A review by kathrinafarrington
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

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.