2010-06-08
By Glenda Russell (Barbados)
This is a very gooood deal... if I had bought this same item at home it would have cost me 10 times the price ooooh Had I seen this deal before I got married.
2010-06-19
By Michelle A.
I want to first start out by saying I understand why this book was written. I also understand his message of how greed and wealth kill. I was just not excited about the way the book was presented.
I think the main reason for me not liking the book was Kino. Being a poor diver from Mexico, it is understandable why Steinbeck chose to fill most of the novel with descriptions rather than dialogue. This was thought out and deliberate but I just plain didn't like it. Steinbeck made Kino the perfect character for the intent of the book. There was nothing wrong on the author's part.
I feel like Kino had a definite paralysis in which he suffered a great deal from. On one hand, his very ill son needed to see a doctor which requires money, but, he never wanted to lose his appreciation of his family. Sadly, he had to pick one or the other, and in consequence had to say goodbye to his son. I'm sure for his entire life he longed to be rich which to use a terribly overused saying of "The grass is greener on the other side", is true to Kino. It's heartbreaking that he had to lose a son to see if the grass is greener.
Going from GRAPES OF WRATH with vivid descriptions and ample dialogue and the gripping tale OF MICE AND MEN, it was very hard for me to settle down and pay attention to the details and look at descriptions with limited dialogue that made me not like it. I appreciate the variety of writing Steinbeck has given to the American public but I very much had a hard time with this style. I came out feeling awfully depressed and so sorry for this family. Though wonderfully written, this was my least favorite writing of Steinbeck so far.
2010-01-22
By Jamie L. Bogard (Wylie Texas)
I had read all the reviews about this necklace, but it was so pretty I thought I would take a chance on it. The necklace itself is beautiful, and I don't think the chain looked cheap at all. However as soon as I put it on I knew I was going to have to send it back. The whole pendant leans forward instead of flush against your skin. It creates a very akward looking profile from the side and just does not present itself well from the front. I immediantly stuck it back in the bag and contacted PearlsOnly thru email. The returns process was very easy and Julie from PearlsOnly answered all my emails in a very timley manner. I mailed the necklace back on 1/13/10 and received an email notifying me of my refund on 1/22/10. I wish this would have worked out because the necklace is very beautiful and appeared to be of very nice quality. The extras sent along were also a nice touch, however it just couldn't make up for the way it hangs.
2010-07-10
By Eclectic Booklover (New England)
Pearl of China tells the story of Pearl S. Buck through the eyes of a poor, young Chinese girl named Willow Yee. Willow is a girl who must steal and beg for food. In fact as an adult that is her most vivid childhood memory. As a child she lived with her grandmother and father. One day when Willow has just committed an act of thievery, she meets Pearl who was watching as the theft occurred. Pearl is the daughter of missionaries. It is here that their friendship began. The two girls could not be more different, Willow with her Chinese characteristics of jet black hair and almond shaped eyes, and Pearl with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. Pearl always wears a crocheted cap to hide the difference between herself and the Chinese children her age.
The girls grow up and marry - both have bad first marriages. Willow's first marriage was arranged when she was only 14. The women move on with their lives, are separated, but make efforts to keep in touch. Pearl is forced to leave China during the Boxer rebellion and later becomes a famous writer. Willow, is caught mailing letters to her friend in American and is considered to be an "enemy of China". When she refuses to denounce Pearl, her American friend, she is imprisoned, starved, and forced to clean sewers.
In 1972, Madame Mao tried to bar Pearl S. Buck from accompanying President Richard Nixon on his trip to China, refusing to grant her a visa. People in China were forbidden to read Pearl S. Buck's book, The Good Earth. They were told the book was too "toxic" and could not be translated. The truth was, the book was an accurate portrayal of how peasants lived in China at that time.
I really enjoyed reading about the friendship of these two girls that lasted through adulthood. It was funny, sad, but most of all touching. Although this is a work of fiction, I enjoyed the fact that I learned more about the life of Pearl S. Buck in the process. I liked this story, the narrator was great, and my only complaint would be that there just wasn't enough mentioned about the political climate in China at the time. There seems to be large gaps in the prose that left me having to fill in the blanks for myself. Despite that I would still recommend this book. The audio book reader Angela Lin was very good.
RATING - 3.5/5 STARS
2010-02-02
By S. Ruiz-Schluger (Seattle, WA)
I was so happy with this purchase. The pearls look a little brownish/goldish in the picture available online but when I got them they were a gorgeous white. They are so beautiful and gorgeous and more than I expected!
2009-09-03
By Kristine Logan (New Paltz, NY)
What an ambitious novel! Good in lots of ways. But the main character is really the narrator, and for me, this very insistent narrator weakens the impact of the story by herding me forcefully through the book. I think the story would have stood on it's own without so much narration and certainly without the narrator's un-subtle directives about how to read, think, react, to the book.
But all that said, still an ambitious work about terrorism and how seductive it can be.
'Apassionata' by Eva Hoffman is a truly fine work on this theme - shorter, pithier, compelling, and thought provoking.
2010-05-29
By Lisa
I already have an 18" pearl necklace, but the beautiful box this one comes in almost tempts me to buy this one. I wonder how one can buy just the box. Any ideas anyone?
2010-06-13
By J. Ayala (Chicago, IL)
I've had these earrings about 6 months and they have held up great!
Very nice quality, perfect size! Loved them! Now to find a matching necklace!
2010-02-22
By margaret anderson (florida usa)
I found the first book in this series to be great and I found Pearl to be equally as good Great story and interesting enough to keep my attention
2008-12-13
By David ringgenberg (Arizona)
This was such a cheap looking necklace! It is just some pearls atached to a ribbon. It looks silly! Save your money!!!