Mandala

by Pearl S. Buck

News reaches Maharana Prince Jagat and his wife, Moti, that their only son, Jai, has been killed by the Chinese in a border skirmish. An inconsolable Moti sends Jagat out to bring the boy's spirit home. On the journey, the prince becomes involved with a beautiful and mysterious young American woman. Thus begins the fatal attraction between Eastern and Western ways, one bound by rigid custom, the other temptingly ripe with freethinking.

Genres: Fiction, India, Historical Fiction, Classics, Romance, Nobel Prize, Asia

362 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Pearl 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.

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm standing on a dark stage, a microphone in my hand. I look up as a spotlight shines down on me, then I lower my face, to meet the microphone. I hold this book before me and I sing to it softly, “I honestly love you.”

My hair is a golden blonde; my cherry-colored lips press together to form a smile. “I honestly love you,” I sing again to the book. I am Olivia Newton-John.



I don't want to be anywhere but here; I don't want to be anyone but myself, in this space, a singer in 1970.

Yet, I am in the mandala now and I am no longer on the stage. The twists and turns of this cosmic maze have taken me, have joined me with the others. We are together now, we are apart. We hover at the perimeter, and we are lost; we reach the center and we are found.

It's India, then it's America, then it's China, then it's Great Britain. I'm the prince, I'm the young woman, I'm the Tibetan lama, I'm the school teacher.

I've killed the tiger, I am the tiger, I've killed the tiger, I am the tiger. I've killed the tiger, I am the tiger.

If we both were born
In another place and time
This moment might be ending in a kiss
But there you are with yours
And here I am with mine
So I guess we'll just be leaving it at this

I'm Olivia Newton-John again, back on the stage. How long have I been standing here? I flick back the hair that sweat has stuck to my neck.

I can only keep singing. It is the only thing I know. No. I know everything.

Is is possible that I just forget?

I'm in the audience now, a brunette. A reader, a writer, a tired mom. It's the current day as I watch the young woman perform on the stage.

I have a book on the table, next to my drink. It is the same book that the singer holds in her hand. She is a stranger to me, but I see that we love the same story in the same way.

As I watch the young woman sing, the spotlight on the stage goes out suddenly and we are startled into silence, seated, or standing, in the dark.

I wonder: when the light comes back to us, who will I choose to be?

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

No one is more surprised than me to find that I don't really like this book anymore. I've read this book many times growing up since I do love me some Pearl Buck, but this time through I couldn't remember why I liked it so much. Maybe it's because the main character commits adultery and now that I'm married it is more meaningful and really ticked me off. Maybe it's because Buck goes into way too much detail of the politics and war time details between China and India- BORING! Or maybe it's because I find the American girl a ding dong instead of the mysterious, sophisticated woman I used to see her as. Now I want to re-read The Goddess Abides by Pearl Buck to see what I think of that book now that I'm older and have a little more experience with real life.

[Selma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perl Bak me opet osvojila svojim pripovijedanjem. Ovaj put je to priča o životu u Indiji, susretu istoka i zapada, njihovim razlikama i pokušaju da žive i prihvate jedni druge bez predrasuda. Priča o ljubavi koja se rodila isuviše kasno, o gubitku sa kojim se jedna porodica morala suočiti i njihovom pokušaju bijega od bola koji ne prolazi i mijenja sve.

[Ele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would've been such a good book if written earlier in Buck's career. It is, at most, a terrible romance novel and really doesn't deserve 2 starts. I gave it this rating because the parts that weren't rubbish were possibly some of the best she's ever written.

This book, however, is one of her greatest at showing the arrogance that Brits and Americans have towards India, and has one of the most disgusting scenes that one could ever read - when a rich American women looks upon the starving children of the country, and all she comes up with for the looks in their eyes are the most vulgar things, when really, all they want is food. Then we see the wealthy prince thinking that the westerners want to help - of which was sadly never their intention.

I was also fascinated by the book's discussions on animal rights. The beginning includes many arguments over the morality of killing animals for reasons that are not for eating, as well as how in India animals are valued as the living beings they are.

The main problem with this book is that all of this, anything that is important, is forgotten for the sake of its romance. The animals are only mentioned once after the relationships have started, and that was still due to a romance plotline. The entire book's message is barely visible through it and one wonders if this book even was meant the have a message.

