Books like Portrait of a marriage by Pearl S. Buck
At the turn of the twentieth century, a wealthy Philadelphia painter departs the city in search of artistic inspiration. He encounters a humble, illiterate farm girl whose beauty and modesty capture his imagination. Their relationship evolves from mentorship into marriage, compelling the artist to leave his affluent upbringing and embrace a rural life. Through the novel, Pearl S. Buck portrays the cultural gaps and tensions that arise as lovers from disparate backgrounds unite, while also offering a vivid depiction of America in the decades leading up to the Second World War. The narrative highlights themes of artistic pursuit, cross‑cultural romance, and the transformative power of partnership.
First publish date: 1941
Genre: Family & Domestic Fiction/Marriage & Divorce Fiction
Authors: Pearl S. Buck
★
★
★
★
★
4.0 (1 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Portrait of a marriage by Pearl S. Buck are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Portrait of a marriage (17 similar books)
Stephen Dedalus’s coming‑of‑age journey in Dublin frames his transformation from bullied youth to aspiring artist, as he distances himself from conventional life.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When a successful lawyer discovers she is pregnant with her millionaire lover’s child, she is thrust into a world of passion and power—issuing a choice between love and survival as her benefactor demands commitment with a hollow heart.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young man searches for his mysterious father in Tokyo's underworld, finding more than he bargained for.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Thomas Hardy’s bleak final novel follows Jude Fawley, a stonemason from rural Wessex, whose search for faith, love and independence collides with society’s harsh conventions and leads to tragedy.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young Jewish boy in New York discovers his extraordinary talent for drawing and painting, grappling with the demands of faith, family, and his own artistic calling.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Jiya’s world is torn apart by a tidal wave, and he must learn to live amid the ever‑present threats of sea, volcano, and death in post‑tsunami Japan.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
An unflinching look at the lives of American veterans in New York Art scenes, exploring identity, trauma, and the echoes of the Iraq War through the lens of creative expression.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Cassandra Leigh Addams couldn't quite believe the mess she'd gotten herself into. Her make-believe engagement to her boss, infamous, charismatic Brandon Marcus, had somehow turned into a real-life marriage--and she didn't know what in the world she was going to do about it.
She was furious with her new "husband" and at herself for going along with his idiotic scheme to fool the world and the gossip columnists. Brand swore they could play house for a while and then dance away from it all--no muss, no fuss, no bother. But when he kissed her, when he touched her, it didn't feel like playacting to Cassie. It felt like the real thing.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
The Living Reed traces four generations of the Kim family as they navigate Korea’s turbulent history, from royal advisors to secret resistance fighters during Japanese occupation.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Daisy Holt, a poor young dancer in a London brothel, captures the eye of a visiting painter—her Monet‑like beauty sparks first love and first sorrow in a historical tale of art and longing.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
The story of a North American missionary, the author's father, who travelled the roads of China for more than fifty years.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After a traumatic past marriage, widowed Henrietta rents a new home where she meets business entrepreneur Jared Vincent, who decides to court her – a journey of romance amid past fears and new hopes.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
A House Divided by Pearl S. BuckEast Wind: West Wind by Pearl S. Buck
Drive My Car by Kazuo Ishiguro
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!