This Proud Heart: A Novel

I could not decide if I liked or disliked the protagonist of this book. Either way, it was thought provoking on the issue of women having a life separate from a family. Although this seemed to take place in the 1950s, the subject matter is still an issue today. The action seemed slow moving in the early part of the book, but I became very engrossed as the characters were filled out and took on life.

Being an avid fan of Pearl S Buck I cannot but appreciate the flow of the story. The book has been thoroughly researched. The feelings are expressed in a simple and wonderful language. The reader just finds himself a part of the happenings and can well appreciate the feelings of the main characters and is carried along smoothly into different situations as these develop. Highly recommended.

Susan Gaylord lived in a fantasy world and seems to mix her thoughts with whatever anyone else is saying or maybe thinking. I found it a bit too much as she wanted everything basically her way. I'm glad that it was a free one

Pearl should have stayed with writing about the Chinese people and culture. This story was predictable and obviously contrived. I always finish a book whether I like it or not, but had I known it was out of her usual genre, I wouldn't have added it to my reading list....

I read this book because she was a famous author. But I found the language and writing style stilted and dated. Also, I thought the main character was a very conceited and selfish person. I could easily understand why she was not well liked by her peers, even though she did everything perfectly.

I read this book because she was a famous author. But I found the language and writing style stilted and dated. Also, I thought the main character was a very conceited and selfish person. I could easily understand why she was not well liked by her peers, even though she did everything perfectly.

Whether a self portrait of the author or just a wistful journey though the life of a woman born with a need to express herself in her art it certainly explores the sacrifices made and the choices required to pursue an artist's vision. Without the underlying economic philosophy the struggle of the heroine is reminiscent of Howard Rourke in the Fountainhead, but I suspect the story has more autobiographical under tones than any relationship to Ayn Rand.

Although I had heard of Pearl Buck , this was the first novel of hers that I have read. The depth of the characters and the continuing development I found to be quite profound. I admired and appreciated her skills as a person of extraordinary understanding who could draw on this understanding of people to develop such characters. I will read more of her work.

Having read other novels of Pearl S. Buck many years ago, I was looking forward to this one. Alas, it is dreadful. The main character, Susan, is unbelievable as she is either putting everything into her art, or nothing. Buck's writing style mirrors Susan's manic character, with its lack of follow-through on story lines and abrupt cutaways to new scenes. Buck seems not to know how to deal with inconvenient characters, either killing them off, shipping them to boarding schools, or sending them packing to Europe/America. None of the characters were likable, and the protagonist, Susan, was so selfish that even her talent could not excuse her. Give this one a pass.

It was an ok book ... written by PEarl Buck it would have to be. I enjoyed it but it takes a while to get through the sappy parts and into the moral of the story . Good for girls and women to see and understand they can be whatever they feel destined to do with their lives.

i've read all her novels about china (dragon seed being my fav.) but i had no idea her plot / characters would turnout to be this dull writing about her own country and own people. the characters were actually types; a witless main character (in fact Jane-who is a shadow of a character-should have been the lead in the name of depth)did not help. Buck's style was disappointingly lame. i kept on reading hoping that i would learn something about modern art during the 50's in paris, about the remains of the lost generation, about sculpture or marble or clay! but no, nada.

Typical of Pearl Buck with lose-lose (or maybe they're win-win) choices. Probably just my imagination, but there's a sadly autobiographical flavor here. It least, there's experience of the traps. I wouldn't recognize it as the having the same author as The Good Earth, but do see similarities to Pavilion of Women."