only Pearl Buck could have come up with.
January 15, 2016
I found The New Year on December 30 while browsing the shelves at Half Price Books. I had never read a Pearl S. Buck novel before, and the title caught my eye since the new year was almost upon us. I bought it on a whim and began reading it on New Year's Eve. I have no regrets, though it was a disappointing book, one that felt less like an honest story and more like a fictionalized infomercial for her recently established charity, The Opportunity Center and Orphanage.
Buck established Opportunity in 1964 "to publicize and eliminate injustices and prejudices suffered by children, who, because of their birth, are not permitted to enjoy the educational, social, economic and civil privileges normally accorded to children" (Pearl S. Buck Int'l, "Our History," 2009). The New Year is the story of one of those children, Kim Christopher, fathered by an American soldier during the war. Now 11, Kim Christopher learns his father's identity and whereabouts and writes him a letter.
I give Buck credit for not making this book a sappy movie of the week (though it kinda ends that way). The father, Christopher Winters, is an ambitious Philadelphia-based politician running for governor (with an eye on the Oval Office) who wants to keep closed that awkward chapter of his life. His wife Laura, however, insists on going, more to satisfy her own jealousy-tinged curiosity: Who is this dragon lady Soonya who wooed her then-newlywed husband into love and who gave him a son, something Laura could not do.
The bulk of the book features Laura's trip to South Korea. It's obvious by the details that Buck was intimately familiar with South Korea, and also with the novels of Charles Dickens, since coincidence plays a key role in the plot's development. In a full hotel dining room, Laura is seated at a table with Mr. Choe, a Korean businessman, who, it turns out, was educated in America, and celebrated Christmases in Philadelphia with mutual friends. Mr. Choe is also familiar with Soonya, who is madam of a Koreans-only bordello with the unimaginative name House of Flowers.
The narrative is punctuated by long paragraphs of exposition about the horrible fates of the "half-breed" children of soldiers, reminiscent of "Feed the Children" commercials (I was almost expecting an address to be provided for donations). When Choe would hold forth with these teaching moments, it fit the story, but it felt forced when Buck put the exposition into the mouth of a boisterous American soldier who is taking Laura out for a night of dancing. And who just happened to be the special guest singer that evening? Soonya! Reading The New Year you'd think there were about fourteen people living in South Korea since the same few people keep crossing paths with the others.
Laura eventually meets young Kim Christopher and, after hearing horror stories, wants to bring him to the United States. She leaves Korea with Kim Christopher and in their wake Soonya finds love with Mr. Choe, even burning her long-cherished photographs of Christopher Winters. It was hard to be happy for her: Soonya appears never to have loved Kim Christopher and welcomes the chance to be rid of him for a paltry payoff of several thousand dollars from Winters. She was an unsympathetic character.
Speaking of unsympathetic, I found Christopher Winters the most loathsome of all. He placed his political ambitions above all else, shipping Kim Christopher off to a boarding school and fearing a scandal should it come out he fathered a child in Korea. Winters won't even respond to his son's letters, pawning the task of responding off onto his wife, who herself loses interest as the months go by.
The character of Laura was intended to be sympathetic, playing Christopher's conscience early in the novel, but by the end she's a cipher, wholly swept up in his ambitions. Buck includes little references to things like the mink draped across her lap when they visit the school, that indicate she's sworn her allegiance to wealth and ambition. Occasional mention is made of Laura's distinguished career as a marine pharmacologist, but it feels tacked on. And for all the space given over to Laura's anxious thoughts, she never became a three-dimensional character. And the same can be said Of Christopher, Kim Christopher, Mr. Choe, and Soonya. They each play their roles in moving the story and in making clear the message Buck wants to put across: Remember the orphans left behind after the wars are over.
I'll admit I almost quit reading the book twice. Once I passed the 100-page mark, however, I resolved to see it through, even though it wasn't really engaging me. The dialogue is often dragged out to tedious lengths, and who knew so many people in 1968 still said "shan't"? The book limps to a close at the governor's New Year's Eve gala in a scene I suspect was intended by Buck to redeem Governor Winters, but which only soured me on him once and for all. Only a corrupt politician could so craftily and cynically plan both to introduce and to exploit his son for political gain as Winters does in the novel's closing pages. It was a bittersweet and dispiriting end to the story, and my heart went out to Kim Christopher, who I feared would never enjoy the American family he hoped and dreamed of finding and being a part of.
Buck established Opportunity in 1964 "to publicize and eliminate injustices and prejudices suffered by children, who, because of their birth, are not permitted to enjoy the educational, social, economic and civil privileges normally accorded to children" (Pearl S. Buck Int'l, "Our History," 2009). The New Year is the story of one of those children, Kim Christopher, fathered by an American soldier during the war. Now 11, Kim Christopher learns his father's identity and whereabouts and writes him a letter.