Pearl S Buck has written so many lovely books, and most of what is done well here she's done before. I would recommend not bothering with this book unless you've read many of her other books. The Promise may not be set in India, but it is by far a better book if you want to read about Buck's views on British treatment of Indians/

[Madhuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have picked up this book in my phase of reading the very descriptive classics. I think in any other phase I might have found the book tedious, but in this one, I appreciate the bit of detail and the immense repetition.
The book has a leitmotif, which is the difference between the Oriental and the Occidental. It describes this difference in fascination and adoration of each other. Each wants to be the other, adopt the other, without losing anything of itself. And this fascination is repeated in many different relationships. My only complaint is that all those relationships have been wound with the man-woman love, almost giving this adoration a mono-chrome, for so much richness could have been used to bring out a multitude of differences and could perhaps explain this eternal longing for the other-side.
And yet, the building of the lake-palace and all the Victorian furniture of it, does go beyond the man-woman fascination.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mandala is a lesser known book by Pearl S. Buck. It takes place in India, in 1962, a period marked by great socio-political change and the Sino-Indian War. While she has inserted throughout the book information about Indian culture, folklore, and history, this is more an exploration of love in its myriad forms: the anguished love of a parent for a child; the resigned, passive love arising from the institution of arranged marriage; love rooted in compassion and love rooted in instantaneous spiritual recognition; love of one’s country and people; and love at the expense of one's personal freedom . The book is complex, but the exchanges between the Maharana of Amarpur and his American lover are REALLY quite unbearable.

[Edy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tanya: apa sebabnya aku tak pernah menemukan kedamaian?
Orang bijak menjawab: Karena Nafsu
Tanya: Tapi aku Cuma bernafsu mendapatkan kedamaian...
Jawab: Hilangkan nafsu itu
Tanya: Kaua begitu, apa yang bisa mendatangkan rasa damai pada pikiran manusia?
Jawab: Cinta
Tanya: Cinta kepada siapa?
Jawab: Bisakah kausuruh lampu itu hanya menerangi sisi sebelah sini saja dan tidak menerangi sebelah sana? Buat siapa api menyala kalau bukan buat semuanya.
Tanya: apakah kedamaian terletak dalam nyala?
Jawab: Apakah kedamaian mematikan api? Tidak.... kedamaian menanti di pusat api yang menyala...

Itu sepenggal kutipan dari dialog sang Maharaja Jagat dengan Brooke seorang wanita Amerika yang dicintainya dalam novel “Mandala” karya Pearl S. Buck.

Novel Mandala yang bersetting India jaman paska kemerdekaan mengisahkan pergulatan anak manusia dalam mengatasi perubahan jaman. Dari sistem monarki dan sistem kasta ke pemerintahan yang lebih demokratis, perubahan orientasi kaum bangsawan dari penguasa menjadi pengusaha, perubahan budaya dari paternalistik menjadi egaliter, perubahan dari model perjodohan ala Siti Nurbaya menjadi pernikahan yang lebih terbuka dan lain-lain. Pertemuan budaya Timur dan Barat, juga menumbuhkan intrik percintaan antar bangsa dan antar budaya. Dalam perubahan jaman tersebut kehidupan cinta juga mengalami ujian........

Novel yang cukup menarik dari novelis yang secara intens mencoba merekatkan budaya barat dengan budaya timur yang penuh dengan filsafat dari Bhagavat Gita maupun kitab Upanishad... Salah satu kelemahan novel ini adalah akhir yang dipaksakan happy ending secara terburu-buru tanpa melalui proses refleksi dan penyadaran yang intens... Meski demikian untaian kata-kata yang sangat indah, alur mengalir jernih dan penuh nasihat spiritual penuh pembelajaran kehidupan menjadikan novel ini sangat layak dibaca oleh para pencari cinta....

[Ann Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lesser-known, later novel by Buck provides interesting details on cultural and political changes in India after WWII through the experiences of a family, once of the ruling class. The father finds love with an American, the wife is enamored with a Catholic priest, the daughter is torn between new and old Indian culture, and the son feels he must join the fight against intruding Chinese aggression. The ancient mysticism and spiritualism in the Indian psyche also play a role in character experiences.

