Reviews

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

lulia's review

sad medium-paced

3.0

marissa_k_mason's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

abbeyhar103's review

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

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

Spoiler

include 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

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

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

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

5.0

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

camdailey's review

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

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