Review | 'Pearl of China': A look at Buck's world through eyes of best friend

Since Red Azalea, Anchee Min has populated her writing with strong-willed though sometimes cruel heroines such as Madame Mao and Empress Cixi. In her latest book, she creates a fanciful yet believable world for the Nobel laureate Pearl Buck through the voice of an imagined Chinese woman, Willow Yee, whose unwavering friendship with Buck has endured the test of turbulent times in Chinese history.