'A Thousand Acres' by Jane Smiley is a modernized retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear set on a farm in Iowa. The story follows the aging patriarch, Larry Cook, who decides to divide his farm among his three daughters. What follows is a family drama filled with abuse, incest, betrayal, and the disintegration of the family and the farm. The book explores themes of power, family dynamics, secrets, and the dark side of the American Dream. The writing style is described as vivid, well-written, and engaging, with a focus on the land, farming, and the challenges faced by farmers in the 70s and 80s.

Characters:

Characters are richly drawn, each representing various facets of familial loyalty, betrayal, and the lingering effects of trauma.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is evocative and nuanced, intertwining descriptive landscape imagery with the emotional depth of the characters.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on a farmer's decision to divide his land among his daughters, igniting familial tensions and revealing dark secrets that lead to tragedy.

Setting:

The setting in Iowa's farmlands deeply influences the narrative, intertwining the landscape with the characters' experiences.

Pacing:

The novel's pace fluctuates, starting slow to build a foundation before accelerating into high-stakes emotional turmoil.

The body repeats the landscape. They are the source of each other and create each other. We were marked by the seasonal body of earth, by the terrible migrations of people, by the swift turn of a cent...

Notes:

A Thousand Acres, written by Jane Smiley, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992.

The novel is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear, set on a family farm in Iowa.

It portrays complex family dynamics, centered around Larry Cook and his three daughters: Ginny, Rose, and Caroline.

The story explores themes of power, betrayal, and the impact of a father's decision to divide the farm among his daughters, leading to familial conflict.

Ginny, the narrator, provides an unreliable perspective, making readers question her portrayal of events and character motives.

The setting of the book reflects the rural Midwest in the late 1970s, highlighting the struggles of farming families during economic hardships.

The Cook family has deep-seated secrets, including issues of abuse and trauma, which contribute to the novel's tension and drama.

Jane Smiley, an award-winning author, has both personal and professional ties to Iowa, where she has lived and taught.

Readers note the vivid descriptions of farm life, which convey both its beauty and the hard realities of farming.

The novel delves into the impact of pesticides and corporate farming on both the land and the family dynamics, presenting a critique of modern agricultural practices.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for A Thousand Acres include themes of sexual abuse, child abuse, mental health issues, and the impact of toxic family dynamics.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance present in the story, featuring complicated romantic entanglements, particularly influenced by family secrets.

From The Publisher:

This powerful twentieth-century reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm among his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will, which sets in motion a chain of events that brings dark truths to light. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, A Thousand Acres spins the most fundamental themes of truth, justice, love, and pride into a universally acclaimed masterpiece.

Ratings (11)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (5)
It Was OK (2)
Did Not Like (3)

Reader Stats (24):

Read It (11)
Want To Read (9)
Not Interested (4)

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About the Author:

Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and most recently, Golden Age, the concluding volume of The Last Hundred Years trilogy. She is also the author of five works of nonfiction and a series of books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. She lives in Northern California.

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