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Portrait of a Marriage
by
Buck follows one woman's journey through a long-term marriage; its romanticized beginning, jolts of disillusionments and losses, and peace through acceptance and faith; as a metaphor for life.
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Paperback, 208 pages
Published
June 2nd 1975
by Pocket Books
(first published January 1st 1940)
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This was a serendipitous read. I was in India recently, and this old book which was lying about in my reading nook suddenly caught my eye. As I read the blurb, I remembered the story: my great-aunt used to tell it to me often, as a cautionary tale on marrying beneath one's station (maybe she was a bit afraid that I would fall for a pretty face without considering caste and pedigree). On a whim I started reading it, and realised to my surprise that it was much more than the story of an "unsuitabl
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Since Pearl S. Buck was a MK, I thought this book would be Christian. I was surprised at how much despairing of souls there was in it, like a lostness of one who cannot find the true meaning in life.
Aside from that, it was a good story. Most books go into detail about a certain few years in a characters life… this went from before William even met his wife until his death as an old man, and how his widow coped thereafter.
She was a Proverbs 31 woman to me, living to better his life and keeping ...more
Aside from that, it was a good story. Most books go into detail about a certain few years in a characters life… this went from before William even met his wife until his death as an old man, and how his widow coped thereafter.
She was a Proverbs 31 woman to me, living to better his life and keeping ...more
Long before the advent of marriage counseling and self-help books about “healing your relationship”, Pearl Buck wrote with astounding psychological insight about the inner workings of a marriage. Portrait of a Marriage follows William and Ruth through 75 years of their relationship, from their first meeting when they fell in love at first sight, through courtship, marriage, conflicts with in-laws, childbirth, disillusionment, mid-life crises, old age, grandchildren, and the inevitable family dra
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I found a battered copy of this book in musty corner of a used bookstore in Mexico City, and saucily purchased it after reading the cover jacket quotation from the book, something about the husband gasping in horror at the specter of his wife holding a whip in his hand. This, although I knew that since it was Pearl Buck, there wouldn't be anything truly salacious or gratuitous about it. In truth, I've always been curious to discover which elements make a novel timeless and which consign them to
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Good read although some of the language was a little stilted since it was written in 1941. Story of the courtship and almost 50 years of marriage of William (from a wealthy family, educated, and a promising painter) and Ruth (a simple, uneducated farm girl). Ruth did everything for William while raising 3 children and running their farm to allow William to lead a life of leisurely painting. They were totally devoted to each other to the exclusion of their children. I enjoyed this book. A good an
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One of the challenges in the summer reading program at my library was to read a book from before I was born. Well, I had to go w-a-a-a-y back! This book is from 1941! There is much I like about it: it is a sweet story of the marriage between polar opposites who absolutely love each other throughout the years. But there are things that really did not mean much to me, simply because of the different ways we do things now. I frequently wondered what either of these people saw in the other one!
I had mixed feelings about this book. I love Pearl S. Buck's writing, loved seeing the characters through their long lives, loved Buck's commentary on the process of life and living in a marriage, but the main characters were so strange and selfish. A husband who loved his wife so much that he had little love for his children, his parents, etc. A wife who could only live in her own little world.
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Great insight!
I loved this book as I do so many of Pearl Bucks books.S he had great insight into a long marriage ,having been in one her self.I liked the way she showed
the natural changes that happen in a long union. The story was sweet and comforting .
I loved this book as I do so many of Pearl Bucks books.S he had great insight into a long marriage ,having been in one her self.I liked the way she showed
the natural changes that happen in a long union. The story was sweet and comforting .
Such a great read
I read her I school but never as an adult. Now in sixties I know what I have been missing. Great reading! Deep and meaningful!
I read her I school but never as an adult. Now in sixties I know what I have been missing. Great reading! Deep and meaningful!
I've read a lot of Ms Buck's work. Oddly, this book stuck with me even though I don't find it relatable. I think the books depiction of choices we make in relationships is interesting.
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I have been sprinkling into my reading, various notable books and authors that I feel I should have read already or hear referenced a lot. TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE and UNCLE TOM'S CABIN before this one, Pearl S. Buck's(PSB) PORTRAIT OF A MARRIAGE. PSB is the 1st American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and I felt I needed to know her work.