I give Buck credit for not making this book a sappy movie of the week (though it kinda ends that way). The father, Christopher Winters, is an ambitious Philadelphia-based politician running for governor (with an eye on the Oval Office) who wants to keep closed that awkward chapter of his life. His wife Laura, however, insists on going, more to satisfy her own jealousy-tinged curiosity: Who is this dragon lady Soonya who wooed her then-newlywed husband into love and who gave him a son, something Laura could not do.
The bulk of the book features Laura's trip to South Korea. It's obvious by the details that Buck was intimately familiar with South Korea, and also with the novels of Charles Dickens, since coincidence plays a key role in the plot's development. In a full hotel dining room, Laura is seated at a table with Mr. Choe, a Korean businessman, who, it turns out, was educated in America, and celebrated Christmases in Philadelphia with mutual friends. Mr. Choe is also familiar with Soonya, who is madam of a Koreans-only bordello with the unimaginative name House of Flowers.
The narrative is punctuated by long paragraphs of exposition about the horrible fates of the "half-breed" children of soldiers, reminiscent of "Feed the Children" commercials (I was almost expecting an address to be provided for donations). When Choe would hold forth with these teaching moments, it fit the story, but it felt forced when Buck put the exposition into the mouth of a boisterous American soldier who is taking Laura out for a night of dancing. And who just happened to be the special guest singer that evening? Soonya! Reading The New Year you'd think there were about fourteen people living in South Korea since the same few people keep crossing paths with the others.
Laura eventually meets young Kim Christopher and, after hearing horror stories, wants to bring him to the United States. She leaves Korea with Kim Christopher and in their wake Soonya finds love with Mr. Choe, even burning her long-cherished photographs of Christopher Winters. It was hard to be happy for her: Soonya appears never to have loved Kim Christopher and welcomes the chance to be rid of him for a paltry payoff of several thousand dollars from Winters. She was an unsympathetic character.
Speaking of unsympathetic, I found Christopher Winters the most loathsome of all. He placed his political ambitions above all else, shipping Kim Christopher off to a boarding school and fearing a scandal should it come out he fathered a child in Korea. Winters won't even respond to his son's letters, pawning the task of responding off onto his wife, who herself loses interest as the months go by.
The character of Laura was intended to be sympathetic, playing Christopher's conscience early in the novel, but by the end she's a cipher, wholly swept up in his ambitions. Buck includes little references to things like the mink draped across her lap when they visit the school, that indicate she's sworn her allegiance to wealth and ambition. Occasional mention is made of Laura's distinguished career as a marine pharmacologist, but it feels tacked on. And for all the space given over to Laura's anxious thoughts, she never became a three-dimensional character. And the same can be said Of Christopher, Kim Christopher, Mr. Choe, and Soonya. They each play their roles in moving the story and in making clear the message Buck wants to put across: Remember the orphans left behind after the wars are over.
I'll admit I almost quit reading the book twice. Once I passed the 100-page mark, however, I resolved to see it through, even though it wasn't really engaging me. The dialogue is often dragged out to tedious lengths, and who knew so many people in 1968 still said "shan't"? The book limps to a close at the governor's New Year's Eve gala in a scene I suspect was intended by Buck to redeem Governor Winters, but which only soured me on him once and for all. Only a corrupt politician could so craftily and cynically plan both to introduce and to exploit his son for political gain as Winters does in the novel's closing pages. It was a bittersweet and dispiriting end to the story, and my heart went out to Kim Christopher, who I feared would never enjoy the American family he hoped and dreamed of finding and being a part of.
June 27, 2019
Dieses Buch habe ich von meiner Mutter "geerbt" und ich habe es hauptsächlich deshalb mitgenommen, weil ich mal etwas von der Nobelpreisträgerin Buck lesen wollte. Ehrlich gesagt, habe ich nicht viel erwartet. Deshalb war ich umso überraschter, wie modern und fortschrittlich Buck die Beziehung ihrer Protagonisten darstellt.
In einer Zeit, in der es x Bücher im Stile von "Shades of Grey" auf den Markt schwemmt, ist es überaus erfrischend, ein Buch zu lesen, in dem die Eheleute wirkliche Partner sind, die vom Leben vor grosse Schwierigkeiten gestellt werden. Das Buch erschien im Original 1968 und zu der Zeit war die von Buck geschilderte Situation noch keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
Es ist eine Geschichte mit viel Emotion, aber es wirkte auf mich nicht gewollt und nicht gekleistert. Wenn ich 50 Jahre nach Erscheinen nicht jede Handlung nachvollziehen kann, so liegt das daran, dass sich die Welt unterdessen verändert hat. Ob zum Guten oder zum Schlechten sei dahin gestellt. Sicher ist, dass es sich hierbei um ein wirklich gutes Buch handelt und ich mich darauf freue, auch die weiteren Titel Bucks aus der Bibliothek meiner Mutter zu lesen.
