Books like Portrait of a Marriage

This was a serendipitous read. I was in India recently, and this old book which was lying about in my reading nook suddenly caught my eye. As I read the blurb, I remembered the story: my great-aunt used to tell it to me often, as a cautionary tale on marrying beneath one's station (maybe she was a bit afraid that I would fall for a pretty face without considering caste and pedigree). On a whim I started reading it, and realised to my surprise that it was much more than the story of an "unsuitable" marriage.The marriage of William, an artist and the son of a rich businessman to village belle Ruth is unsuitable, no doubt - at least from the point of view of his family. William is forced to abandon his home and stay at Ruth's farm. However, he is also a failure as a farmer, and is relegated to the status of a "do-less" husband by the village: while Ruth is forever barred from William's house, as his mother refuses to see her at all. What makes the marriage function is the love of the couple for one another, despite all the differences.The novel takes in a vast swathe of time, from the turn of the twentieth century to the fifties. Pearl Buck masterfully creates the portrait of a world in turmoil (as it goes through two world wars and their attendant deaths and heartbreak), reflected in the humdrum daily life of a rural couple. The love of William and Ruth for each other never wavers (view spoiler)[(except for a night when William contemplates leaving home at the urging of his father to rejuvenate his painting career, especially after he sees Ruth whipping their son Hal mercilessly for disobedience) (hide spoiler)]