I was surprised by this story. Given the setting, early 1900s, rich gentlemen/poor farm girl, I anticipated strife of a different kind, more Dickensian ...more
I was surprised by this story. Given the setting, early 1900s, rich gentlemen/poor farm girl, I anticipated strife of a different kind, more Dickensian ...more
I have read a couple of Pearl S Buck books earlier, hard copies, tattered, borrowed from the city library. Times were simpler then. I was never one to go by book covers. I used to read the back cover, the inside of the jacket, the prologue and then decide if a book should be carried home or not. And if it all it was chosen, the book was respected, given my undivided attention till the last word in it. I even read the acknowledgements religiously. And the 'About the Author', was always my favouri
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William, a wealthy painter, is walking in the countryside when he finds a young illiterate farmer, Ruth, who catches his attention. He asks if she can paint her and she accepts. They see each other for several months for this painting. Both fell madly in love and got married, shocking his parents for marrying a girl so beneath his education and means, but he does not care. The author proposes a very interesting marriage arrangement that worked perfectly well for them. William gave up everything
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I had read Pearl Buck as a girl, The Good Earth and one other set in China, and I enjoyed them. So I decided to look at this one written about life in Western culture and might pick up a few more. She has great insight into human relationships and paints a rich picture of the lives of one couple. Her characters are not perfect human beings. They have faults and foibles like we all do. But she certainly captures what love is about and how a relationship lasts, in spite of doubts, and love grows t
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I just cannot get enough of Pearl S. Buck! She is an amazing author and develops characters like no other. This is the story of an artist's life, William Barton, and the choices he made throughout his life. Born into a wealthy, powerful Philadelphia family, William chooses to spend his life with the love of his life, Ruth, on a Pennsylvania farm. The story is tender and tough at the same time.
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A Wonderful Classic
I would love to share this with my book club but I have yet to have heard anyone share a classic. So much to talk about. Maybe because I have lived a life time and felt that part of me has never been shared because it has never been needed. Were William and Ruth selfish? We're they really happy? Did represent each other? I've convinced myself- I have to share this with my book club.
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I would love to share this with my book club but I have yet to have heard anyone share a classic. So much to talk about. Maybe because I have lived a life time and felt that part of me has never been shared because it has never been needed. Were William and Ruth selfish? We're they really happy? Did represent each other? I've convinced myself- I have to share this with my book club.
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I loved this book! The tenderness expressed in the relationship between the main characters is heart-warming. Compared to modern novels where relationships seem shallow and artificial, this novel explores the inner workings of marriage complete with the insecurities and doubts of loving ones' spouse deeply and completely.
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This was the first Pearl Buck I have read. I enjoyed her writing style. It was definitely a slow paced, laid back type of novel that was exactly what the title said it would be. -- a portrait of a marriage. The characters were complex individuals despite their simple lifestyle. I will definitely try another one of her books.
Portrait of a Marriage
I enjoyed The Good Earth when I read it several years ago and anticipated a similar engaging read with another Buck novel. Such was not the case. This is a slow -moving account of a long marriage between people from two social classes who manage to stay together and grow more deeply in love. End of story.
I enjoyed The Good Earth when I read it several years ago and anticipated a similar engaging read with another Buck novel. Such was not the case. This is a slow -moving account of a long marriage between people from two social classes who manage to stay together and grow more deeply in love. End of story.
I have read other Pearl Buck books and they have been much better. This one was a bit of a disappointment. I didn't like the characters. Ruth seemed to have no self respect and her husand was a narcissist. He was only about himself. Not likeable characters. To Pearl Buck fans I would suggest skipping this one.
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I have read most of Pearl Bucks books. She is able to capture personalities with such deep understanding. This book is one of those that you enter into the rooms of their home and "watch" their progression from young love to the death of one of them. It was a pleasure to re-read this book. I recommend this if you like generational stories.
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This was a short book that was rather a slow read. It needed to be a bit slow to demonstrate the simplicity/complexity of the marriage. I would say it was a good, solid read. I will most likely reread it at a later time.
I enjoy Pearl Buck's writing, but had not read anything other than Asian culture books. This is a story about a marriage between a rich painter and a farm girl. This is the story of their marriage and clash or cultures. I enjoyed it.
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A good read.
Pearl S Buck is 1 of my very favorite authors.I have read that was not based on Asia. I enjoyed the novel and love her writing. I hope to 1 day read all her books however I do prefer the ones on Asian culture.
Pearl S Buck is 1 of my very favorite authors.I have read that was not based on Asia. I enjoyed the novel and love her writing. I hope to 1 day read all her books however I do prefer the ones on Asian culture.
A very intimate look at what really counts in marriage, and a good story.
An old-fashioned love story.
Omg one of the best books ever for me. Really delves into characters
Plot could have been interesting, but the writing was boring.
The Kirkus 1945 review is worth reading.
The Kirkus 1945 review is worth reading.
I am on the fence with this one. I might have given it a 4. An unusual look at a marriage.
First time reader of Pearl S. Buck. Not sure what I was expecting but I love her writing and will read more of her.
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Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck Walsh (Pearl S. Buck) was a bestselling and Nobel Prize–winning author. Her classic novel The Good Earth (1931) was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and William Dean Howells Medal. Born in Hillsboro, West Virginia, Buck was the daughter of missionaries and spent much of the first half of her life in China, where many of her books are set. In 1934, civil unrest in China for
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