Scan barcode
meganpalmer731's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed the entire Hundred Years Trilogy. Her ideas about the final (future) years are pretty dismal but sadly not unrealistic. A pretty satisfying end to this series and the lives of the Langdon family.
readingwithmygoldens's review against another edition
3.0
Now that I have finished this book, I was able to take a peek at some of the other reviews to see if anyone felt the way that I did regarding the conclusion of this magnificent trilogy. Does the author really perceive that the world is that terrible and that there is no good in the world left? I felt so terribly depressed when I finished this book because as the last few chapters ticked on...it just kept getting darker and darker. Of course the author is writing into the future, but is her view of humanity really that devoid of hope?
On the other hand, maybe it is a way to warn us all of what the world could become if we aren't careful and just stick to our own individual lives. I know for sure that this series will stay with me for a long time, and I do intend to read it again. I guess my disappointment lies with the fact that after everything the original kids had been through, their children took that and made with it what they could and that was their best. As someone who was born in 1982, (not to a farming family in Iowa), I don't feel that disenchanted with the world. I feel hope that the best of us will do what we can to make it better for future generations. I wish I could go back in time and live through the 40s, 50s & 60s. I feel like that truly was American's golden age. (Partly, because once the Soviet Union crumbled, we had no one left to fight. There were no more righteous causes until the bungled Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. The world completely changed from WWII to 9/11, but that generation was able to overcome. It's too early to tell if mine can, but I absolutely believe we can.
On the other hand, maybe it is a way to warn us all of what the world could become if we aren't careful and just stick to our own individual lives. I know for sure that this series will stay with me for a long time, and I do intend to read it again. I guess my disappointment lies with the fact that after everything the original kids had been through, their children took that and made with it what they could and that was their best. As someone who was born in 1982, (not to a farming family in Iowa), I don't feel that disenchanted with the world. I feel hope that the best of us will do what we can to make it better for future generations. I wish I could go back in time and live through the 40s, 50s & 60s. I feel like that truly was American's golden age. (Partly, because once the Soviet Union crumbled, we had no one left to fight. There were no more righteous causes until the bungled Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. The world completely changed from WWII to 9/11, but that generation was able to overcome. It's too early to tell if mine can, but I absolutely believe we can.
healtopalm's review against another edition
4.0
This series is wonderful. I think it would be particularly meaningful for those who know something about living on a farm or with a farmer or want to know about life on a farm. Although the family's Iowa farmland is at the heart of the story, the plot does not stay planted there, it rather meanders though multiple presidents, wars, recessions, droughts, climate change and various other life changing events. You witness this family's compelling history is woven into these real events as the dynamic characters live out their stories and make their choices from varied perspectives.
melvankomen's review against another edition
3.0
I can't blame for Ms. Smiley for saying what she felt like she needed to say about the current state of the country. She absolutely earned that right by writing so masterfully. This was my least favorite in the trilogy. I felt like I had to slog through the last 100 pages or so to get through all the harrowing, catastrophic events approaching (American) civilization in the next few years to find out what happened to the Osage bush and the last of the remaining "elder" generation. I stuck with it, though, because Smiley is a master story-teller with the real skill of creating complex and intriguing relationships. Her families are so REAL and interconnected, that by the time I made it through the first two books I really cared about Henry, Andy, Jesse, Claire and their families.
shaughnp26's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great finish to the trilogy. I loved all three books! They all contained great characters, great storylines and I liked how she included historical facts into the stories. I will miss these families!
jenleah's review against another edition
2.0
A very bleak end to the 100 year Langdon saga. Overall, I liked the three books as a package, but this book had a giant black cloud over much of it. Between unlikable characters, politics, and climate change, I can only barely give this book two stars. I feel depressed after reading this. Looking back at Walter and how his branch of the Langdon tree began, I'm disappointed in how everything played out.
jogin1's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
12roxy's review against another edition
4.0
My least favorite in the trilogy, less realistic, more political, less endearing, more sprawling. Still terrific writing with sweetly painful perceptive glimpses of human frailties. I lost interest in some of the extended family members, perhaps demonstrating how we can discount the importance of others as their relationship to us becomes less apparent. All in all, a fantastic trilogy, condensing a century of personal and public history into an engrossing read. Interesting how time seems to speed up as the series progresses, I think due to less information from each character as the numbers of relatives increases; mimics an individual’s perception of time with age. Smiley is genius.
sueann's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this trilogy. It is a thorough social history on the twentieth century and ends slightly into the future. Focus on the agricultural issues on the time, but plenty more, too, including the unfairness of the recent recession. It's not sugar coated, but quite realistic, even a bit cynical, which I appreciated. I wasn't sure how she was going to wind it all up, but she had a few twists for us at the very end. I rarely award 4 stars, but these books are going to stay with me for some time, and that's what I'm looking for in a 4-star book.
mcsayegh's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't like the last two books as much as the first, mostly because they focused more on current events rather than the characters themselves. And especially in the last book it became harder to keep track of the younger characters. I also found it odd with the speculative nature of the last few years, like it just didn't fit with the rest of the trilogy. But overall I applaud Smiley's undertaking to cover 100 years of one family in this way.