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This Proud Heart
As her second marriage approaches, a brilliant and independent sculptor faces tensions between her art and everyday life
This Proud Heart narrates the experience of a gifted sculptor and her struggle to reconcile her absorbing career with society’s domestic expectations. Susan Gaylord is talented, loving, equipped with a strong moral sense, and adept at anything she puts her hand to, from housework to playing the piano to working with marble and clay. But the intensity of her artistic calling comes at a price, isolating her from other people—at times, even from her own family. When her husband dies and she remarries, she finds herself once again comparing the sacrifice of solitude to that of commitment. With a heroine who is naturalistic yet compellingly larger than life, This Proud Heart is incomparable in its sympathetic study of character.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author’s estate.
This Proud Heart narrates the experience of a gifted sculptor and her struggle to reconcile her absorbing career with society’s domestic expectations. Susan Gaylord is talented, loving, equipped with a strong moral sense, and adept at anything she puts her hand to, from housework to playing the piano to working with marble and clay. But the intensity of her artistic calling comes at a price, isolating her from other people—at times, even from her own family. When her husband dies and she remarries, she finds herself once again comparing the sacrifice of solitude to that of commitment. With a heroine who is naturalistic yet compellingly larger than life, This Proud Heart is incomparable in its sympathetic study of character.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Pearl S. Buck including rare images from the author’s estate.
371 pages
First published August 1, 1937
233 people are currently reading
832 people want to read
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 91 reviews
May 14, 2010
I absolutely Loved this book with a capital L. It's the story of Susan, an up and coming sculptor in the 1930s, who struggles with her love of art, her love of family - children, parents, sister and husband, and her need to be herself. As I read it, I could imagine the setting, in the 30s and how tremendously difficult it would be for a girl to do anything other than teach or nurse or be a secretary, or marry and have children. Pearl Buck delivers with this book, especially in the ending which brings the whole thing full term.
At some point in the middle of the book, I had to read Pearl Buck's biography on wikipedia because I had a suspicion that the entire book was somewhat autobiographical, an allegory for her own life. I found out that David Barnes, the name of the sculptor in the book who mentors Susan Gaylord, was the pen name with which she submitted her master's thesis at Cornell. At that time, Pearl Buck afraid that if she submitted her thesis as a woman, it would automatically be graded down?
The sculpting seemed to pinch hit for writing, being lost in the marble and just feeling it, seemed so similar to getting lost in the writing. I couldn't find any definitive interview or study on the author and this book in particular, but I did find someone else who thought as I did.
So many of the themes in the book will still resonate with woman 70 years later. It is still hard to juggle family, passion, responsibilities; it's hard to fit in, to figure out when to have children during our careers - all themes which she explores brilliantly in the book.
At some point in the middle of the book, I had to read Pearl Buck's biography on wikipedia because I had a suspicion that the entire book was somewhat autobiographical, an allegory for her own life. I found out that David Barnes, the name of the sculptor in the book who mentors Susan Gaylord, was the pen name with which she submitted her master's thesis at Cornell. At that time, Pearl Buck afraid that if she submitted her thesis as a woman, it would automatically be graded down?
The sculpting seemed to pinch hit for writing, being lost in the marble and just feeling it, seemed so similar to getting lost in the writing. I couldn't find any definitive interview or study on the author and this book in particular, but I did find someone else who thought as I did.
So many of the themes in the book will still resonate with woman 70 years later. It is still hard to juggle family, passion, responsibilities; it's hard to fit in, to figure out when to have children during our careers - all themes which she explores brilliantly in the book.
July 23, 2013
I see that This Proud Heart's reviewers belong to the same demographic as Michael Bolton concert attenders. Well, I am 20 and I happened to read this book and I will say my two paisa worth about it. I picked this book from the detritus of a second-hand bookstore. It came without a cover and hence without the perfunctory blurb on the back. The title looked interesting and I had read and liked Pearl Buck's short story, The Enemy in school. And so I jumped into the book without the slightest idea of what it was about.
What struck me the most was that The Proud Heart is written very differently from contemporary fiction. Even though it is a story about one character, a Susan Gaylord, it flows like water from a tap. The book doesn't brood about Susan's difficulties to fit in a simple society as a prodigious child, choosing instead to build her character line by line. A novelist of recent years would have begun with at least a few pages of the character analysis, may be even an introspective monologue. Proud Heart uses events to build its characters. It is linear and no page drops hints of anything to come.
I found the first hundred pages ridiculous.Readable but ridiculous. Why does she keep begging her husband for kids? Why won't she move to Paris? Why must she ask her husband to attend an art class? Why must she be ashamed of bringing money home? I flipped back pages to the publishing year which turned out to be 1930. I was tolerant thereafter; sexual revolution was decades in future and women has not held suffrage for too long.
None of the characters are cliched. Not the country folks, not the artists nor the subjects they sculpt. Susan turns into a wilted flower each time she falls in love but both times, she pulls herself out of it to return to her work. Susan is discovered by a famous sculptor, David Barnes who keeps persuading her to come to Paris but she keeps dallying. After her husband dies, she visits their small old house and a ravine next to it. The sight and the implicit emotions persuade her to leave for Paris; it is a powerfully written scene. In Paris, she meets and marries a modern sculptor Blake and neglects her work once again. This time a visit to her poet father who has let himself vegetate in his family house stirs her to action. Buck hasn't been wishy-washy with Susan's character. All of her rites of passage are preambled by perceptible incidents and a change in emotions.
