In her acceptance speech upon receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, Pearl Buck said, "The mind of my own country and of China, my foster country, are alike in many ways, but above all, in our common love of freedom". "East Wind: West Wind" embodies this love of, and struggle for, freedom.

2008-05-03 My favourite novel ever

This is my favourite novel ever, together with East of Eden. I lose count of how many times I have read it and I enjoy it again and again as if it was totally new to me.
Despite the fact that it is Pearl S. Buck's first book, I think it is a masterpiece.
Told in the first person, the narrator is a young Chinese woman who leads us through a path of self-discovery and love.
Even though she is quite traditional to start with,her views expand after her marriage to a westernized man who even convinces her to unbind her feet.
The book is full of beautiful metaphors and one can even see the colours and feel the sometimes oppressive atmosphere of the Chinese courtyards.
Only somebody as fully immersed in the culture as Pearl S. Buck could have written something so masterful and poetical.