In einer Zeit, in der es x Bücher im Stile von "Shades of Grey" auf den Markt schwemmt, ist es überaus erfrischend, ein Buch zu lesen, in dem die Eheleute wirkliche Partner sind, die vom Leben vor grosse Schwierigkeiten gestellt werden. Das Buch erschien im Original 1968 und zu der Zeit war die von Buck geschilderte Situation noch keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
Es ist eine Geschichte mit viel Emotion, aber es wirkte auf mich nicht gewollt und nicht gekleistert. Wenn ich 50 Jahre nach Erscheinen nicht jede Handlung nachvollziehen kann, so liegt das daran, dass sich die Welt unterdessen verändert hat. Ob zum Guten oder zum Schlechten sei dahin gestellt. Sicher ist, dass es sich hierbei um ein wirklich gutes Buch handelt und ich mich darauf freue, auch die weiteren Titel Bucks aus der Bibliothek meiner Mutter zu lesen.
April 7, 2020
as another goodreader said, despite the back cover description, this book does not focus on the father's coming to terms with the child he fathered while a soldier in Korea, but rather on his wife's decision to meet the mistress and take the 12-year-old boy back to the United States (with the mother's blessing). The father, Chris, does not want knowledge of the child to become public while he runs for governor of Pennsylvania, but once he wins, he introduces the boy at a New Year's party. It is a plainly told story, not bad, not good. 2.5, I think.
January 4, 2022
We need half stars, Goodreads!
I’d give this book 3 and a half stars. Parts of it were good, parts of it were VERY good, especially the parts in Korea, and parts were just OK. I agree with some reviewers who said that the beginning was the weakest part and it’s a bit dated, but overall, it’s still a good story with interesting characters.
I’d give this book 3 and a half stars. Parts of it were good, parts of it were VERY good, especially the parts in Korea, and parts were just OK. I agree with some reviewers who said that the beginning was the weakest part and it’s a bit dated, but overall, it’s still a good story with interesting characters.
March 3, 2025
A thoughtful examination of human connections amidst cultural complexities
March 28, 2021
Chris e Laura Winters sono felicemente sposati, lui sta aspirando a diventare governatore della Pennsylvania, lei è una ricercatrice di farmacologia marina. Un giorno arriva una lettera per Chris da parte del figlio, avuto da una relazione con una donna coreana, Sunia, ai tempi della guerra in Corea. Chris non può più nascondere questa verità che minaccia di gettare un’ombra su di lui e sulla sua integrità morale, Laura, una donna forte e determinata a capire realmente chi è l’uomo che ha sposato, decide di partire e di andare in Corea a conoscere il giovane Kim Christopher e sua madre. Lì si scontra con una realtà delicata, quella dei “figli della guerra”, ragazzi senza speranza che per la legge coreana appartengono ai padri che non li hanno mai riconosciuti e sono confinati ai margini della società. Così decide di salvarlo e di portarlo con lei in America ma l’esistenza di questo ragazzo rischia di minare tutta la carriera e la credibilità di Chris, che dovrà scegliere se continuare a tenerlo segreto o presentarlo in società come suo figlio.
Il confronto tra la cultura orientale e la cultura occidentale, la delicata trama di un matrimonio, i sacrifici, la scelta tra dovere morale e le ambizioni, la decisione di una donna di affrontare i fantasmi di un marito che potrebbe non aver conosciuto fino in fondo, la difficoltà di un bambino che non si riconosce in nessuna delle due culture proprio perché anello di congiunzione di mondi apparentemente distanti. Tutto mira a una riconciliazione, i toni e la scrittura di Pearl Buck sono toccanti, tutte le emozioni arrivano nitide durante la lettura.
Pearl S. Buck ha vinto il Nobel per la letteratura nel 1938 “per le sue ricche e veramente epiche descrizioni della vita contadina in Cina e per i suoi capolavori biografici”, questo libro è di mia mamma che la adora da sempre e io voglio leggere tutto di lei.
Il confronto tra la cultura orientale e la cultura occidentale, la delicata trama di un matrimonio, i sacrifici, la scelta tra dovere morale e le ambizioni, la decisione di una donna di affrontare i fantasmi di un marito che potrebbe non aver conosciuto fino in fondo, la difficoltà di un bambino che non si riconosce in nessuna delle due culture proprio perché anello di congiunzione di mondi apparentemente distanti. Tutto mira a una riconciliazione, i toni e la scrittura di Pearl Buck sono toccanti, tutte le emozioni arrivano nitide durante la lettura.