The book crosses the intellectual landmarks of New York and Paris. It however, refuses to be pulled inside the night clubs and couture shows. All artists pictured in the book are all-work-little-hype and don't light joints or snort lines which is refreshing to modern readers who have witnessed the narcotic saturation of creative professions.
I was a little put off by the lack of a timeline in the plot. Buck only mentions that Susan marries at 20, has been married for four years at a point, John is six and in Paris when he starts school, but no more than that. I guess she is 34-38 at the time the novel finishes.
This Proud Heart is not very well remembered, perhaps because its writing style is too smooth, too conflict-free to have drawn critical attention. But the book is an achievement. I am glad to have come across it. In modern context This Proud Heart corroborates Zadie Smith's statement that a woman need not sacrifice childbirth in her pursuit of creative realization. It also bashes what Zadie said because Susan, although a dutiful mother is always emotionally immiscible from her children.
What struck me the most was that The Proud Heart is written very differently from contemporary fiction. Even though it is a story about one character, a Susan Gaylord, it flows like water from a tap. The book doesn't brood about Susan's difficulties to fit in a simple society as a prodigious child, choosing instead to build her character line by line. A novelist of recent years would have begun with at least a few pages of the character analysis, may be even an introspective monologue. Proud Heart uses events to build its characters. It is linear and no page drops hints of anything to come.
I found the first hundred pages ridiculous.Readable but ridiculous. Why does she keep begging her husband for kids? Why won't she move to Paris? Why must she ask her husband to attend an art class? Why must she be ashamed of bringing money home? I flipped back pages to the publishing year which turned out to be 1930. I was tolerant thereafter; sexual revolution was decades in future and women has not held suffrage for too long.
None of the characters are cliched. Not the country folks, not the artists nor the subjects they sculpt. Susan turns into a wilted flower each time she falls in love but both times, she pulls herself out of it to return to her work. Susan is discovered by a famous sculptor, David Barnes who keeps persuading her to come to Paris but she keeps dallying. After her husband dies, she visits their small old house and a ravine next to it. The sight and the implicit emotions persuade her to leave for Paris; it is a powerfully written scene. In Paris, she meets and marries a modern sculptor Blake and neglects her work once again. This time a visit to her poet father who has let himself vegetate in his family house stirs her to action. Buck hasn't been wishy-washy with Susan's character. All of her rites of passage are preambled by perceptible incidents and a change in emotions.
The book crosses the intellectual landmarks of New York and Paris. It however, refuses to be pulled inside the night clubs and couture shows. All artists pictured in the book are all-work-little-hype and don't light joints or snort lines which is refreshing to modern readers who have witnessed the narcotic saturation of creative professions.
I was a little put off by the lack of a timeline in the plot. Buck only mentions that Susan marries at 20, has been married for four years at a point, John is six and in Paris when he starts school, but no more than that. I guess she is 34-38 at the time the novel finishes.
This Proud Heart is not very well remembered, perhaps because its writing style is too smooth, too conflict-free to have drawn critical attention. But the book is an achievement. I am glad to have come across it. In modern context This Proud Heart corroborates Zadie Smith's statement that a woman need not sacrifice childbirth in her pursuit of creative realization. It also bashes what Zadie said because Susan, although a dutiful mother is always emotionally immiscible from her children.
June 23, 2022
This book was published in 1938 but the theme itself is so contemporary. Susan Gaylord is a brilliant woman of many talents; she unintentionally intimidates everyone (including her husband) because she does so many things so well. This makes her sound insufferable but she is not.
I liked the insight into the mind of an artistic, creative person (Susan was a sculptor) and how difficult it was for women in the 1930's to be taken seriously in any field outside the home. I could see shadows of the criticism that Buck herself received for winning the Nobel prize.
Having read Bucks' My Several Worlds, I can see many links to This Proud Heart--I feel it was partly autobiographical.
I liked the insight into the mind of an artistic, creative person (Susan was a sculptor) and how difficult it was for women in the 1930's to be taken seriously in any field outside the home. I could see shadows of the criticism that Buck herself received for winning the Nobel prize.
Having read Bucks' My Several Worlds, I can see many links to This Proud Heart--I feel it was partly autobiographical.
July 18, 2008
Not a book for everyone. I stumbled onto it while reading through all of Buck's works. It starts out a little bland, but as an entity...it became the story of my life. It's character made choices for the same reasons as I had and it provided insight that I was not alone.
April 13, 2017
Another good book
I've read so many of Pearl S Bucks books,and the only commonality is the depth to which she is capable of seeing into the souls of the character she creates.She can describe a mans feelings and viewpoint as well as a woman's , which I think is her long lived appeal."This Proud Heart"is about a young woman trying to fulfill her artistic desires and still be what society expects of her.Thats not so hard to do in this day and age, but In the 30's and 40's it was. It also makes a good story, which I enjoyed reading.
I've read so many of Pearl S Bucks books,and the only commonality is the depth to which she is capable of seeing into the souls of the character she creates.She can describe a mans feelings and viewpoint as well as a woman's , which I think is her long lived appeal."This Proud Heart"is about a young woman trying to fulfill her artistic desires and still be what society expects of her.Thats not so hard to do in this day and age, but In the 30's and 40's it was. It also makes a good story, which I enjoyed reading.
September 25, 2021
Not bad, but not what I expected from Pearl Buck. The book started slowly and the main character took much to find her true self .However, everything by Pearl Buck is worth reading .
July 11, 2015
"Mais le bonheur d'une vie compte et on ne l'obtient qu'en sachant ce qu'on veut faire et si on en est capables."
