Anchee Min

I wanted to score this review higher than I have done, but two stars covers it. I ended my reading by feeling I wanted to discover more about the infamous period of Chinese history that Chairman Mao and his wife came to dominate, which is positive. However, I found the writing disjointed and dry and it was hard to overcome my dislike of the character of Madame Mao herself, even accepting her tough start in life as the unwanted daughter of a concubine. I became very confused by the long list of characters, many of whom only qualified as a 'bit-part'. I was glad to turn the last page.… (more)

I have read a few memoirs and novels of the Cultural Revolution but this one was very unique. She started as very much believing in the cause and then you see her faith chipped away as the cruelty of those involved takes away so much she finds dear. The writing is very powerful, even though it is quite simple at times. I think I was most struck by how absolutely horribly people can behave when in a situation either where they have a great deal of power or must not step outside the defined norms. It made me think alot about how quickly a society can fall apart.… (more)

China, principios del siglo XX. La historia de dos mujeres, una occidental y una oriental, cuya amistad inquebrantable superó pasiones, tragedias y la separación.

Inspirada en la vida de la premio Nobel de Literatura Pearl S. Buck.

La pequeña ciudad de Chinkiang, al sur de China, es el marco que verá florecer la amistad entre dos niñas de orígenes muy distintos: Sauce, perteneciente a una desahuciada familia china y Pearl, hija de misioneros cristianos, una niña decidida que ansía integrarse a toda costa. Con el paso de los años, esta amistad continuará fortaleciéndose a pesar de las difíciles circunstancias políticas y personales en las que se ven envueltas. La guerra civil entre los nacionalistas y los comunistas, y la ascensión de la Revolución Cultural y de Mao al poder, acabarán obligando a la familia de Pearl a regresar a Estados Unidos, pero ni siquiera esta circunstancia logrará debilitar una amistad que será capaz de superar todas las barreras.

Inspirada en la vida real de Pearl S. Buck, La perla de China retrata admirablemente la figura de esta mujer occidental apasionada y llena de coraje, que supo amar y retratar como nadie la China campesina y los grandes avatares históricos, desde la caída del último emperador hasta la de Mao.… (more)