Reviews for Pearl of China:

Pearl S. Buck also turns up in recent fiction. In the novel Pearl of China (Bloomsbury, $24), author Anchee Min (Red Azalea) tells the story of Buck's friendship with a Chinese woman, set amid the events that roiled 20th-century China.—Maria Puente. USA TODAY

The Miami Herald ran the excellent (and selling!) review of Pearl of China from the San Francisco Chronicle this past Sunday (5/30).

There’s also a wonderful feature with short review on Anchee Min in the June issue of the Costco Connection.

"Since "Red Azalea," Anchee Min has populated her writing with strong-willed though sometimes cruel heroines such as Madame Mao and Empress Cixi. In her latest book, "Pearl of China," she creates a fanciful yet believable world for the Nobel laureate Pearl Buck through the voice of an imagined Chinese woman, Willow Yee, whose unwavering friendship with Buck has endured the test of turbulent times in Chinese history. Min skillfully blends real historical figures such as Pearl's missionary parents, the renowned Chinese poet Hsu Chih-mo, Chairman Mao, Madame Mao and Richard Nixon with fictional characters to authenticate the story's social and political context. This, in turn, lends more credibility to some of her fictional characters, especially the courageous Willow Yee and the canny, pragmatic Papa Yee, who busies himself converting poor peasants to Christianity. the book presents a welcome addition to Min's long list of strong female characters, and pays worthy homage to Pearl Buck's legacy, particularly when it concerns her days in China and how she has been received there over the years."—San Francisco Chronicle

“In this excellent interpretation of Pearl’s story from a Chinese perspective told with a haunting quality only Anchee Min can deliver, the bestselling author of RED AZALEA and EMPRESS ORCHID again focuses her attention on influential women of her native China….this rewarding read passes far too quickly.”—Bookreporter.com

“Min’s writing is poetic and immediate …infused with sensuous details and exacting dialogues.”— Sarah Bagby, KMUV,(NPR). Read full review

“PEARL OF CHINA is worthy of reading simply because of the author's ambition of showing how literature can affect history as well as the psyche.”—Asian Review of Books

Link to Nancy Pearl’s summer reading recs

An *excellent* feature on Pearl of China in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, running before Anchee’s event.

Pearl of China is in Booklist's Top 10 Historical Fiction of 2010!

“In those moments, when human emotions transcend cultural and geographical borders, Min echoes Buck's talent for showing compassion and empathy toward her characters, and like her, reveals the power and dignity contained in the lives of ordinary people.”— The Associated Press

The wonderful Associated Press review for Pearl of China has already run in a multitude of local papers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Charlotte Observer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, AM New York, the Houston Chronicle as well as featured on Huffington Post

"A captivating read…Pearl of China is the story of two women's lives, but larger still, it is a history filled with insights into the common people of China lives. Although it is a work of fiction, it is wonderfully, historically accurate…I recommend Pearl of China as a great read for all.”— Iowa City Press-Citizen (Iowa) and The Des Moines Register

"Anchee Min, a writer from Shanghai, uses the history of the Communist China she grew up in as the starting point in all seven of her books, the latest of which is a work of historical fiction titled Pearl of China. These books are highly reflective of her experience prior to moving to Chicago in 1984."—Rebecca Koons, Daily Iowan

“Min's narrative is most fascinating as we watch her characters negotiate the conundrum that is Mao's China.” — Minneapolis City Pages

“’Pearl of China’ is a loving tribute to Buck and a unique peek into the hearts and lives of the Chinese people who knew her. As with all of her books, Min -- like Buck before her -- exposes the cruel, isolating existence that China's rulers inflicted on much of the country's population during the different decades that the two women lived there. And both women showed the inspiring, courageous ways in which even the most besieged of the lowest classes maintained their wit and humanity.”—Oregonian

Women in the World conference video—The Daily Beast

Oprah-com includes Anchee Min (Pearl of China) in a readers’ poll of favorite contemporary women’s writers!

Profile of Anchee Min and her new book, Pearl of China, in The East Bay Express (San Francisco, CA).

"It's the close of the 19th century in China when Pearl, the daughter of fervent Christian missionaries, meets Willow, the only child of a destitute family. Their friendship is at the core of the new historical novel by Anchee Min, author of "Red Azalea" and "Empress Orchid." The Pearl in "Pearl of China" is Pearl Buck, the writer who would go on to win both a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize for literature, while Willow becomes part of Mao's inner circle. Their friendship endures against the backdrop of the civil war and Willow's persecution for her connections to this "American imperialist." Min, who was born in Shanghai and was forced to work in a labor collective during the Cultural Revolution, became an actress in propaganda films and then moved to the United States in 1984. She made her literary debut in 1994 with "Red Azalea," a memoir of her years in China." —Robert L. Pincus, The San Diego Union-Tribune.

“[Anchee] Min, a prime example of an indomitable Chinese woman, has made it her mission to reveal the truth about the lives of women in China, including Madame Mae, Empress Tzu Hsi, and now Buck…Ardently detailed, dramatic, and encompassing, Min's fresh and penetrating interpretation of Pearl S. Buck's extraordinary life delivers profound psychological, spiritual, and historical insights within an unforgettable cross-cultural story of a quest for veracity, compassion, and justice.” —Booklist, starred review.