J'ai toujours appréhendé ce livre t je ne sais toujours pas pourquoi... Ce n'est qu'au cours du 2015 reading challenge "a book that your mum loves" que j'ai enfin décidé de le lire et pour être honnête, je ne le regrette pas..
Susan Gaylord, jeune, belle mais surtout talentueuse, fait partie de ces rares sculpteurs qui travaille à l'instinct.. Pour se retrouver, elle va passer par maintes épreuves dans sa vie, son don, la façon dont tout le monde la traite parce qu'elle est trop différente des autres femmes, elle perd son mari, quitte son pays pour Paris avec deux enfants et une nounou qui dépendent totalement d'elle, sans aucune assurence que sa confience en ses capacités, elle rencontre Blake, un amour passionnel, le marbre, sa raison de vivre, son developpement, ses hauts et bas, la mort de son père, son exposition, la tournure que prendra sa vie...
Un très beau roman, riche en experiences et en sentiments, à ne pas rater..
J'ai toujours appréhendé ce livre t je ne sais toujours pas pourquoi... Ce n'est qu'au cours du 2015 reading challenge "a book that your mum loves" que j'ai enfin décidé de le lire et pour être honnête, je ne le regrette pas..
Susan Gaylord, jeune, belle mais surtout talentueuse, fait partie de ces rares sculpteurs qui travaille à l'instinct.. Pour se retrouver, elle va passer par maintes épreuves dans sa vie, son don, la façon dont tout le monde la traite parce qu'elle est trop différente des autres femmes, elle perd son mari, quitte son pays pour Paris avec deux enfants et une nounou qui dépendent totalement d'elle, sans aucune assurence que sa confience en ses capacités, elle rencontre Blake, un amour passionnel, le marbre, sa raison de vivre, son developpement, ses hauts et bas, la mort de son père, son exposition, la tournure que prendra sa vie...
Un très beau roman, riche en experiences et en sentiments, à ne pas rater..
September 3, 2023
Es ist immer wieder spannend, anhand von älteren Büchern zu sehen, wie sich unsere Gesellschaft gewandelt hat. Stolzes Herz ist 1937 in den USA erschienen. Es steckt voller Rassismus, der der weißen privilegierten Autorin jedoch gar nicht auffällt. Ihr geht es hauptsächlich um den vorherrschenden Sexismus. Diesen kritisiert sie, indem die eine hochbegabte Frau zeigt, die sich nicht mit den ihr zugeschriebenen Rollen Hausfrau und Mutter bzw. schmückendes Beiwerk und Sexspielzeug begnügen will, sondern eine eigenständige Karriere als Künstlerin anstrebt. Allerdings ist diese Karriere für die Autorin anscheinend nicht zusätzlich möglich, sondern nur anstatt der traditionellen Frauenrolle. Selbstständiges Handeln wird gleichgesetzt mit männlichem Handeln. Die Moral der Geschichte ist insofern feministisch, als dass sie fordert, Frauen die Wahl zwischen der traditionell weiblichen Rolle (Hausfrau) und der traditionell männlichen Rolle (Karriere) zu geben. Eine Kombination von beidem oder gar eine Änderung an der Rolle des Mannes kommt in dieser Überlegung aber überhaupt nicht vor.
Als Zeitzeugnis interessant zu lesen. Als Roman gut geschrieben und mittelmäßig interessant. Als feministische Literatur veraltet und nicht zu empfehlen.
Als Zeitzeugnis interessant zu lesen. Als Roman gut geschrieben und mittelmäßig interessant. Als feministische Literatur veraltet und nicht zu empfehlen.
April 15, 2022
Η Περλ Μπακ περιγράφει πολύ ωραία την ιστορία της ηρωίδας της, Σούζαν Γκέυλορντ, που στην δεκαετία του 1930 σε μια επαρχιακή πόλη των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών προσπαθεί να συνδύασει τον γάμο και τα παιδιά με το πάθος της για τη γλυπτική. Σχεδόν αδύνατο το εγχείρημα, αφού παντρεύεται τον παιδικό της φίλο, τον Μαρκ, έναν άνθρωπο ήσυχο που την αγαπά αλλά δεν κατανοεί την αγάπη της για εργασία ούτε το ταλέντο της. Αργότερα θα συνδεθεί με τον Μπλέικ, έναν μορφωμένο καλλιτέχνη που αν μη τι άλλο, καταλαβαίνει το ταλέντο της, αλλά ούτε αυτός μπορεί να δεχτεί απόλυτα την ανεξαρτησία που της επιβάλλει η τέχνη της, χώρια ότι ζηλεύει την υπεροχή της στη γλυπτική. Την δεκαετία του 1930 ήταν εξαιρετικά δύσκολο για μια γυναίκα να συνδυάσει οικογένεια και καριέρα και να γίνει αποδεκτή στην κοινωνία. Η ιστορία της Περλ Μπακ είναι αυτοβιογραφική, αφού και η ίδια αναγκάστηκε να χρησιμοποιήσει ως ψευδώνυμο ανδρικό όνομα στο Πενεπιστήμιο για την πτυχιακή της εργασία! Αυτά όλα συνέβαιναν την δεκαετία του 1930. Πόσο άραγε έχουν αλλάξει τα πράγματα τώρα;
Η γραφή είναι ωραία και το θέμα παραμένει λίγο επίκαιρο.
Η γραφή είναι ωραία και το θέμα παραμένει λίγο επίκαιρο.
