Letter from Peking

by Pearl S. Buck

Book Overview

This novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author of "The Good Earth" and "Dragon Seed" tells the story of an American-Chinese family separated by the communist revolution in China, as they struggle to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0381980391
• ISBN13: 9780381980399
• Release Date: January 1957
• Publisher: J. Day Co.
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A poignant love story during some of the most dynamic times of the 20th century

This is a typical Pearl Buck story with polished writing, fascinating images and a haunting love story. The story takes place during the start of Communist China and concerns a Chinese man and an American woman, who are married. The couple originally live in China, where the husband is a professor at a great Chinese university. The man has historical roots in the beginning of Communist China. The woman is a bewildered American woman who is parted from her husband by the very same communism. The story is from the woman's perspective and details her lonely life back in her native New England, the growth and travails of her half-Chinese son and how all learn to live with new realities. Like all Pearl Buck novels, the language is impeccable, the voice articulated and the reader wishes it were longer.

A compelling international love story

"Letter from Peking," a novel by Pearl S. Buck, is narrated in the first-person by its main character, Elizabeth MacLeod. Her narration begins from her home in rural Vermont in 1950. Elizabeth has been separated from her husband, Gerald, due to the poltical upheaval in China; he has remained in China to attend to his duties at a university. Gerald is the son of a Scottish-American and a Chinese woman.As the novel unfolds, Elizabeth reflects on her past life with the absent Gerald. She also tells the story of her ongoing relationships with her and Gerald's son, Rennie; with Gerald's elderly father; and with other people in her life."Letter" is a fascinating look at how international political forces can act like a "tidal wave," affecting families profoundly. The book is also an intimate look at a marriage from a woman's perspective, and a compelling study of a biracial young man (Rennie) who is struggling with his dual heritage while making the passage to manhood. There is also an element of political intrigue and danger, although the focus of this book is family relationships and emotions.Although the dialogue is occasionally a bit stiff, overall I was very impressed by the subtle artistry of Buck's prose. She has an eye for details: an old man's dragon-headed cane, the birth of a calf, "arching maple trees blazing with autumn fire," etc. At its best she attains a delicate, economical poetic prose. This is a fine novel by a writer who, in my opinion, deserves more attention.

A chaming and a page-turning love story

'Letter From Peking' is a wonderful story, who I think is one of the best books I've ever read. The main character, Elizabeth MacLeod has to face many heartbreaking memories as she receives this letter. The author has done a very well job by putting some of Elizabeth's memories back and forth, from China to the present. Even though I'm only a twelve year old Korean boy, it wouldn't matter which book I read, neither sad nor happy. It all matters about the story, and how it goes. I know a lot of Chinese history, so it made sense to me, in this book. It is a pity that this wonderful book has gone out-of-print, but if you have a used bookstore, run, don't walk. You should really get this wonderful book. If you actually succeed in getting this book, you have gotten a very special classic treasure.

A Deeply Moving Love Story

I was originally forced to read this novel in high school and didn't expect to like it as I hadn't liked The Good Earth. Letter from Peking turned out to be one of the most deeply moving love stories I've ever read and I still remember it after all these years. It goes deeply into both the joy of love and the high price you have to pay and, quietly in the background, the quiet miseryof life without love. At the beginning of the story, an American woman living with her teenage son in New England is waiting with a desperate grief and hope for a letter from her husband in Peking. She had had to leave for her own safety when the communists took over. Her Chinese husband could not bear to leave his homeland. He loves China too much to be separated from her even though that means separation from his beloved wife and son. The story then recalls their meeting and decision to marry despite the problems of an interracial marriage. It becomes a beautiful tribute to and description of a loving marriage that is eventually torn apart by the greater love of country. Meanwhile, the teenage son is growing up and falling in love with a shallow, pretty girl. The mother has to agonize over whether this marriage will be a tragedy. They love each other now, but is this a healthy love? Can it survive the pressures put on an interracial marriage when it seems more infatuation than love? This question haunts much of the novel as the mother agonizes over what to do. She makes a courageous and painful decision to intervene in a way that will resolve the relationship even at risk of alienating the son she adores. Meanwhile, the long-awaited letter from Peking has arrived. This book is a must read for anyone who likes a genuinely mature love story. I might add that, believe it or not, it has a happy ending. The happy ending is again based on the happiness that maturity, love, acceptance and wise choices can bring. It's a shame it's out of print for this is a book well-worth reading and rereading.

Run, don't walk, to your nearest used book store...!

A heart-rending tale of separated lovers, beautifully told. Especially timely read in light of the political turmoil in the current world scene. One can easily imagine this story being replayed time and again, as refugees flee war-torn countries, leaving behind family members who, through no personal fault, may never see their loved ones again. A story of courage, of perserverence. Find time to read it all at once if you can - it is almost impossible to put it down!