---
product_id: 27336270
title: "The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma"
brand: "pearl s. buck"
price: "A$35"
currency: AUD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/27336270-the-promise-a-novel-of-china-and-burma
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma

**Brand:** pearl s. buck
**Price:** A$35
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma by pearl s. buck
- **How much does it cost?** A$35 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/27336270-the-promise-a-novel-of-china-and-burma)

## Best For

- pearl s. buck enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted pearl s. buck brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ezOB65ZoL.jpg)
![The Promise: A Novel of China and Burma - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31OAGRDpiIL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A Classic by a Nobel Prize Winner
  

*by Y***O on Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2019*

Why the romance about the forbidding jungles of Burma? After Chamal’s NEVER SO FEW, I began to understand a little of how it might be. So, when I happened across this book by Pearl S. Buck I was prompted to read it for more than one reason. Firstly, to my chagrin, I’d never read Buck before. I’ve driven past her family home in W. VA, and I’d seen the Hollywood version of the GOOD EARTH, but that was it. I actually thought of her as some sort of Grandma Moses of literature. But, boy was I wrong.THE PROMISE is a great book. The prose is what caught me first of all. Without paying attention, while reading, I found myself propelled through her story on the wings of her simple and natural prose. And then there was the perspective, her perceptive, almost instinctive, understanding of the Chinese culture and of Asia itself. In particular, her dressing down of colonial and brutish British (and American) attitudes toward ‘others’: “We could be free if you did not think it your duty to save us.” This is a timeless book: “Now what is there to tell of a journey such as theirs” she asks. No one could tell it better than Pearl S. Buck.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    The sequel to Dragon Seed
  

*by K***N on Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2014*

The Promise, a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck, was originally published in 1943. It is a sequel to Buck's 1942 novel Dragon Seed, but the publisher of the ebook edition gives no indication of this whatsoever. Only after I began reading the book did I realize, "Hey, I already know all these characters." It's important to note because if you haven't already read Dragon Seed you'll be lost in chapter one. Dragon Seed described the 1939 Japanese invasion of eastern China, as told through the eyes of Ling Tan and his family, who live in a village outside Nanking. The Promise opens in 1941. The family is still living under Japanese occupation. One son, Lao San, who goes by the name of Sheng in this novel, has left home and is battling the invaders as a freedom fighter.The Promise referred to in the title is explained in chapter one. The people of Mei and Ying promised to come to the aid of China if they were ever attacked. Now the Chinese people are waiting and hoping that these two great nations will live up to that promise. Mei is America and Ying is England. Sheng leads a military expedition into British-occupied Burma to help the Brits repel the Japanese invasion there. While in Burma, the Chinese forces are commanded by an American, who may or may not be based on a real historical figure. As she typically does, Buck writes this historical novel with almost no specific proper nouns. For example, Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Chinese military, and his wife are referred to simply as the Ones Above. Nevertheless, despite the deliberate obscurity, the reader does get an education into this lesser-known campaign of World War II. Told from a Chinese perspective, the story depicts the Americans and Brits as well-intentioned imperialists whose racist attitude toward their Asian subjects leads to the needless loss of human lives.Stylistically, Buck's writing is like a cross between the socially conscious realism of the early 20th century, like The Grapes of Wrath and The Jungle, and the romantic television miniseries of the 1970s, like The Thorn Birds or Rich Man, Poor Man. Her novels are intelligent, moving, and skillfully crafted, with just a hint of sweet, sticky sap flowing beneath the surface. Still, those with a tolerance for romanticism will not only not mind this aspect of Buck's work but will in fact come to enjoy it. This sequel is actually superior to its predecessor. Dragon Seed was marked by an uncomfortable inconsistency. The first half of the book consisted of brutally realistic depictions of war crimes, while the second half was all rosy optimism. The Promise proceeds on a much more even keel, rarely resorting to either extreme, and the book is better for it. Though it lacks the shocking, indelible scenes of atrocity that punctuate Dragon Seed, The Promise is a thoroughly engaging saga that convincingly conveys the stirring urgency of the life and death struggles of wartime. The final chapter is a bit weak, but not enough to discount the strength of the book as a whole.Buck is best-known, of course, for her House of Earth trilogy, consisting of The Good Earth, Sons, and A House Divided. Could Dragon Seed and The Promise be the beginning and middle volumes of another trilogy? Though I've found no evidence to support this theory, given the ending of this book and the title of her next novel, China Flight, I suspect this is the case. After the experience I had reading this book, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Ling Tan and his family show up unannounced in another of Buck's books.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Love and Tragedy in the Jungles of Burma
  

*by D***R on Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017*

This sweet, innocent novel is an eloge of China, its traditional values, and of loyalty and trust that its leader at the time, Tchang Kai Chek, deposited in the Allies. The love story that permeates the pages of the novel and infuses it with a precious touch presents some of the tension between East and West, that is magnified in the bloody Burma campaign. The English wanted to retain their colony, the Chinese thought that they could block the Japanese assault in the South and receive badly needed equipment and weapons. The brave soldiers succumbed to the enemy and the help promised by the Allies to the Chinese never came.There is a communist, Charlie, and Pearl is sympathetic to his cause.  She could not predict the bloodbath that future conflicts and confrontations would bring. Chen's sister is an innocent child and Pearl finds her a loyal boyfriend in Charlie.In the end, we are left in suspense: will Mayli and Chen marry? Will Jade leave her inlaws, exchanging them for the freedom of their children?This novel, like the trilogy I read before, starting with The Good Earth, presents humans subjected to portentous changes that tear their lives apart. However, Pearl always keeps the flame of love alive, the eternal romantic.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/27336270-the-promise-a-novel-of-china-and-burma](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/27336270-the-promise-a-novel-of-china-and-burma)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*