[Satitiwikan sunowo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read the indonesian translated version off course.......i read it a long time ago, got so interested with India culture as a setting. this novel is quite powerfull...i feel like i have known Jagat for a very long time....this novel revealing the human strenght until their weakness, but never waste any moments meaningless or let the moment loss its meaning.

[Cindy Lofgren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely did not work for me the way A Good Earth did. The language was choppy, but it was somewhat in Good Earth as well. But there was something about the stilted conversations that turned me off. Women played such a needy role in this book. Sympathies..? I don't know. I would say skip it.

[Rimjhim Prasad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl S Buck , always my favourite. A book very different from her other books , about India , re-incarnation! Worth reading!

[Pat Camalliere · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to reviews, this was not one of Pearl Buck’s better books, but I really enjoyed it. I haven’t read her books for years, and was duly impressed by all the things she does right. The only complaint I had was that there were some slow parts when she went too far into describing historical events, but even then one of the high points was the ability to portray a culture that is unfamiliar, in this case, India. The characters are all good people, which could have been boring, but the circumstances they faced were anything but boring, and each story was told compellingly without having to resort to creating evil villains. I loved them all, their good attributes and their human failings. And Buck’s writing style is so impeccable. I was especially impressed by the way she handled transitions. I was never for a moment confused as to what time period I was in or who was speaking, and yet nothing about it was obvious. Cudos to a master.

[RIYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange. Makes you question things by the end.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having gone to India twice I love this book. It really gave a good history of the Indian Nation and its people and especially the Maharaja and the ruling class. I could see the palace and the palace on the island as we visited there.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I never thought this day would come. I actually gave a Pearl Buck novel two stars. There were just several overarching thematic and structural flaws that I couldn't ignore.

First, while I am used to Buck's usually successful omniscient pov that weaves in and out of characters' perspectives, I did not find the technique to be as balanced in this novel. Father Francis Paul's and Moti's perspectives are all but dropped halfway through, and as a result, their narrative arcs are ended abruptly without sufficient character or plot development.

Second, (spoiler alert) the emergence of what would become an affair was so choppy that I wasn't sure whom I should be rooting for or why. (I should mention here that I have a certain bias against affairs in literature in general, but especially when I can't understand why they are actually happening.) Somehow, Buck's writing made me distanced from the feelings of these two characters and mostly indifferent to their final decisions. It seems like Buck was trying to explore an idea here, something she often seems to attempt in her novels, but in this work, the idea trounced character development.

Finally, I was wary to read a novel set in India written by someone who had spent only a limited time in India. Of course, it seems well-researched, but can Buck truly capture a multi-faceted culture that is all but foreign to her? As an American reader, I can't fully answer that question, but I remained uncertain about the reality of the setting as I read.

Oh well. Still some beautiful prose from a brilliant writer.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I liked this book or not. I read it quickly enough, which is usually an indication that I like it. Hell, I read 200 pages of it in the last 24 hours, but that might just be because I don't much like TV and there is not much more to do in Covid-19-stay-at-home-land.
The writing was more striking than in The Good Earth; the descriptions of location and internalization on spiritual reflection much more thorough. I though the characters were developed as well, although in a somewhat basic way, not really knowing why they did what they did. Come to think of it, I am not real sure WHY I can't figure out whether I like it or not, but I can't. Maybe I will just have to digest it a little more.....
This book did feel rushed at the end, but I was ready for it to be over. It seems that Buck was ready for it to be over as well.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been many years since I last read a Pearl Buck book. This one is set in India where my daughter is now doing volunteer work. Thus I have read several books recently that are about India. The book was published in 1970 and has the markings of a romance novel of that era (all ends well). The highlight for me was the section set on the mountains of Mussoorie at the Woodstock School. In 1995, my husband and I vacationed in India spending 5 days with college friends who were teaching at Woodstock. The acute winding road up the mountain was every bit how Buck described it - scary, scary, scary.

[Imas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tetap suka dgn Pearl S.Buck. Kali ini bukan cina yg menjadi latar belakang tapi India...Love it

[Becky Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I expected too much.

[Wendy Stelzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending is terrible.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novel with cultural intrigue for me, as someone who has not yet been to India. As always, Pearl Buck writes beautifully.

