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leesmyth's review against another edition
4.0
It's pretty good, though I'd never have read it except to see what elements of the Lear story Smiley kept and adapted. There's far less at stake when the story is moved to a farming community, but it's an interesting reversal of the original.
hivemindbabe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ja3m3's review against another edition
3.0
Based loosely on Shakespeare’s King Lear A Thousand Acres is set on a prosperous Iowa farm and tells the tale of a family that is destroyed by lies, secrets, and revenge. I didn’t mind the story, but thought it was about 50 pages to long and predictable.
djthatch's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very well-done retelling/interpretation of Shakespeare's King Lear. I had a hard time getting into the novel, and had I not had to read it for my class, I may not have made it past the slow beginning. I'm glad I did. What kept me interested in the beginning, was trying to find the connections in this book to Lear, however, as the novel went on, I found myself becoming more engaged with the novel and I focused less on its connection to Lear.
This novel discusses themes of nature, identity, the treatment of women and nature, rural life, secrets, and memory. If you enjoyed King Lear I would suggest reading this book to see a different perspective of the narrative. The way this story is told may alter how you interpret Shakespeare's version.
This novel discusses themes of nature, identity, the treatment of women and nature, rural life, secrets, and memory. If you enjoyed King Lear I would suggest reading this book to see a different perspective of the narrative. The way this story is told may alter how you interpret Shakespeare's version.
amanda_y8s's review against another edition
4.0
This story is full of gorgeous language and immersive scenery. The complexity of the sisters’ relationships, their quiet anger and jealousy was so palpable.
I read King Lear right before this, so maybe that was too fresh in my mind, but felt it flattened Lear/Larry by making him too much of a monster. In the original, there‘s somewhat more ambiguity and levels of complicity among most of the characters, and I missed some of that in this modern retelling. Otherwise a good read, as they say.
Read as part of the #20in20 Read Better Challenge: A book based on another book
I read King Lear right before this, so maybe that was too fresh in my mind, but felt it flattened Lear/Larry by making him too much of a monster. In the original, there‘s somewhat more ambiguity and levels of complicity among most of the characters, and I missed some of that in this modern retelling. Otherwise a good read, as they say.
Read as part of the #20in20 Read Better Challenge: A book based on another book
msmelinda's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, this book was good. Just enough details on the ins-and-outs of farming and farm life to make me feel like I was part of it; plenty of family (and otherwise) drama to keep things novel, to encourage you to keep turning the page. But it seemed like the plot spent most of its time foreshadowing, or resolving. The major points were written in such a minor way it was easy to miss things that were apparently a Big Deal.
Plus there was just a little too much...grown women calling their fathers “Daddy,” wives being in charge of all their husbands’ meals and laundry, casual sexual abuse, etc, for the feminist in me to enjoy the book.
Plus there was just a little too much...grown women calling their fathers “Daddy,” wives being in charge of all their husbands’ meals and laundry, casual sexual abuse, etc, for the feminist in me to enjoy the book.
kathrinafarrington's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this one; Jane Smiley came highly recommended. Unfortunately, the conclusion didn't deliver on a promising premise. There are a lot of difficulties that come with modern adaptations, and sadly Smiley wasn't able to avoid them. For one thing, the heightened drama of a Shakespearean tragedy can't be directly transplanted into a very tense, yet controlled, atmosphere like this one. It just becomes embarrassing melodrama. For another, Smiley crafted characters that didn't fit into their assigned roles. Most egregiously, the narrator, Ginny, was less a fully-realized character than clay that was remolded every time she was pressed into a new situation. I respect attempting a feminist reimagining of King Lear, but it's useless if you're going to rely on newer stereotypes to replace the old ones. All in all, the only thing A Thousand Acres has going for it is prose that perfectly reflects the stark Iowa landscape, but that's not quite enough to make up for a conclusion that leaves you feeling hollow and spent. Also: trigger warnings for rape/sexual abuse and mentions of domestic violence and gore.
khlara's review against another edition
1.0
For a writer who lives in Iowa, this book is incredibly inaccurate. Also found the plot to be loose and rather offensive.