December 6, 2025
Hava andis mulle selle raamatu kätte, koos käsuga “loe!”. Lugesin. Alguses olin väga segaduses, isegi natuke pahane, sest peategelasega ei olnud võimalik üldse samastuda. Kes on võimeline kõigeks, kõiges hea ja tore ja armas jne? Kohati ka tüdinesin, sest minu jaoks oli kirjeldusi liiga palju, liiga detailselt. Kuid edasi lugedes mu arvamus muutus. Sügavad sisekaemused, rasked olukorrad, uued inimesed…Susani hingeelu pani mind mõtlema ka enda suhtele, enda olemusele, mida mina maailmalt tahan ja olen võimeline vastu andma. Kohati oli see nõme — tahan lihtsalt lihtsat raamatut lugeda, kuid tegelikult ka vajalik, et mõista ennast paremini. Kasvasin koos peategelasega, kuigi minu teekond on veel alles ees.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2020
Kuidas olla kõik, mis me võiksime olla?
Kuidas saada kõik?
Kuidas liita oma lugematud tahud üheks?
Kuidas ennast kellelegi anda?
Kas meile peab jääma oma salaosa?
Kas jääda eriliseks või hakata "inimeseks"?
Kuidas saada kõik?
Kuidas liita oma lugematud tahud üheks?
Kuidas ennast kellelegi anda?
Kas meile peab jääma oma salaosa?
Kas jääda eriliseks või hakata "inimeseks"?
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November 30, 2021Wanted to read another of Buck's work. Think her writing is good but got really bogged down in development of main character. Didnt think I would ever complete book!
March 17, 2022
I believe Kyi Aye did her best in translation this book. This translated version intrigued me to read the original version. This book is a perfect match for those who love art.
October 14, 2025
J’ai aimé très très fort. Premier roman de Pearl Buck à passer entre mes mains. Un réconfort en livre. L’histoire de Susan Gaylord est aussi touchante qu’attachante. L’autrice nous laisse la suivre sur plusieurs années. On y parle amour, rapport au travail, création et condition de femme dans les années 1930. Je me suis retrouvée tant de fois entre ces lignes : entre ce qui ne se dit pas tout haut, et ce que qui se joue là, à l’intérieur. Un roman dévoré qui me donne qu’une envie : mettre la main sur un autre roman de la première femme américaine à recevoir le prix Nobel de littérature (en 1938, année de publication de « Un cœur fier » — rien que ça).
August 12, 2023
Doğru bir zamanda okunmuş hoş bir kitaptı. Romantizmi fazla kaçırmadan ele alınmış, kadın olarak birçok şey olabilmenin yolunu gösteren güzel bir yapıt. Karakterin davasını aşırıya kaçmadan, kimsenin kafasına vurmadan içinde sağlam bir şekilde yaşaması da ilham veriyor. "Çocuk da yaparım kariyer de" sözünün aslında ne fedakarlıklar vererek tamama erdirileceğini de bilhassa gözler önüne seriyor. Genç kız romanı diye elime aldığım bu kitap aslında hayatta başına gelen her şeyi bir tecrübe olarak gören ve doğal bir savunma mekanizması olarak başka kimseye açamadığı kendi iç dünyasının derinliklerine okuyucuyu da sürüklememiş bir genç kadının karakter tahlilini sunuyor kanımca.
October 14, 2019
Très profond elle s'y insère plonge dans les profondeurs les plus intenses les plus intimes que peut ressentir une femme...
September 10, 2016
A Timeless Story of an Artist
I had a difficult time deciding on a review. The story flows strangely, from scene to scene, without pause. The style of writing was hard to follow until I became accustomed to it.
On the one hand, I felt as though this story was told in an honest way, showing character flaws and all. On the other hand, the characters in this book were seldom very likeable. Most of the characters were rather selfish, and yet I suppose that is where the story's honesty stemmed from. For the most part, the women in this book are strong, cold, like the marble carved by the protagonist. And yet...there is a powerful message that flows throughout this book, a message that says in actions, be true to yourself and your dreams. I didn't always agree with the protagonist's actions Sometimes she seemed a little too perfect, a Martha Stewart type. However, she put herself fully in everything she did until she moved on to something else, the next project. No whiny angst. No regret. If her project was to be wife and mother, she played her role to perfection, almost to the point of performance art. But through it all, her actions are calculated. She never seems to act through her heart. Her motivation comes from somewhere else. The protagonist is her own person. In retrospect, the men in her life seem to want to conquer this independent spirit, but our protagonist is rarely changed and remains herself. She is mostly oblivious to the petty games people play. She has no time for them, too busy living her life while it is here. This is not a book about a woman setting out to conquer the artistic world. No, this is story about a woman being true to the way she was created. She is hard and cold, but her personality is steady, and, kind, and often misunderstood.
I had a difficult time deciding on a review. The story flows strangely, from scene to scene, without pause. The style of writing was hard to follow until I became accustomed to it.
On the one hand, I felt as though this story was told in an honest way, showing character flaws and all. On the other hand, the characters in this book were seldom very likeable. Most of the characters were rather selfish, and yet I suppose that is where the story's honesty stemmed from. For the most part, the women in this book are strong, cold, like the marble carved by the protagonist. And yet...there is a powerful message that flows throughout this book, a message that says in actions, be true to yourself and your dreams. I didn't always agree with the protagonist's actions Sometimes she seemed a little too perfect, a Martha Stewart type. However, she put herself fully in everything she did until she moved on to something else, the next project. No whiny angst. No regret. If her project was to be wife and mother, she played her role to perfection, almost to the point of performance art. But through it all, her actions are calculated. She never seems to act through her heart. Her motivation comes from somewhere else. The protagonist is her own person. In retrospect, the men in her life seem to want to conquer this independent spirit, but our protagonist is rarely changed and remains herself. She is mostly oblivious to the petty games people play. She has no time for them, too busy living her life while it is here. This is not a book about a woman setting out to conquer the artistic world. No, this is story about a woman being true to the way she was created. She is hard and cold, but her personality is steady, and, kind, and often misunderstood.
