This collection features 14 short stories. As with much of Buck’s work, they mix the cultures of the East and the West. Some stories are completely Western about American families in America; some are completely Eastern about families in China and Japan. Some blend the cultures as the stories about Americans in Asia or Asians in America do. In addition to culture, family relationships are another major theme that is woven throughout all 14 stories.

It’s always hard to know how to rank a collection like this. A few of the stories were exceptional and would have earned five stars alone. A few others were too simplistic for my taste and would have bordered on two stars. Most of the stories fell somewhere in between those two extremes. Another inherent problem with coming up with a ranking and critique is that I read these over a longer period of time between other books, so I’m having trouble remembering the earlier stories. Overall, I enjoyed this collection, although not as much as some of her novels (my favorites are The Living Reed and Command the Morning). As always, Buck’s knowledge of and portrayal of Asian cultures is excellent while her writing that focuses solely on American culture tends to be weaker. ( )

Think of it as Pearl Buck's _Tolkien Reader_. A collection of excellent short stories, though some of them are oddly similar to -- and typically significantly better than -- some of her full-length novels... ( )