The Big Wave

I read this book many years ago, and have been waiting for the right moment to read it to my child. This week, while we are absorbing the 12/26/2004 tsunami in South Asia, I deemed the moment right.The story is set in Japan at some time in the past, when the farmers and fishermen in the community are following the paths their fathers and grandfathers set. We see the story through the eyes of Kino who lives on a mountain farm, and learns about the sea through his friendship with Jiya, who lives "in the last house in the row of houses toward the ocean, and [whose] house [does] not have a window toward the sea" because, as Jiya tells Kino, "the sea is our enemy." Kino is relieved that he does not live near the sea, but his father reminds him of the great volcano, twenty miles away, and tells him that they "must learn to live with danger."The storyline is simple, almost inevitable. A volcano erupts under the sea and causes a tsunami, which sweeps away the fishing village by the sea. Many lives are lost. As the survivors slowly recover, and Kino's friend Jiya starts to accept life again, Kino asks his father all the questions that children need to ask after a natural disaster. His father's answers each question with patience and wisdom, in a manner open-ended enough so that the reader (or reader and parent) can pause and talk about their own beliefs and feelings. Or the reader can turn the page and stay absorbed in this well-crafted story.My only disappointment with my paperback edition (HarperCollins, 1986, ISBN 0-06-440171-5) is that it left out the famous woodblock prints by the 19th century Japanese artists Hokusai and Hiroshige. I pored over these illustrations as a child and immediately recognized them when I saw them in my library copy. Pearl Buck selected each individual print to allow her readers to see the beauty of Japan, and they form an integral part of the story. I would recommend you buy the Library Binding version by HarperCollins (1999, ISBN 0-38-199923-8) or check out a book with illustrations from your library.

Book arrived on time and was in excellent condition.

My son was assigned this book for a reading assignment in 3rd grade. This was the first book that my son has finished from cover to cover. The story is set in Japan and is a great cultural experience in addition to having a great theme and value idea. Highly recommended.

Well, I have not read a bad book book by Pearl S. Buck, and this one is no exception. It is beautifully written, in a clear, simple style. It deals with the power of nature, the acceptance of that power, and with love within a family. The main characters are good people, with hearts big enough to accept someone else into their family, even though they are not blessed with money. In a way that "big wave", the tsunami, that strikes them, brings out the best in all of them. And the description of the disaster itself and the havoc and destruction it is causing is powerful, yet poetic, as if the wave is alive. I was sorry to put the book down when it ended, I wanted it to continue...

Was a gift for my dad. He enjoyed it.

Pearl Buck's "The Big Wave" was my introduction as a 3rd grader into a world that was not a fairy tale world. Buck tells the story of friends, Kino and Jiya. They live in Japan as a farmer's son and a fisherman's son, respectively.Kino is not as comfortable with the sea as Jiya is. But they swim together and go on outings together, enjoying their friendship and their families.When the tsunami strikes, Jiya loses everything in his life.This is the point that is unusual in a children's book. Buck takes Jiya through the grieving process. Kino's father has many wise things to tell his son about life and death and the way we must accept that death is part of life.A child of 8 could probably read this book on her own, but read aloud, it gives a chance to discuss the fears and issues. The knowledge that families go on and life goes on even after terrible tragedy is a beautiful lesson in this well-told tale.

I bought this as a gift for my granddaughter's teacher as she does an in depth unit on Japan. I can't give it to her as the spine is cracked and looks used.

I have yet to find a Pearl Buck book that wasn't worth reading. They are always so well written, such excellent well drawn characters. And such a compelling window into a time and place.

アメリカでかってベストセラーになり映画にもなった作品。作者は戦前の長崎県島原に住んだことがあり津波や噴火に向き合い助け合って生きる日本人が美しく描かれています。軍事国家としての日本には批判的だったパールですが、庶民への眼差しはあくまで優しく共感に満ちていて嬉しく思いました。

Pearl S Buck is without doubt one of the best writers in history. She writes about China especially as though she were Chinese when in fact she was the daughter of an American missionary. Over the years I have can only be described as 'greedy' when it comes to reading her book and I will continue to do so until the very last book is read.A fabulous writer and a fantastic woman.

Great read for my grandson.

I'd like to express my deep condolences to the Great Tohoku Earthquake victims.This novel seems to predict this kind of the earthquake. There is an impressiveexpression like this ; People spoke of the time before and the time after the bigwave. The big wave had changed everyone's life.I hope that Japanese people will stand again strongly as Jiya did.

a nice short story, can't complain.