The Good EarthThe Good Earth
Score Classic
What it's about
Wang Lung, a poor farmer in rural China, marries O-lan, a slave from the great house in town, and together they work the land through drought, famine, revolution and, eventually, wealth. Pearl S. Buck follows his rise from poverty to riches, and what success does to him and his family.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of both 1931 and 1932. Buck later won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
You'll love it if you liked
The Grapes of Wrath
Pachinko
East of EdenGood to know
It's written in plain, biblical prose and moves quickly. It's the first book of a trilogy, but stands alone.
By the numbers
- Readers35 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller63 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #118 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #311 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1014 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is The Good Earth worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of the ten best-selling books of both 1931 and 1932. It ranks #1,014 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Good Earth about?
Wang Lung, a poor farmer in rural China, marries O-lan, a slave from the great house in town, and together they work the land through drought, famine, revolution and, eventually, wealth. Pearl S. Buck follows his rise from poverty to riches, and what success does to him and his family.
How long does it take to read The Good Earth?
About 10 hours (418 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The Good Earth won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1932).
What should I read after The Good Earth?
If you liked it, try The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee or East of Eden by John Steinbeck.