Reviews

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

lizawall's review against another edition

My favorite thing about this book is that it takes place mostly on a farm, and makes you feel like you are really getting something about farm life. Somehow it managed to feel simultaneously austere and melodramatic. I wish it had felt more austere, less melodramatic.

alicialanders's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Fantastic - my favourite read of the year so far! Very dark but compelling. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Miscarriage

lulia's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

3.0

marissa_k_mason's review against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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)