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1Tyranny of Weakness

By Charles Neville Buck

Torn between her love for her aging father, a minister steeped in the puritanical values of old New England, and the young Virginian who was born and raised of southern chivalrous tradition, the many and conflicting emotions which stir deep within Conscience Williams envelop this tale of desire, devotion, inner strength, devious treachery, and individuality of spirit.<br /><br /> There would be many obstacles in the path of Conscience's future, and many trials to overcome. Fate has a way of molding inequities in our lives; circumstance is often a veil stronger than the human will can endure. In summarized simplicity, The Tyranny of Weakness is a gripping and intense story of life. However it is also a complex and compelling story of injustice in the face of sincerity; of conflicting traditions; of generational differences; of bold deceit; and of inner strength in dealing with family bonds. (Summary by Roger Melin)

2Mother

By Pearl S. Buck

Life is difficult for The Mother, with a household of husband and children, when her crone of a mother-in-law comes to live with them. It is a life of drudgery and toil. But a mother will do anything to protect her children, despite the pain and suffering she may endure, when, without warning, her restless husband abandons her. The shame, the toil, the love... all demonstrate the resilience of a woman in the face of adversity. It has been described as one of the best works of fiction of the 20th century, This is in the Public Domain in the United States. - Summary by Lynne T.

3Mother (Version 2)

By Pearl S. Buck

As with Pearl Buck's most famous 1st novel, The Good Earth, this 2nd book also describes peasant life in rural China about 150 years ago--from a woman's close perspective. Life was gruelingly hard. The people were illiterate, superstitious, uneducated, provincial, the culture entirely male dominated. And yet, this book captures the dignity, pleasures, hopes, fears and dreams shared among villagers despite their extreme poverty, and the influence exerted by women over their families. Themes of love, lust, greed, gambling, chauvinism, narcissism, crime, greed, injustice, tyranny, revolution, abortion, etc., are all masterfully woven into the narrative of one unnamed mother's devotion, without a moment of preaching, in this poignantly beautiful masterpiece. (Summary by Michele Fry, BC and Soloist)