Brooke as the wandering American, Jagat as Indian prince.

Some of my favorite quotes:
"Love can never be a sin. It can be only a blessing. Even if you're not loved in return...to love is a proof of life - indeed, it's the only proof, for once you can't love another human being, you're not alive."

"It is love itself that is important - the ability to love, no matter whom you love. For when you can no longer love anyone, you are no longer a living person. The heart dies if it loses the capacity to love."

"She understood now what her grandmother was trying to tell her, that she was following her sympathies, whatever and whoever they were, and thus following, she had found joy in living, instead of sorrow and lonliness."

"There is no end she thought because in India life never ends. It goes on into some other realm. And this, she thought, surprised, is modern truth, for if science teaches any precept, it is that there is no destruction but only change."

"Truth, she thought, truth is reality - about myself, about the world, and life, and past and present. Reality is what I want. I shall not rest in the pursuit."

"But it was her quality which compelled him, her total appeal which troubled him mind as well as body."

"Can you not understand that your own soul is the light of the godhead, and God is your own soul? Ah, you man! Where is your knowledge of life? It is so much easier to believe that things happen to you rather than to see how you yourselves compel them to happen! The animal part in man fights against recognizing the truth - that he himself is the creator of the conditions of life."

Brooke copies from a book:
"One asks: 'What is it that does not let me find peace?'
"And one answers: 'Desire.'
"One asks: 'But I desire only peace.'
"And one answers: 'Give up even that desire.'
"One asks: 'What then brings peace to the mind?'
"And one answers: 'Love.'
"One asks: 'Love of whom?'
"And one answers: 'Can you ask this lamp to shed its light here and not there? For whom does the light burn if not for all?'
"One asks: 'Does peace lie in burning?'
"And one answers: 'Does it lie in extinguishing the light? No, peace waits in the core of the burning light.'"

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, although there are certainly plenty reviews pointing out that it isn't one of Pearl Buck's finer works. I thought she did a great job of illustrating the battle between tradition and modernism in the roles of the royal families, the family traditions regarding marriage, and the battle between differing religious ideals in a country full of religious variety. I thought it was interesting that the Maharaja had dreams about how to help the poor in his 'jurisdiction', who held tight to tradition and were slow to accept change, but the priest was able to change their mindset a bit and inspire Jagat to keep on track with his dreams in the end.

The royal family was definitely in a state of flux in their new roles, with both husband and wife feeling stronger feelings for foreigners outside their marriage, while their children were also struggling to find their role in the changing world between traditional family roles and the encroaching modern world. I loved how the house manager kept a tight rein on the family and diverted choices that would prove disasterous for the family as a whole.

The role of the rich, emotionally underdeveloped American girl, Brooke, was an interesting plot line. Both she and the priest helped illustrate one of the problems inherent in arranged marriages - a love that may grow, but the potential absence of passion and feeling complete which becomes a crisis when someone more of your choosing comes along. Brooke was rather selfish in her efforts to be a distraction to a married man, so I really didn't like her. Even if she were the reincarnation of someone Jagat new and loved in a past life, that person probably wouldn't have wanted to ruin him in a future life.

Technically, I thought the Maharani deserved both Jagat and the priest, but that probably wouldn't have worked out. She was my favorite character, and she was a good illustration of the downside of teaching your daughter to keep an emotional distance from her husband to avoid being hurt...she might create the situation she strives to avoid! However, with the wrong sort of husband, that is still good advice.

In the end, the priest saved everyone with a couple manipulative conversations because passion was blinding both Brooke and Jagat. He reminded me of my grandmother.

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have pointed out, it's just not as good as East Wind: West Wind, The Pavilion of Women, The Good Earth, etc. But this little novel still has Buck all over it. It deals with the pains of antiquity meeting modernity and individuals from very different cultures forming attachments to one another. Unlike some other reviewers I did not find Jagat an unsympathetic character. To me, the novel is very much about the contradictions of culture, especially as they relate to fidelity and marriage. In ancient India, it was okay for bougie dudes to keep harems and visit prostitutes, nobody had to pretend to be ignorant - but all that noise was just that, noise, and the root of an ancient Indian bougie dude's life was his wife and children. Jagat is struggling to understand what's going to work for him, his family, and culture in a rapidly changing world. Honestly, it's his American girlfriend Brooke that I found painfully boring and underdeveloped. To me, she was a rather sloppy invention on Buck's part that just didn't make a lot of sense. But the writing is beautiful and it's a nice exploration of the history of ideas. Worth the read, but if you're looking for a more classic Buck romance, skip this one and got to East Wind: West Wind.

