(Guilty Pleasures is my alphabetic summer jaunt through fiction at my favorite library.)
I've just finished reading "Come, My Beloved" by Pearl S. Buck. Letter B for my summer of guilty pleasure reading through the library (although I must confess I am feeling less guilty about it). A quick glance over at Amazon shows that it is no longer available, even on the used book listing.
I'm not sure how to sum up the book. It was a story that covered four generations of a family struggle through pain toward justice with roots (of some kind) in the Christian faith. It takes place largely in India (which of course was delightful to read) through the time of the British Empire until Ghandhiji and his followers have extricated India from the control of a far away crown.
The conflicts were inter-generational, racial, and social class. Religion, Christianity and Hinduism mainly, were put side by side in such a way that I wasn't sure if Buck was 'agreeing that all paths lead to one' or if she was just putting it out there. Romance came in unexpected and frank ways. Insights into being a missionary kid (3rd culture kid) were clearly described by a missionary kid herself.
It took me a while to get into this historical romantic novel, but as I finished the book and looked on Amazon I realized that I had begun a relationship with Buck, and hope to continue on in friendship with her. I don't know if I would recommend it, but I think I like the way Buck writes and thinks.
