Reviews

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

abbeyhar103's review

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5.0

For whatever ithe comparison is worth, I’ve now read two of the new “Hogarth Shakespeare” series, and found this to be astoundingly better than either of those.

sam_bizar_wilcox's review

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2.0

What, to me, started off as an incredibly subdued drama (from King Lear, these characters, surely not?) escalated subtlely to resemble the bare bones of Shakespeare's famous tragedy. But then it kept escalating. While reading the novel, I became increasingly aware that the intentional melodrama of the Renaissance theatre doesn't quite translate to a realist narrative, and when the more shocking elements of the novel are revealed (in the play, importantly, these are only suggested, and suggested by smart stage directors - although after reading this book I wonder if this dramatic convention to
Spoilerinclude Lear's assault of his daughters
is a chicken-or-the-egg situation with the novel), the brilliant work of the beginning became undone. Disturbing does not a rich narrative make, and here the horror is layered on thick. I applaud Smiley for keeping her prose measured, but this novel's success (or, in my opinion, lack thereof - an admittedly contrarian view given the book's Pulitzer) hinges on important question: can Lear work outside of Lear?

juliabeaumont's review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kenziecus's review

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challenging reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A slow start to a beautiful and heartbreaking story. If you can push through the first little bit I recommend reading! If you’re a Shakespeare lover, I have a feeling you might like this King Lear retelling. 

gdp60's review

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3.0

This book started out very slow, for me. By the end I found it very dark and depressing. An honest ending that leaves you feeling like there is no justice.

alexisrt's review against another edition

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5.0

A Thousand Acres (Flamingo Originals) by Jane Smiley (1992)

camdailey's review

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4.0

Read this for a class on adaptations -- I thought this was a wonderful adaption of King Lear that stuck beautifully to the plot with its own interesting interpretation. I wasn't sure about it in the beginning but I ended up really really enjoying it. The character dynamics were very interesting to explore and I loved being able to see motivations behind the sisters that you don't get in the original Lear. 

zoe_schlosser's review

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

gwalt118's review

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5.0

A Thousand Acres is the story of a wealthy farm family in Iowa with deep secrets, hidden drama, and unspoken truths that are brought to light when the patriarch retires and seeks to divide his farm between his three daughters.

Smiley reimagines themes of Shakespeare’s King Lear in this novel. Most notable for me were themes of justice, authority, reconciliation, and self-knowledge. Different characters in this novel, like in King Lear, have different notions of morality and what is “right,” and I loved witnessing internal and external struggles of that question among the family dynamics of the novel.

Smiley’s writing in this novel is nothing short of outstanding. The sense of place is incredibly strong – and as a Midwesterner who lives in a rural area, I can also attest that it is incredibly accurate! – and captivated me right away. It is immensely clear why this novel won a Pulitzer. Sometimes that sticker intimidates people, though, and I would also attest that this novel is not dense. It was easy to sit down and devour 50+ pages at one time.

The characters in this novel are deeply complicated, both individually and as a collective unit. Complicated characters meant I could feel empathy for characters that I also despised at other times, which is a challenge in and of itself. I found myself thinking the same questions as the characters – what is right and just and moral, and who is really in charge.

Strong sense of place, themes of morality and justice, magnificent writing, and complicated characters – these are the things that make this a five-star book for me.

Trigger warnings for all kinds of abuse – domestic, child, and sexual. They are not scenes you can skip over because they are integral to the plot, the development of characters, and the themes of the novel. Additional trigger warnings for death and suicide.

kingarooski's review against another edition

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3.0

The Cook family has been farming the land in Iowa for three generations. They are now the proud owners of a thousand acres of fertile soil and an important part of the community. When Larry Cook decides to split the land between the two eldest daughters, leaving the third out, fractures appear in the solid family. The story then follows the story of King Lear, bringing in more modern twists to this play.