Pearl S. Buck ha vinto il Nobel per la letteratura nel 1938 “per le sue ricche e veramente epiche descrizioni della vita contadina in Cina e per i suoi capolavori biografici”, questo libro è di mia mamma che la adora da sempre e io voglio leggere tutto di lei.
December 11, 2021
Some have called this novel of a boy left behind in Korea by his American father dated but I believe that many of the themes it contains are timeless and that it still has relevance today. I love Pearl S. Buck and this one does not disappoint. So many things for me to think about. I marked a number of passages in this book but, frankly, most are negative, and so I am just going to note a couple of the more beautiful passages here.
"Someday there will be so many like you everywhere in the world that no one will call you names. It is a process of nature and it cannot be stopped. You are important. You are essential. I cannot tell you how you happen to be born one of these link people because I don't know your story. But someday you will know. Meanwhile, remember that you are valuable and that you have been born for a purpose - nature's eternal purpose, first to diversify and then to unify, and so make life a continuing, continuous stream." (What a beautiful way to help a half Korean/half American young man understand who is is.)
"It seems so long since she had had time to observe the moon, whose light she had always felt conducive to the sort of mood and meditation in which she did some of her most reflective thinking."
"Someday there will be so many like you everywhere in the world that no one will call you names. It is a process of nature and it cannot be stopped. You are important. You are essential. I cannot tell you how you happen to be born one of these link people because I don't know your story. But someday you will know. Meanwhile, remember that you are valuable and that you have been born for a purpose - nature's eternal purpose, first to diversify and then to unify, and so make life a continuing, continuous stream." (What a beautiful way to help a half Korean/half American young man understand who is is.)
"It seems so long since she had had time to observe the moon, whose light she had always felt conducive to the sort of mood and meditation in which she did some of her most reflective thinking."
October 22, 2016
A fan of Pearl S. Buck, I was happy to find this novel by her at a $2/bag book sale. The novel is about an American who had been a soldier in Korea during the war – and who, during his time living there, had fathered a child. But he has a problem. He is running for political office, and has ambitions that a mixed race, illegitimate child might torpedo. I highly disliked the main character, but couldn't not read to the ending, and questioned his values (as surely anyone caught up in the drama of the upcoming presidential election in the US might also be questioning the candidates "true" values)!
Not on the same par as "The Good Earth" by Buck, but nonetheless, a worthwhile read. I would actually give it 3.5 stars.
Not on the same par as "The Good Earth" by Buck, but nonetheless, a worthwhile read. I would actually give it 3.5 stars.
August 26, 2014
A nice read and in some ways, an interesting time trip. How we think about interracial kids in the West has certainly changed, so has women's role in society and family. On the other hand, the wartime experiences, moral issues during election times, parenthood in different situations - they remain everlasting topics for humankind.
October 6, 2018
An embarrassingly facile treatment of an extremely serious subject, with one-dimensional characters that sent my eyes rolling every few pages. Is this how all late-career Buck reads?
July 3, 2025
"La casa dei fiori" P. S. Buck: 5
È stato bello leggere questo libro per conoscere lo spaccato di vita americana degli anni '60. Anni nei quali il ruolo della donna era decorativo nell'ipotesi migliore o di sudditanza nella peggiore. Anni nei quali ad un marito veniva perdonato di default ogni pensiero, discorso o gesto. Nei quali la carriera lavorativa e l'ambizione femminile erano percepite come un futili capricci che il marito potesse concedere o meno in base alle proprie preferenze. Anni nei quali il concetto di unioni miste era ancora disdicevole.
Tanta strada è stata fatta, tanta ancora ne rimane da fare.
A me piace lo stile della Buck, ma ho provato talmente tanto fastidio nei confronti del protagonista e quasi nessun biasimo del suo operato da innervosirmi anche nei confronti dell'autrice che, così facendo, normalizza il suo comportamento. Detto ciò, questo libro è stato scritto nel 1968 quindi in un contesto ancora molto arretrato rispetto ai diritti ottenuti al giorno d'oggi e quindi è scorretto giudicarlo decontestualizzandolo dal suo tempo. Anzi, per l'epoca, era estremamente polemico e all'avanguardia parlando di:
- coppie senza figli (non per scelta, ma viene descritta una famiglia costituita da marito e moglie comunque felici e non ossessionati dalla mancata genitorialità)
- donne indipendenti, forti e intraprendenti; una intelligente e con un lavoro rischioso e specialistico come ricercatrice sul campo (Laura è una specie di ricercatrice farmaceutica che organizza e partecipa a immersioni per studiare forme di vita che possano avere applicazioni farmacologiche) l'altra come proprietaria e amministratrice di una casa di piacere (Sunia ha tirato su dal nulla con le sue sole forze, un neonato illegittimo e una vecchia madre a carico, una fiorente attività che le permette di mantenere la sua famiglia senza neanche disonorare sé stessa)
- l'isolamento e la solitudine provata dalle persone nate da unioni miste. L'autrice fa chiaramente capire la sua posizione a riguardo. Secondo lei questi esseri rappresentano una versione pro rispetto a quelle base, nella quale i pregi di entrambe le etnie si uniscono a creare una nuova versione migliorata.
