Living Reed: A Novel Of Korea (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
Wow, yet another fantastic read. Pearl S. Buck is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. The Living Reed is a multi-generational saga centred upon the Kim family who struggle to maintain their proud Korean heritage and culture through the dark and harrowing days of Japanese occupation. The story tells of Korea's historically unfortunate geographic location, a small nation which from the late 1800's to after the Korean War was destined to be a pawn of more powerful nations including China, Russia and Japan. Ever mindful of Korea's precarious position, The last King and Queen of Korea could not agree on whether to seek the support of their long time protector China, or move towards closer ties with the USA. As China's own position was weakened and Japanese military might confirmed, Korea was left with few options and little room to manoeuvre. For it's part, in the early 1900's, the USA failed to recognise the value of supporting Korean independence and to some extent acquiesced to Japan's imperial designs. The result of this was a national calamity for the people of Korea who were required to endure Japanese rule leading to years of subjugation, humiliation, state sponsored terror and the brutal uncompromising repression of their national aspirations. Through it all the proud Kim family struggles with dignity, courage and perseverance to do all that they can to bring about an end to their country's occupation. They must endure personal tragedy and years of forced separation in the hope that one day Korea will see a brighter future, free from foreign interference and control.
This was a really wonderful and detailed look at life in Korea during before and during the Japanese occupation. So detailed in fact, that if you weren't sure how babies nurse, there's a whole page explaining it. The boob page aside - the characters were absolutely amazing and you'll find yourself falling in love with all of them, even though they aren't perfect. I kept trying to figure out just how historically accurate everything is, I mean, it's fiction, but we all know how well researched Buck's books usually are. I've read different accounts ranging from 'this book is terribly researched' to 'it could pass as a historical textbook on korea' - and I don't have a firm enough grasp on Asian history to make a judgement. So I guess, take it with a grain of salt?Bottom line: If you love historical fiction, you'll breeze right through this.
What do You think about Living Reed: A Novel Of Korea (2004)?
My second time reading it, this fabulous historic novel of Korea meant much more to me than the first time around, since I just returned from living and teaching there for a year. It actually enhanced my experiences with the land, its people and culture, after the fact. If you want to more fully understand the differences between Korea and China, Buck is your best resource. She has a natural bias against my beloved Japan, because of their dealings with nations they attempted to colonize; but, she addresses those awful times in a remarkably fair and balanced way, all things considered.
—J.E.
2.5 stars, because I liked the idea of it, and the first half, despite HUGE historical inaccuracies. I am by no means a scholar of Korean history, but the little I do know makes me certain that Pearl Buck did very little research for this book, which makes the characters come off more like caricatures of Korean people. I did find the family life of the lead characters, and the queen's flight from the palace, very interesting, but then the story began to drag. The characters were not well-fleshed-out. If you're going to read one book by Pearl Buck, read The Good Earth. That IS wonderful.In the end, the key to any good historical novel is RESEARCH. That's the only way characters, places, and events can seem real. And Ms. Buck really dropped the ball on this one.
—Rachel
This is such a powerful book! The book is about an aristocratic family from Korea and the struggles the family endured. Starting with Kim ll-han the father who served the Queen.His two sons both becoming "fighters for freedom" to keep Korea out of the hands of the Japanese,Russians and Chinese. If you want to learn the history of Korea this is a good way to goabout it. Pearl Buck give very informative and colorful details about how burials are done,marriages, the building of homes, court etiquette. It's really a "must read".
—Liz Neale