[Rasmus Tillander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hämmentävää (ja eksotisoivaa) romantiikkaa.

Intialainen maharadža (joka on luonnollisesti intohimoinen tiikerinmetsästäjä) ajautuu itsenäisen yhdysvaltalaisnaisen vetovoimakenttään. Samalla maharadžan vaimo saa yksityisopetusta englantilaiselta pastorilta ja yhdysvaltalainen bisnesmies ihailee kaunista prinsessaa. Ja niin no siis ensinruhtinasperheen poika kuolee Kiinan ja Intian rajakahakoissa ja no se sitten laittaa kaiken vähän sekaisin.

Draaman kaari on tässä kirjassa jotenkin outo, romanttiset jännitteet rakentuvat jotenkin väkinäisesti eivätkä oikein purkaudu. Buck yrittää pelata perheiden kunnian ja yksilön intohimon välisellä ristiriidalla, mutta se ei oikein toteudu. Parasta kirjassa on maharadžan vaimo, joka kieltäytyy uskomasta poikansa kuolemaa ja on muutenkin surusta sekaisin.

Mutta niin, tämä oli juuri sitä mitä voisi olettaa syntyväksi jos yhdysvaltalainen kirjailija kirjoittaa Intiaan sijoittuvan romanttisen romaanin. Ei auta vaikka olisi kuinka voittanut Nobelin 32 vuotta aikaisemmin.

[Susan Chow-Dukhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mandala tells the story of Maharana Prince Jagat of Amarpur, India and his relationship with a young American woman, Brooke Westley and his family. The book shows Jagat facing the cultural differences between the different characters, as well as making decisions for the future at a time when traditions, modernization and expectations causes conflicts.
While the main characters are interesting and the primary and secondary plots are intriguing at the beginning, the ending of the book is disappointing, as the novel becomes too focused on the relationship between Prince Jagat and Brooke.

[Nguyễn Thanh Hằng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Văn phong trữ tình, lãng mạn trong sự thấu hiểu văn hoá và tâm lý của các nhân vật, chứ không phải cốt truyện, là điều tạo ra thành công cho truyện này nói riêng và những tác phẩm của Pearl Buck nói chung. Những miêu tả về đời sống và văn hoá Ấn Độ thật đẹp đẽ và nhân văn, sự đấu tranh của tư tưởng và tình yêu trong bối cảnh thuộc địa, giữa khuôn khổ truyền thống và sự tự do lựa chọn mới, giữa tình và nghĩa, mà trên hết là sự vị tha tinh tế giữa các tâm hồn dành cho nhau trong truyện.

Mình chấm 3,7/5.

[RYD · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading a few books by Pearl S. Buck. Like everyone else, I know her from The Good Earth, but little else. This book is an interesting change of pace for her and is set in India, not China. It's good, and has Buck's typical tropes: the struggle of generations, the clash of families and the interplay of men and women.

[Trudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely beautiful book. I couldn't put it down. I had forgotten how much I like Pearl Buck's style of writing. I was instantly transported to India and lived among the characters within the book. I usually prefer books with short chapters, but this book has none and is simply in 3 parts. It was easy to read and totally engrossing.

[Claudio Enrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta es una novela poco conocida, nunca antes la vi en listas ni nunca la escuché nombrada, me la topé de casualidad en una puestito de libros usados.
Me di cuenta qe no sabía nada de la historia y tradiciones de la India, todo era nuevo a medida qe iba leyendo. Un gozo.
Pearl Buck es una sandía calada, se sabe, no me canso de repetirlo. 🖤

[Hannah Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are mixed reviews for this work of fiction. I myself do not know entirely how to feel about the ending. Still, it was addicting for me to read, as her language captures my attention and learning of India's princely history mangled with it's post-colonial emergence captivates my history-loving self.