- ultimo perché già trattato prima in altri libri, la fragilità dei soldati che, per trovare conforto e allontanare la paura della morte, cercano un contatto umano facendo crollare il mito dell'uomo forte in ogni occasione.
America - Corea 1952 - 1963 circa
Christopher Winters ha fatto il soldato nella guerra di Corea. Fresco fresco di matrimonio con la bella e intelligente Laura Witt, spinto dalla solitudine e dal continuo timore della morte, ha trovato consolazione tra le braccia di Sunia Kim, un'affascinante coreana giovane e innocente. Da brava merda non le dice di essere sposato e, appena lei partorisce il suo figlio illegittimo, lui la abbandona e se ne torna in America dalla mogliettina senza confessare nulla. Dodici anni dopo riceve una lettera da parte di suo figlio nella quale il bimbo gli chiede aiuto. In Corea infatti il figlio è responsabilità paterna e i bimbi illegittimi sono trattati demmerda, non hanno diritto a identità e istruzione. Christopher, messo alle strette, confessa tutto alla moglie e lei, per evitare scandali dato che lui è in piena campagna elettorale per diventare governatore repubblicano del proprio stato e, in futuro, presidente alla Casa Bianca, parte per la Corea per risolvere la situazione. Laura conosce l'affascinante Sunia e scopre che lei soffre ancora per l'abbandono di Christopher. Ha aperto una casa di piacere chiusa agli stranieri e tiene Chris nascosto dalla nascita per non compromettere la propria reputazione, ma il ragazzo sta iniziando a dare sempre più problemi perché vive demmerda escluso da tutto e tutti a causa delle origini di suo padre. Laura, mossa a compassione, paga Sunia per portare con sé il ragazzo in America e dargli la possibilità di costruirsi un futuro. Christopher, da buon repubblicano, lo chiude in collegio per non sfancularsi la campagna elettorale con la prova della propria infedeltà e successiva stronzaggine. Sotto forte spinta della mogliettina sottona (nonostante ella possa mangiargli in testa sotto ogni punto di vista) e vinte le elezioni, Christopher decide di rivelare al mondo la sua magnanimità adottando suo figlio mezzosangue coreano. Da buon politico riesce anche a girarla in modo da passare per fragile e umano in un periodo di guerra, ma anche abbastanza coraggioso da ammettere le proprie colpe e porvi rimedio. Cosa che non avrebbe assolutamente mai fatto se non ci si fosse trovato costretto da un bimbo e due frivole e deboli donne... Comunque alla fine tutto è bene quel che finisce bene e i tre iniziano la loro vita insieme come una felice famigliola moderna.
È stato bello leggere questo libro per conoscere lo spaccato di vita americana degli anni '60. Anni nei quali il ruolo della donna era decorativo nell'ipotesi migliore o di sudditanza nella peggiore. Anni nei quali ad un marito veniva perdonato di default ogni pensiero, discorso o gesto. Nei quali la carriera lavorativa e l'ambizione femminile erano percepite come un futili capricci che il marito potesse concedere o meno in base alle proprie preferenze. Anni nei quali il concetto di unioni miste era ancora disdicevole.
Tanta strada è stata fatta, tanta ancora ne rimane da fare.
A me piace lo stile della Buck, ma ho provato talmente tanto fastidio nei confronti del protagonista e quasi nessun biasimo del suo operato da innervosirmi anche nei confronti dell'autrice che, così facendo, normalizza il suo comportamento. Detto ciò, questo libro è stato scritto nel 1968 quindi in un contesto ancora molto arretrato rispetto ai diritti ottenuti al giorno d'oggi e quindi è scorretto giudicarlo decontestualizzandolo dal suo tempo. Anzi, per l'epoca, era estremamente polemico e all'avanguardia parlando di:
- coppie senza figli (non per scelta, ma viene descritta una famiglia costituita da marito e moglie comunque felici e non ossessionati dalla mancata genitorialità)
- donne indipendenti, forti e intraprendenti; una intelligente e con un lavoro rischioso e specialistico come ricercatrice sul campo (Laura è una specie di ricercatrice farmaceutica che organizza e partecipa a immersioni per studiare forme di vita che possano avere applicazioni farmacologiche) l'altra come proprietaria e amministratrice di una casa di piacere (Sunia ha tirato su dal nulla con le sue sole forze, un neonato illegittimo e una vecchia madre a carico, una fiorente attività che le permette di mantenere la sua famiglia senza neanche disonorare sé stessa)
- l'isolamento e la solitudine provata dalle persone nate da unioni miste. L'autrice fa chiaramente capire la sua posizione a riguardo. Secondo lei questi esseri rappresentano una versione pro rispetto a quelle base, nella quale i pregi di entrambe le etnie si uniscono a creare una nuova versione migliorata.
