A Thousand Acres: A Novel
by Jane Smiley
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jane SmileyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-12-02
ISBN: 1400033837
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Anchor
Book Reviews of A Thousand Acres: A Novel
Book Review: Midwestern Drama and Dysfunction...
Summary: 5 Stars
On a thousand-acre ranch in Iowa, a family compound of three farmhouses in close proximity to one another contains an aging father and two of his three daughters, along with their families.
Homey habits of family get-togethers and church picnics characterize their lives. But beneath the seemingly placid surface, family secrets, rivalries and betrayals lurk. When the patriarch makes an unexpected decision to set up a corporation and hand everything over to his
daughters, emotions are unleashed and a maelstrom of turbulence ensues.
Once the plans are set in motion, one of the daughters balks---soon there is a court case, with family members pitted against one another. And the father, who orchestrated events, is revealed as an angry, bitter tyrant. Then one of the daughters discloses to her sister the deep, dark secret that has informed most of her actions in adulthood.
Nothing will ever be the same again on these one thousand acres...
A Thousand Acres: A Novel is a multi-faceted dysfunctional family portrait...compellingly wrought by this award-winning author.
Summary of A Thousand Acres: A Novel
A successful Iowa farmer decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions. An ambitious reimagining of Shakespeare's King Lear cast upon a typical American community in the late twentieth century, A Thousand Acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride, and reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity.Aging Larry Cook announces his intention to turn over his 1,000-acre farm--one of the largest in Zebulon County, Iowa--to his three daughters, Caroline, Ginny and Rose. A man of harsh sensibilities, he carves Caroline out of the deal because she has the nerve to be less than enthusiastic about her father's generosity. While Larry Cook deteriorates into a pathetic drunk, his daughters are left to cope with the often grim realities of life on a family farm--from battering husbands to cutthroat lenders. In this winner of the 1991 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, Smiley captures the essence of such a life with stark, painful detail.
Smiley, Jane Books
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