December 20, 2018
Absolutely adored the story! I went into this book without knowing what it is about. Only with the author name and the book's title and I'm glad I have came across it. This might as well be my favourite book written in Burmese this year (even though it was translated work).
I later found out it is translated from "this proud heart by Pearl S. Buck". I have every intention to find that book and read it in original version too.
This is a story about Susan who is very much talented in sculpting and brilliant in so many ways, who is still trying to be someone what society want her to be: "a woman". So, she shrinked herself so many times infront of her insecure husband, hinding her brilliance, her light and always considered having children and building a house, being a second to her husband is the ultimate goal of life. And then, later her finding artistic self, happiness, purpose and introspection on life is portrayed in no way that is cliche.
Only one thing is that I find Kyi Aye's translation a bit bumpy and wishing/ imagining what it will be like if it were translated by Thint Lu, my favourite in translations, master of burmese words.
But, all in all, I was drawn to this book word by word and finished it in a day. I would recommend this to everyone who loves a non-cliche, eye-opening, introspective story of life.
(Pardon my English as this is always a struggle between me being very impatient on writing reviews and another me wanting it all out as soon as I finish reading a book :-D)
I later found out it is translated from "this proud heart by Pearl S. Buck". I have every intention to find that book and read it in original version too.
This is a story about Susan who is very much talented in sculpting and brilliant in so many ways, who is still trying to be someone what society want her to be: "a woman". So, she shrinked herself so many times infront of her insecure husband, hinding her brilliance, her light and always considered having children and building a house, being a second to her husband is the ultimate goal of life. And then, later her finding artistic self, happiness, purpose and introspection on life is portrayed in no way that is cliche.
Only one thing is that I find Kyi Aye's translation a bit bumpy and wishing/ imagining what it will be like if it were translated by Thint Lu, my favourite in translations, master of burmese words.
But, all in all, I was drawn to this book word by word and finished it in a day. I would recommend this to everyone who loves a non-cliche, eye-opening, introspective story of life.
(Pardon my English as this is always a struggle between me being very impatient on writing reviews and another me wanting it all out as soon as I finish reading a book :-D)
May 11, 2019
Wonderful book about a woman's transformation and growth and its relation to the men in her life.
February 7, 2017
I loved this book and couldn't put it down until she met Blake...then I didn't like it at as much. It deals with the struggles that women face balancing life and seems like it would have been written after the 1930's her writing just pulled me in. I like my books to have a happily ever after and I think Susan could have been happy with someone the way she was, she just picked the wrong men. Blake could never be a happily ever after. I loved her characters, they seemed so real to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2020
This Proud Heart é um romance escrito pela novelista estadounidense Pearl S. Buck em 1938. Nele, é narrada a história de Susan Gaylord, uma jovem vivaz que encontra realização na escultura. Contudo, ela tampouco está disposta a abrir mão do lado mais trivial da vida: casamento, filhos, vida doméstica. Na tentativa de manter sua arte e sua família em equilíbrio, Susan vai descobrindo sua essência, enquanto enfrenta todas as dificuldades que permeavam a vida de uma mulher que se atrevia a romper os padrões da sociedade da época.
Susan é uma personagem marcante, dotada de uma energia vital ilimitada, e de uma necessidade irrefreável de produzir arte, de se expressar por meio das criações de suas mãos. No entanto, o que a torna profundamente humana é a sua igualmente intensa necessidade de experimentar a vida em cada um de seus mais triviais momentos. Sua irrestrita sede de vida constantemente a fazia ser vista como uma pessoa incomum, e mesmo incompreensível, pelos demais personagens do romance. Pearl S. Buck, captando de forma magistral as contradições do espírito humano, demonstra como essa característica da protagonista, ao mesmo tempo que despertava a admiração dos demais, também a isolava como um ser a parte, já que ninguém mais era capaz de igualar a amplitude de seus talentos e interesses, que abarcavam do mais banal ao mais sublime. Após passar a maior parte do romance rejeitando o rótulo de especial, Susan somente alcança uma compreensão mais profunda de si mesma ao aceitar que aquilo que a distinguia dos demais era justamente o que compunha o âmago de sua essência.
Pearl S. Buck foi um dos maiores fenômenos de público e crítica da literatura estadounidense na década de 1930. Vencedora do prêmio Pulitzer em 1931 e do Nobel de literatura em 1938, seus romances, que em sua maioria se passavam na China, país onde ela passou a maior parte da vida, também venderam milhares de cópias. Hoje, contudo, embora não tenha sido completamente esquecida, sua fama foi consideravelmente reduzida, e ela é muitas vezes vista como uma escritora de importância secundária. De maneira similar, This Proud Heart está longe de ser uma de suas obras mais conhecidas. Talvez em função de sua ambientação, vista como mais tradicional pelos leitores estadounidenses em comparação com seus romances mais famosos, essa obra em particular não costuma ser citada entre as mais relevantes de Buck. Ainda assim, a qualidade literária da obra é imensa. Há dois pontos principais que se destacam no romance. O primeiro é a sensibilidade e a perspectiva ampla com que são abordados os temas envolvidos na trama, especialmente aqueles relacionados à situação feminina dentro da sociedade altamente machista da primeira metade do século XX. O segundo é a extrema habilidade com a qual a autora cria seus personagens, entalhando-os, a exemplo de sua protagonista, como uma genial escultora, camada a camada, resultando em uma imagem multifacetada e complexa, com a intangibilidade de uma verdadeira obra de arte.