- ultimo perché già trattato prima in altri libri, la fragilità dei soldati che, per trovare conforto e allontanare la paura della morte, cercano un contatto umano facendo crollare il mito dell'uomo forte in ogni occasione.
America - Corea 1952 - 1963 circa
Christopher Winters ha fatto il soldato nella guerra di Corea. Fresco fresco di matrimonio con la bella e intelligente Laura Witt, spinto dalla solitudine e dal continuo timore della morte, ha trovato consolazione tra le braccia di Sunia Kim, un'affascinante coreana giovane e innocente. Da brava merda non le dice di essere sposato e, appena lei partorisce il suo figlio illegittimo, lui la abbandona e se ne torna in America dalla mogliettina senza confessare nulla. Dodici anni dopo riceve una lettera da parte di suo figlio nella quale il bimbo gli chiede aiuto. In Corea infatti il figlio è responsabilità paterna e i bimbi illegittimi sono trattati demmerda, non hanno diritto a identità e istruzione. Christopher, messo alle strette, confessa tutto alla moglie e lei, per evitare scandali dato che lui è in piena campagna elettorale per diventare governatore repubblicano del proprio stato e, in futuro, presidente alla Casa Bianca, parte per la Corea per risolvere la situazione. Laura conosce l'affascinante Sunia e scopre che lei soffre ancora per l'abbandono di Christopher. Ha aperto una casa di piacere chiusa agli stranieri e tiene Chris nascosto dalla nascita per non compromettere la propria reputazione, ma il ragazzo sta iniziando a dare sempre più problemi perché vive demmerda escluso da tutto e tutti a causa delle origini di suo padre. Laura, mossa a compassione, paga Sunia per portare con sé il ragazzo in America e dargli la possibilità di costruirsi un futuro. Christopher, da buon repubblicano, lo chiude in collegio per non sfancularsi la campagna elettorale con la prova della propria infedeltà e successiva stronzaggine. Sotto forte spinta della mogliettina sottona (nonostante ella possa mangiargli in testa sotto ogni punto di vista) e vinte le elezioni, Christopher decide di rivelare al mondo la sua magnanimità adottando suo figlio mezzosangue coreano. Da buon politico riesce anche a girarla in modo da passare per fragile e umano in un periodo di guerra, ma anche abbastanza coraggioso da ammettere le proprie colpe e porvi rimedio. Cosa che non avrebbe assolutamente mai fatto se non ci si fosse trovato costretto da un bimbo e due frivole e deboli donne... Comunque alla fine tutto è bene quel che finisce bene e i tre iniziano la loro vita insieme come una felice famigliola moderna.
March 22, 2025
Dramma familiare nell’America degli anni sessanta, a pochi anni dalla fine della guerra di Corea e agli inizi di quella del Vietnam con “i giovani americani ancora impegnati in sette paesi dell’Asia”. Laura e Christopher sono una coppia ricca, molto innamorata e sulla cresta dell’onda. Lui è un deputato lanciato verso l’elezione a governatore dello stato (e domani chissà…), lei è una scienziata biologa, che accantonato il lavoro, si accompagna al marito nella tournee elettorale, Come un fulmine a ciel sereno, compare un figlio naturale in Corea, frutto di una relazione con una ragazza coreana, quando, appena sposato. aveva trascorso in Asia alcuni anni come soldato dell’esercito. Uno dei tanti figli di soldati americani perché in tanti avevano iniziato delle relazioni, e le ragazze, spinte da necessità economiche, non si tiravano certo indietro. Ed è Laura, con una dose incredibile di comprensione, a partire per Seul, e in mezzo ad atmosfere orientali, cercare il ragazzo, conoscerne la madre, integerrima tenutaria della “casa dei fiori”, e infine portarlo in America, togliendolo a una vita ai margini senza prospettive. Qui però al momento viene “parcheggiato” in collegio perché la sua presentazione ufficiale potrebbe nuocere alla sua carriera politica…Pearl S. Buck, già premio Nobel negli anni 30, ha scritto nella sua lunga carriera letteraria ottimi romanzi per lo più ambientati in Cina (La buona terra, Stirpe di Drago) ma qui siamo molto lontani. I personaggi sembrano tagliati con l’accetta, dominati da un pragmatismo che lascia pochi dubbi e porta sempre alla decisione migliore. La sensazione è quella di una storia con un buon ritmo costruita per immagini nette senza chiaroscuri in modo da colpire in maniera diretta il lettore di questo pseudo drammone. L’unico merito è forse quello di sollevare la questione dei figli in Corea dei soldati americani, ma è troppo poco; d’altro canto l’intera storia è dominato da buonismo e politically correct eccessivo e a tratti stucchevole: fin dall’inizio è chiaro che amore e senso di responsabilità trionferanno. Un libro molto commerciale che si legge in fretta e in fretta si dimentica. Tre stelle molto molto stiracchiate.
