Author: Jane Smiley
Format: Paperback
Published: Fawcett Columbine; 1991
Pages: 384
Genre: Fiction
Grade: D
Source: Personal copy
Awards: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1992), National Book Critics' Circle Award (1991), Ambassador Book Award for Fiction (1992)
Synopsis: Aging Larry Cook announces his intention to turn over his 1,000-acre farm--one of the largest in Zebulon County, Iowa--to his three daughters, Caroline, Ginny and Rose. A man of harsh sensibilities, he carves Caroline out of the deal because she has the nerve to be less than enthusiastic about her father's generosity. While Larry Cook deteriorates into a pathetic drunk, his daughters are left to cope with the often grim realities of life on a family farm--from battering husbands to cutthroat lenders.
My Take: A couple of years ago I was wandering through my favorite library book sale when I came upon this book in the massive stack. I vaguely remember people talking about this movie when I was a little girl. I may have even seen some scenes from it. I picked it up and thought I need to read this! I mean look at all of the awards its won. Granted, award winning books tend to mean that I won't like them but that doesn't stop me from thinking I need to expand my horizons and read them. So I bought it and it languished on my shelf and then it fit into a couple of notches on some reading challenges so it was time.
A Thousand Acres is not the fastest moving book (nothing happens for the first 200 pages. NOTHING) but you can instantly see that while it is starting out slow it is probably building towards something big and bad, like a big intense crop killing storm on an Iowa farm. Ha. We have Larry Cook who is the patriarch of a huge farm in Iowa and he has three daughters. His wife passed away when they were young and so he has raised them by himself (but don't get all soft and mushy on me yet). Cook is a bit of a hard-ass, well not just a bit. At first it starts off and you think, oh he is just an old man who is going a bit loony but then more and more stuff comes out and you realize, no this man has always been mean so we need to watch our backs around Cook.
Then we have his three daughters. Two of them still live on the farm with their husbands: Caroline and Ginny. One of them, the youngest, Rose, has become a lawyer and moved away. However they are all still up in each others business as most families are. Cook decides since he is getting on in years it is time to turn over the farm to his daughters. Seems nice, right? However, its not as easy as it sounds and infighting begins.
Ok, so here's what I didn't like about it. This family was awful to each other. Why in heaven's name do I want to read a book about a family who is just so mean to each other? I mean it's one thing about yeah I had a rough childhood and I overcame it but it's another thing to all be adults and just pick each other apart and ruin each other's lives. Good lord this book made me feel awful. Sure it may be a literary award winning piece of work but the characters themselves were people that I would never want to spend any more time with and I get that those people show up in books all the time but to have a whole book full of them made it difficult and disturbing to read. So yes, yes, it is like a Shakespearean tragedy but Shakespeare was better at it.
Cover Lust: Totally fitting. This is exactly what I pictured when they would describe their landscape.
I liked this one more than you did, it seems. I was so struck by the structure of the story -- how it started off huge (1,000 acres) and kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller until it ended in a root cellar. The tension was incredible for me. I was sucked right down into it.
ReplyDeleteIt won the Pulitzer in 1992, which is right about when I read it. It was reading this book that launched my goal of reading all the Pulitzer winners.
I wonder if I would have the same reaction if I read it now, 20 years later. For one thing, I am tired of books that use ___________ to explain all the bad things in the characters' lives. On the other hand, because I now work in the ____________ field, I think the story about the family turning on each other would ring even more true. I see it all the time.
You may have inspired me to do a "review" of this one. After all these years, i should probably call it a retrospective.
I really liked this movie but haven't read the book, although I am not sure liked is the right word. I thought it was fitting that after being raised by such a horrible man that the girls would not be well balanced women. I also remember thinking the father caused much of the troubles between the family. I remember having the air sucked out of me when I realized what had happened. Now I am wondering if the book is different from the movie. It's been years since I have seen the movie. It's not exactly one that gets airtime on cable. I always thought it would make a great Oprah read. She seems to like the horrible, dysfunctional family read.
ReplyDeleteRose - Good point about the farm getting smaller and smaller as the fights get bigger and bigger! I would be interested to read your retrospective if you do decide to do that for sure!
ReplyDeleteBeth - This would totally make the perfect Oprah book! I agree she loves these types of books.
Fantastic review, but I must say I'd have probably given up by the first half if it wasn't speeding up. Maybe I'll have to read it and see what it's like for myself :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been a really long time since I've read this one, but I remember liking the story but not the writing. Seemed a bit slow for me.
ReplyDeleteI tend to like dysfunction though. It makes me feel better about my screwed-up childhood. LOL.
I heard Smiley speak at the National Book Festival a few years back and promptly added A Thousand Acres to my wishlist, but it sounds like a definite downer of a story! Reading about a family slowly dismantling definitely isn't cheerful reading. Eek!
ReplyDeleteSlow moving, oh I do not know, I have read enough slow books ;)
ReplyDeleteI read this a long time ago but really liked it a lot! It's a spin off of Shakespeare's King Lear, which I thought was clever and interesting
ReplyDeleteYeah, I read this one awhile ago, and had similar thoughts. Actually, I remember thinking "shoot me now" it was just that depressing.
ReplyDeleteI keep confusing Jane Smiley with Jane Pauley and I tend to avoid FARM setting books. Maybe because I was raised in Kansas?! But this won the Pulitzer so I am tempted anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a good book set in Iowa. Obviously, this isn't it!
ReplyDeleteI really didn't like this one either. It was so depressing.
ReplyDeleteWow... very King Lear! In fact, Goneril=Ginny, Reagan=Rose, and Caroline=Cordelia (who Lear writes out of his "will" as Larry Cook does Caroline). Maybe being familiar with Lear would make this book more palatable, as Helen pointed out? I don't know, I still don't think it's one I'll pick up.
ReplyDeleteJP - I think I'd rather leave the tragedies to Shakespeare. He's the master!
ReplyDelete