Susan é uma personagem marcante, dotada de uma energia vital ilimitada, e de uma necessidade irrefreável de produzir arte, de se expressar por meio das criações de suas mãos. No entanto, o que a torna profundamente humana é a sua igualmente intensa necessidade de experimentar a vida em cada um de seus mais triviais momentos. Sua irrestrita sede de vida constantemente a fazia ser vista como uma pessoa incomum, e mesmo incompreensível, pelos demais personagens do romance. Pearl S. Buck, captando de forma magistral as contradições do espírito humano, demonstra como essa característica da protagonista, ao mesmo tempo que despertava a admiração dos demais, também a isolava como um ser a parte, já que ninguém mais era capaz de igualar a amplitude de seus talentos e interesses, que abarcavam do mais banal ao mais sublime. Após passar a maior parte do romance rejeitando o rótulo de especial, Susan somente alcança uma compreensão mais profunda de si mesma ao aceitar que aquilo que a distinguia dos demais era justamente o que compunha o âmago de sua essência.
Pearl S. Buck foi um dos maiores fenômenos de público e crítica da literatura estadounidense na década de 1930. Vencedora do prêmio Pulitzer em 1931 e do Nobel de literatura em 1938, seus romances, que em sua maioria se passavam na China, país onde ela passou a maior parte da vida, também venderam milhares de cópias. Hoje, contudo, embora não tenha sido completamente esquecida, sua fama foi consideravelmente reduzida, e ela é muitas vezes vista como uma escritora de importância secundária. De maneira similar, This Proud Heart está longe de ser uma de suas obras mais conhecidas. Talvez em função de sua ambientação, vista como mais tradicional pelos leitores estadounidenses em comparação com seus romances mais famosos, essa obra em particular não costuma ser citada entre as mais relevantes de Buck. Ainda assim, a qualidade literária da obra é imensa. Há dois pontos principais que se destacam no romance. O primeiro é a sensibilidade e a perspectiva ampla com que são abordados os temas envolvidos na trama, especialmente aqueles relacionados à situação feminina dentro da sociedade altamente machista da primeira metade do século XX. O segundo é a extrema habilidade com a qual a autora cria seus personagens, entalhando-os, a exemplo de sua protagonista, como uma genial escultora, camada a camada, resultando em uma imagem multifacetada e complexa, com a intangibilidade de uma verdadeira obra de arte.
August 4, 2020
I firmly believe in serendipity and ‘This Proud Heart’ confirms my belief! I am embarking on a novel manuscript about a young woman as she negotiates the ‘sculptor/wife/mother’ trifecta of her life in the 1950s and 1960s. As an art historian committed to the work of women artists (preferably sculptors) I know there will be pitfalls ahead. Finding and reading ‘This Proud Heart’ has been an unexpected joy and a revelation. The book tells the life of a gifted sculptor, Susan Gaylord, as she struggles to reconcile her genius (yes genius) with the expectations for women in 1930s’ society. No dabbling in clay – as prescribed for the mobile fancy of the feminine – Susan aspires to work in immense blocks of marble, carving straight into the stone. She has always wanted too much of everything and to be, perfectly, all things to all people, which puts her at odds with her family and friends, often isolating her in her own world.
When she marries Mark, her childhood sweetheart she endeavours to damp down her true nature so as not to hurt him. She is happy, in a way, especially after the births of her two children John and Marcia. When Mark dies, Susan fulfils her lifelong dream to go to Paris to study and even though money is a constant worry, she feels she is progressing some way towards achieving her ambition to become a professional sculptor. She meets Blake, a modernist sculptor from a wealthy family. She agrees to marry him; they move to New York where he showers her with gifts and love – too many gifts, too suffocating a love. Even though he is an artist he has no idea that a woman like Susan could aspire to be serious about her art. Finally, she realises that she will never reach her full potential while married to Blake and after a series of distressing events, including the death of her beloved father, she separates from her husband and moves back to her old house in the country.
Susan’s desire to make sculpture could stand for many women’s ambitions: in the visual arts, in writing, music, academia, even the worlds of business and politics. Many of the themes in the book still resonate with woman decades later: the imperatives of juggling family, responsibilities, ambition and the need to be oneself. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
When she marries Mark, her childhood sweetheart she endeavours to damp down her true nature so as not to hurt him. She is happy, in a way, especially after the births of her two children John and Marcia. When Mark dies, Susan fulfils her lifelong dream to go to Paris to study and even though money is a constant worry, she feels she is progressing some way towards achieving her ambition to become a professional sculptor. She meets Blake, a modernist sculptor from a wealthy family. She agrees to marry him; they move to New York where he showers her with gifts and love – too many gifts, too suffocating a love. Even though he is an artist he has no idea that a woman like Susan could aspire to be serious about her art. Finally, she realises that she will never reach her full potential while married to Blake and after a series of distressing events, including the death of her beloved father, she separates from her husband and moves back to her old house in the country.