August 28, 2023
"La donna del passato" P. S. Buck: 3
La storia più antica del mondo; ovvero quando un omm 'e merd' incontra una "pora disgraziata senza manco più gli occhi pe' piagne"
Chris sposa Laura subito prima di partire per la guerra in Corea. Dopo aver combattuto per un po', stressato e sconfortato, cerca un po' di pace tra le gambe braccia di una bella ragazza coreana, Sunia. Questa, completamente ignara del fatto che Chris sia già sposato, spera che, scodellandogli un figlio, si decida a portarla con se in America per salvarla dalle brutture della guerra. Chris, da buon uomo responsabile, saputo del figlio, approfitta della prima lettera della moglie per tornarsene lesto a casa, lasciando nella miseria Sunia e il figlio nato da pochi mesi.
Qui, senza dir nulla a nessuno e con meno moralità di Frank Underwood, riprende la propria vita come niente fosse. Dopo una decina d'anni e una bella carriera in politica, riceve la lettera di suo figlio, Christopher, che gli chiede di esser riconosciuto come suo figlio e portato in America dato che, non avendo legalmente un padre, non ha diritto al rispetto, all'istruzione o ad un lavoro in Corea. A questo punto, ma solo a questo punto, Chris decide di confessare tutto alla moglie che va in Corea per valutare la situazione. Lì scopre che Christopher è lasciato a se stesso, quando non è maltrattato, quindi lo porta con se in America. Chris, in piena campagna elettorale per la presidenza degli Stati Uniti, non può affrontare un simile scandalo quindi manda il figlio di 10 anni, solo in terra straniera e con una padronanza dell'inglese pari a quella di Cassano, in un collegio esclusivo in Culonia. I mesi passano, Chris aumenta il consenso tra gli elettori, Laura si scazza sempre di più e Christopher inizia a rassegnarsi ad essere orfano e solo al mondo. Arrivano le votazioni, Chris vince e, magnanimamente e soprattutto con coerenza e classe, presenta il frutto indesiderato dei suoi lombi ai maggiori sostenitori del partito durante la cena di Capodanno.
La storia più antica del mondo; ovvero quando un omm 'e merd' incontra una "pora disgraziata senza manco più gli occhi pe' piagne"
Chris sposa Laura subito prima di partire per la guerra in Corea. Dopo aver combattuto per un po', stressato e sconfortato, cerca un po' di pace tra le gambe braccia di una bella ragazza coreana, Sunia. Questa, completamente ignara del fatto che Chris sia già sposato, spera che, scodellandogli un figlio, si decida a portarla con se in America per salvarla dalle brutture della guerra. Chris, da buon uomo responsabile, saputo del figlio, approfitta della prima lettera della moglie per tornarsene lesto a casa, lasciando nella miseria Sunia e il figlio nato da pochi mesi.
Qui, senza dir nulla a nessuno e con meno moralità di Frank Underwood, riprende la propria vita come niente fosse. Dopo una decina d'anni e una bella carriera in politica, riceve la lettera di suo figlio, Christopher, che gli chiede di esser riconosciuto come suo figlio e portato in America dato che, non avendo legalmente un padre, non ha diritto al rispetto, all'istruzione o ad un lavoro in Corea. A questo punto, ma solo a questo punto, Chris decide di confessare tutto alla moglie che va in Corea per valutare la situazione. Lì scopre che Christopher è lasciato a se stesso, quando non è maltrattato, quindi lo porta con se in America. Chris, in piena campagna elettorale per la presidenza degli Stati Uniti, non può affrontare un simile scandalo quindi manda il figlio di 10 anni, solo in terra straniera e con una padronanza dell'inglese pari a quella di Cassano, in un collegio esclusivo in Culonia. I mesi passano, Chris aumenta il consenso tra gli elettori, Laura si scazza sempre di più e Christopher inizia a rassegnarsi ad essere orfano e solo al mondo. Arrivano le votazioni, Chris vince e, magnanimamente e soprattutto con coerenza e classe, presenta il frutto indesiderato dei suoi lombi ai maggiori sostenitori del partito durante la cena di Capodanno.
October 10, 2022
When I was a precocious child, I was allowed to borrow from the adult section in our local library. The librarian very kindly informed me that this book was 'too old' for me. I was disappointed, but accepted her advise. Now some, ahem, many years later, I discovered this book again.
