Peony

Pearl S. Buck's most famous book was The Good Earth which I read and enjoyed. She won a Pulitzer prize for it. This time I read her novel named Peony which is set in the 1850's in the city of Kaifeng, China. Kaifeng was a city that had a Jewish settlement. In this story Peony was a bond maid. She was sold as a 7 year old slave to a family of Jewish descent. The father in the family, Ezra el Israel, had a Jewish father and a Chinese mother. He is a merchant. His wife, Naomi, had Jewish parents. Together they had one son, David, who was about the same age as Peony. They were a kind family. Peony attended lessons with David and so she learned how to read and write. Through the eyes of Peony we learn how Jewish people were perceived by the Chinese people in the town. I really enjoyed this historical fiction accounting of the life of Peony in Kaefeng.