Susan’s desire to make sculpture could stand for many women’s ambitions: in the visual arts, in writing, music, academia, even the worlds of business and politics. Many of the themes in the book still resonate with woman decades later: the imperatives of juggling family, responsibilities, ambition and the need to be oneself. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
July 1, 2020
In questo romanzo Pearl S.Buck abbandona la Cina per parlarci dell'America, e per questo ero molto dubbiosa, non sapevo se avrei trovato la trama interessante. Alla fine ogni pagina mi ha assorbito e a tratti l'ho trovato geniale nella sua descrizione degli aneliti di un'artista.
Susanna, la protagonista, all'inizio pare fino antipatica nella sua perfezione: sa fare tutto (suona il piano, cuce, fa torte) e lo sa fare bene. E' convinta che, come altre ragazze della sua epoca, il suo sogno più grande sia sposare Marco, amore di sempre, un ragazzo scialbo e che (giustamente, ma solo lei all'inizio non lo capisce) si sente una nullità in confronto a lei. Ciò che mi ha fatto avvicinare alla protagonista è la sua segreta fiamma artistica: lei ama modellare la creta e creare arte! E' questa fiamma che si insinua nella sua vita creando dubbi, anche se lei ad un certo punto si mette in testa che vuole tutto, sia l'arte che la famiglia. La sua vita avrà un corso del tutto diverso dalla placida moglie di provincia che lei è convinta di voler diventare.
Ho amato molto la figura del padre, emblema di chi ha un sogno di gioventù ma non riesce a realizzarlo nemmeno in parte, perché la vita quotidiana lo assorbe e lo spegne ogni giorno di più.
"Sacrifica la tua vita, se lo puoi" Le dice il padre "Se lo puoi, vuol dire che puoi fare a mano della vita che sacrifichi; e tutto diventa più semplice. La gente di capirà, e ti vorrà più bene perché ti vedrà più simile alla media. Dio, come la gente odia coloro che stanno più in alto! Allora cercherà di sopprimerti, se ci riuscirà. Tutto, purché tu affondi."
"Ho sbagliato strada, non saprei ben dire quando, nella mia vita" dice sempre il padre "Credevo di aver infilata la strada maestra, e invece mi sono accorto che sono in un vicolo cieco; e nessun mezzo d'uscirne."
E il maestro Barnes le dice: "Non vorrete mica passare la vita in una galera per sapere com'è fatta. Basta trascorrervi un paio di notti".
Susanna, la protagonista, all'inizio pare fino antipatica nella sua perfezione: sa fare tutto (suona il piano, cuce, fa torte) e lo sa fare bene. E' convinta che, come altre ragazze della sua epoca, il suo sogno più grande sia sposare Marco, amore di sempre, un ragazzo scialbo e che (giustamente, ma solo lei all'inizio non lo capisce) si sente una nullità in confronto a lei. Ciò che mi ha fatto avvicinare alla protagonista è la sua segreta fiamma artistica: lei ama modellare la creta e creare arte! E' questa fiamma che si insinua nella sua vita creando dubbi, anche se lei ad un certo punto si mette in testa che vuole tutto, sia l'arte che la famiglia. La sua vita avrà un corso del tutto diverso dalla placida moglie di provincia che lei è convinta di voler diventare.
Ho amato molto la figura del padre, emblema di chi ha un sogno di gioventù ma non riesce a realizzarlo nemmeno in parte, perché la vita quotidiana lo assorbe e lo spegne ogni giorno di più.
"Sacrifica la tua vita, se lo puoi" Le dice il padre "Se lo puoi, vuol dire che puoi fare a mano della vita che sacrifichi; e tutto diventa più semplice. La gente di capirà, e ti vorrà più bene perché ti vedrà più simile alla media. Dio, come la gente odia coloro che stanno più in alto! Allora cercherà di sopprimerti, se ci riuscirà. Tutto, purché tu affondi."
"Ho sbagliato strada, non saprei ben dire quando, nella mia vita" dice sempre il padre "Credevo di aver infilata la strada maestra, e invece mi sono accorto che sono in un vicolo cieco; e nessun mezzo d'uscirne."
E il maestro Barnes le dice: "Non vorrete mica passare la vita in una galera per sapere com'è fatta. Basta trascorrervi un paio di notti".
December 31, 2019
Minu esimene kokkupuude kirjanikuga teosega oli kauges lapsepõlves, eestiajal välja antud kaanteta "Hea Maa" köite leidsin vanaema asjade hulgast. "Hea Maa" eest sai autor Nobeli, aga tollal ma seda muidugi ei teadnud. Raamat oli nii huvitav, et mäletan loetut päris hästi siiani, kuigi möödunud on 40 aastat. Päris uskumatu, et järgmise raamatu, "Naiste Paviljoni" lugemisega peab vahe olema 20 aastat, tundub, nagu oleks see enam-vähem eile olnud :)
"Uhke südame" mis ka tegelikult anti välja juba 1993, leidsin taaskasutuskeskusest. Tegu on eestiaegse väljaande kordustrükiga, tõlkijaks Johannes Aavik, nii et keelekasutus pole päris tänapäevane ja leiab sõnu, mis kasutusele pole jäänud, näiteks "niimama" on korduvalt leida.
Nii nagu Pearl Buck ise on kirjanduslik geenius, on "Uhke südame" kangelanna Susan geniaalne skulptor, kes loob monumentaalseid teoseid. Teadupärast on maailmakuulsaid naiskunstnikke mitte just ülearu palju ja skulptoreid vahest veelgi vähem, liiatigi toimub tegevus ju kolmekümnendatel, nii et nii ambitsioonika ja andeka kangelanna kujutamiseks oli raamatu autor kindlasti õige inimene.