I was truly captivated by the character of Mrs. Winters. What a strong woman, yet a soft one at the same time. Supporting her husband as he campaigns to become Governor of his state, she finds he has a deep dark secret he did not tell her. A child from his war service in Korea.
I felt Mr Chris Winters rather obnoxious at the start, but then softened to him as his whole world is turned upside down. His stoicism becomes at times stubborness to address his own emotions, but his darling wife takes it upon herself to see for herself what his past was like.
A truly lovely story with many characters who touch your heart. I loved this book very much, and am grateful for that librarian all those years ago to allow me to not read it then, I certainly would never have understood the depth of the subject matter.
I was truly captivated by the character of Mrs. Winters. What a strong woman, yet a soft one at the same time. Supporting her husband as he campaigns to become Governor of his state, she finds he has a deep dark secret he did not tell her. A child from his war service in Korea.
I felt Mr Chris Winters rather obnoxious at the start, but then softened to him as his whole world is turned upside down. His stoicism becomes at times stubborness to address his own emotions, but his darling wife takes it upon herself to see for herself what his past was like.
A truly lovely story with many characters who touch your heart. I loved this book very much, and am grateful for that librarian all those years ago to allow me to not read it then, I certainly would never have understood the depth of the subject matter.
December 5, 2018
Not completely sure how I feel about this book. About half way through I had to read the description on the back again because I didn't feel like I was reading the book it described. The description talks about a man trying to come to terms with his son born to him in Korea during the Korean war, however it was more about how his wife comes to terms with it. The book was very drawn out and the characters a little flawed. I feel like there should have been more regarding the Korean mother and the son's life in Korea. I was happy with the ending because I was never quite sure where this story was going to end up. I would recommend this book just because it did have a good story to it, but only if someone was already reading the genre.
March 4, 2024
Me encantó el inicio y hasta la mitad del libro, en especial la parte de Corea. Una maravilla cómo Buck mostraba las relaciones entre los personajes y sus sentimientos y emociones. No obstante, hacia la segunda mitad de la novela me decepcionaron algunos personajes y no entendí sus actitudes, tan distintas a como habían sido antes. Además de que la narración se hizo más lenta, no pude evitar desconectarme del libro y desear que llegara el final, que tampoco me llenó. Aún así, solo por la parte de Corea le doy 4 estrellas.
March 20, 2023
Pearl Buck tells one story about those left behind by American soldiers after they served their time in the Korean War. The children who were born to an American soldier and a Korean mother. I was aware of this sad bit of history and the sad stories of the tortured lives these children led. I'm sure there are other such stories, but Pearl had her figure on the Asian countries and wrote this shortly after the war.
June 1, 2022
I started to read this 1960's book and was soon engrossed with it. It is a social commentary on racism. I was not expecting this. It focuses on Korean/American children born in the 1950's during the Korean conflict. At times it was hard to read because I am a white male, and the white male is so slow in doing the right thing.
June 17, 2017
I read a shortened version of this novel by Peal Buck from a 1968 Readers Digest Condensed Book I found in my parents' bookcase. Shortening it did not change the impact of a story of family and love by this great writer.
June 25, 2017
A touching story of a Korean War veteran who years later connects with his son conceived In a war time love affair. The young soldier was a newly wed and many years later his wife helped locate the boy. A good Pearl Buck novel taking place in Korea and the US.
March 11, 2021
3,5 🌟
Die ersten 60 Seiten gingen furchtbar schleppend, danach hab ich es gern gelesen. Das Ende kam etwas plötzlich und schien mir eher unwahrscheinlich, aber es lässt mich nicht mit einem unzufriedenen Gefühl zurück :)
Die ersten 60 Seiten gingen furchtbar schleppend, danach hab ich es gern gelesen. Das Ende kam etwas plötzlich und schien mir eher unwahrscheinlich, aber es lässt mich nicht mit einem unzufriedenen Gefühl zurück :)
February 10, 2024
How I picked this battered copy, other than happenstance, I'll never know but remain loyally grateful. At its core, if exaimes the meaning of home and family. Buck's writing is pure, raw, and instinctive. It had me tense and in tears until the final page. Love love love this book.
October 27, 2017
How did I forget about Pearl S. Buck all these years? This was a great read, well developed characters and hard for me to put down! Onto The Good Earth next...
January 12, 2018
Particularly poignant, well written, well told, well believed.
April 18, 2018
This is my second Pearl Buck novel. It was very well written. This novel is an important literary work regarding the Korean War, one which has deepened my understanding of War in general.
November 15, 2018
Seeeehr angenehmes Lesen, schön geschrieben und schöne Erzählung, war aber auch nichts Besonderes.
December 19, 2018
Very good book.
Describe the ambience of that time gives us the ideias of what was like loving during post-war times.
Very clean language, easy understanding
Describe the ambience of that time gives us the ideias of what was like loving during post-war times.
Very clean language, easy understanding
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