Dragon Seed

By: Pearl S. Buck

Narrated by: Adam Verner

To the Chinese the dragon is not an evil creature, but is a god and the friend of men who worship him. He "holds in his power prosperity and peace." Ruling the waters and the winds, he sends the good rain, is hence the symbol of fecundity. In the Hsia dynasty two dragons fought a great duel until both disappeared, leaving only a fertile foam from which were born the descendants of the Hsia. Thus, the dragons came to be looked upon as the ancestors of a race of heroes. This is the story of China at War.

©1942 Pearl S. Buck (P)2011 Oasis

Sorrowful

I liked it but to think of the revolution after the war. Despite their suffering, endurance and the hint of hope at the end if they survive the war they will be just so much grist in Mao's murderous mill.

love the simple ways

loved it...Amazing, how people grow up with their "tradition
Love Pearland S. Buck helping me understand Chinese history

One I love best

Dragon Seed is one of my all time favorite books. Ms. Buck is a writer who can tell the tale like no one else can. She tells a story and you are never left wondering what happened to whom. And she does it without profanity.

New favorite

A histroical fiction junkie, I read this book years ago then imediatley read the sequel (The Promise) which also did not disappoint. The view from inside the Japanese invasion of Korea evokes hope, fear, empathy, and even disgust in every chapter--even more vividly with narration. Listening to the story was so captivating that I couldn't stop and listened until late at night, finishing in 4 days. Unfortunately, "The Promise" is not available on Audible, and it should be!

More Relevant Today than Ever

This book has very much the feeling of The Good Earth (first book of the Good Earth trilogy) but set in the period of World War II. It describes how a family in the countryside deals with the tragedy and upheaval of the Japanese occupation of eastern China. Buck delivers stylized language that perfectly captures the feeling of Chinese speech and culture. For example, when the eldest son finds a Chinese woman rather than a Japanese man in the trap he has set, his first question after he pulls her out is "have you eaten?". This will ring true to anyone who has visited China. Buck is a treasure, perhaps an undervalued treasure. How many American writers grew up in China, living among relatively poor people, speaking as a native, and later writing in English. In spite of winning the Nobel prize, she does not get the recognition she deserves. A style every bit as strong as Hemingway and perhaps more substance and political awareness.

The book is so relevant today, when China is the country that America loves to hate and when Japan is looking at re-interpreting its constitution to allow the development of a military. This book will remind Western readers that China was ravaged by Japan (after having been ravaged by Britain). It was interesting to learn that Japan, like Britain, used opium as a tool to destroy China. A wonderful story and a good performance by the narrator.

Incredible Story and Performance

Would you consider the audio edition of Dragon Seed to be better than the print version?

I never read the print edition of Dragon Seed.

What did you like best about this story?

Dragon Seed is not just another war story. It is a complex look into the lives of a simple farm family in China during peace time, then as a war approaches, then during and after the struggle. The relationships between the family members and the way they accept their roles in the family and society shocked my western sensibilities. I realized how much I take for granted about being an American in 2013 and how different life could be for me if I lived in a different time and place.

What does Adam Verner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Adam Verner brings sympathy to the story. He sympathetically tailors each character's voice and attitude. He voice is quiet and haunting and lends mystery and foreboding.

If you could take any character from Dragon Seed out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take Pansiao because she has to put up with so much of what I would call abuse even from people who are supposed to love her.

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful book as are all of Pearl S. Buck's books. I got a little depressed reading this however, so I am going after something more lighthearted next time.

Everything I hoped for

Pearl Buck is one of the best. Takes you to a place out of space in time- let’s the reader of an entirely different culture understand the thought process & details of a place difficult to understand. She never disappoints.

Another great read from Pearl S. Buck

I enjoy her style, I enjoy the way she develops the characters, and I loved reading about a family that doesn't match the stereotype of a people that lives strictly by custom without valuing their women as people as is so often is conveyed. Definitely another good one by Pearl S. Buck. I do wish for the audio version the narrator had been someone with a Chinese accent as it would have complimented the storytelling.

War never changes

This story gave insight of their culture as why they thought and acted. Yet was so relatable to average people dealing with losing all their expectations for their lives thrown into an unexpected future of strife and loss of prosperity with no return to the past as well as next generations trying to find their purpose and self worth going forward.

Second only to The Good Earth!

If you have never read any Pearl S. Buck, I would suggest starting with this first. You will learn to love the family in this book. It is a very astute depiction of what war and strife brings to people on a personal level-and you really feel for these characters.. I couldn't help comparing the turmoil in the United States with what this family is going through as the war on culture escalates by their enemy. I see many markers in what happens to these characters and what is coming to us all in the US if changes are not made, and soon. For this reason, the book is actually very frightening when you make comparisons to our period of time. China 100 years ago and America 2024-who would think they could be so different and so very alike? Anyway, loved the book. Ms. Buck leaves you with hope for the future in the ending but there are some unresolved story lines that I wish had been sewn up-but that's just Buck, always leaves you wanting more! Highly Recommend as a primer for Buck, unless you are 12-then you should read, "The Big Wave" first. Which was my first Buck book back in 1975 as a kid.