"Uhke südame" mis ka tegelikult anti välja juba 1993, leidsin taaskasutuskeskusest. Tegu on eestiaegse väljaande kordustrükiga, tõlkijaks Johannes Aavik, nii et keelekasutus pole päris tänapäevane ja leiab sõnu, mis kasutusele pole jäänud, näiteks "niimama" on korduvalt leida.
Nii nagu Pearl Buck ise on kirjanduslik geenius, on "Uhke südame" kangelanna Susan geniaalne skulptor, kes loob monumentaalseid teoseid. Teadupärast on maailmakuulsaid naiskunstnikke mitte just ülearu palju ja skulptoreid vahest veelgi vähem, liiatigi toimub tegevus ju kolmekümnendatel, nii et nii ambitsioonika ja andeka kangelanna kujutamiseks oli raamatu autor kindlasti õige inimene.
May 17, 2023
« - J’ai pris un mauvais tournant, quelque part dans ma vie, Susan, murmura-t-il. Je croyais suivre la grande route et ce n’était qu’une impasse. Je n’ai abouti nulle part. […] J’ai tout gâché, fit-il très bas. Je me suis gaspillé moi-même. Les années m’ont leurré… Je n’ai rien fait de ce que je m’étais promis d’accomplir. […] Voilà comment cela se passe. Une année suit l’autre et c’est tout. Un jour, on a du temps devant soi, et le lendemain il n’en reste plus. […] Le monde n’a rien perdu sans moi, c’est moi qui ai manqué d’y prendre ma place. En soi, c’est insignifiant, je suppose, mais pour moi cela compte. […] Quand, à la fin, on n’a pas obtenu ce qu’on désirait, rien ne semble plus exister. »
Malgré un personnage principal assez insupportable par son égocentrisme, j'ai été emportée dans le récit de sa vie, déchirée entre le rôle que la société lui impose (épouse, mère et femme au foyer) et son don pour la sculpture (et son combat pour se faire reconnaître en tant qu'artiste).
Malgré un personnage principal assez insupportable par son égocentrisme, j'ai été emportée dans le récit de sa vie, déchirée entre le rôle que la société lui impose (épouse, mère et femme au foyer) et son don pour la sculpture (et son combat pour se faire reconnaître en tant qu'artiste).
February 19, 2021
Hesitation draws me from rating this novel a four star rather than a five star. What makes this book, which I highly enjoyed reading, less than a five star is the ending; I simply did not like it. Because of the depth of the story line I was building myself up with anticipation of how it would end, but in actuality it disappointed reminding me of the end scene with Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. This book seemed to me like several novels in one with the protagonist, Susan Gaylord, daughter, sister, wife, mother and prodigious sculptor of marble going from one extreme to the other. The author could have chosen to write a good novel with at least one sequel and I would have gladly read them both.
July 14, 2022
Ένα άγνωστο σε μένα μυθιστόρημα της Περλ Μπακ, που δεν έχει σχέση με αυτά της κινέζικης περιόδου και θεματολογίας. Γνήσιο αμερικανικό μυθιστόρημα και πρωτοπόρα φεμινιστικό για τη δεκαετία του'30, χωρίς να επενδύει καθόλου στη διαμάχη ανάμεσα σε άνδρα και γυναίκα, αλλά μόνο στην προσπάθεια της γυναίκας να πραγματώσει αυτό που είναι κι αυτό που μπορεί να γίνει. Μια εμβάθυνση στη επιθυμία μιας γυναίκας να είναι ταυτόχρονα γυναίκα, μητέρα και καλλιτέχνιδα μέσα σε ένα κόσμο φτιαγμένο από άντρες για εκείνους, όπου μια γυναίκα δύσκολα βρίσκει τη θέση που της αρμόζει και της αξιζει. Ταυτόχρονα μια εξαιρετική αποτύπωση της διαδικασίας παραγωγής του καλλιτεχνικού έργου μέσα από την ηρωίδα/γλύπτρια.
July 23, 2020
A perfect companion piece to the Good Earth, only this time the setting is rural America, Paris and New York, this Proud Heart belongs to Susan, sculptress: she has the need to love and create and she attempts at succeeding in both with varied results. She feels sad most of the time and accepts the fact that there are only glimpes of happiness now and then but she is willing to forget about her sadness and keep on loving and creating. After all, "sorrow is the foundation and to know that is to know peace".
July 24, 2025
Es un libro que se demora un poco en señalar claramente su punto y por eso al comienzo lo encontré frustrante, pero a medida que va agarrando impulso Susan Gaylord se vuelve un personaje fascinante gracias a la manera en la que Pearl Buck logra describir el mundo interno de sus personajes y su interrelación con el mundo en el que viven.
This Proud Heart es la historia de una mujer que descubre que tiene un lugar por reclamar en el mundo y la manera en la que lo reclama. Dice mucho del estado de cosas del mundo que un libro escrito hace casi 90 años sea tan relevante.
This Proud Heart es la historia de una mujer que descubre que tiene un lugar por reclamar en el mundo y la manera en la que lo reclama. Dice mucho del estado de cosas del mundo que un libro escrito hace casi 90 años sea tan relevante.
September 10, 2017
I really enjoyed this book, as I found that the main theme resonated with me deeply - women continued to be judged for wanting to both have fulfillment from a professional career and be a mother (though admittedly it was less common during the era that the novel is set). Aside from the judgment, the protagonist struggles with the guilt and self-doubt that she is making the right decisions for both her and her family. Recommended.
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