A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
I'm always attracted to books that have won the Pulitzer Prize, and when I saw Jane Smiley on the cover of my Writer's Digest magazine, I figured I should give her writing a try. Farmers in Iowa are not really my thing, but I like to keep an open mind when it comes to the books I read.
Larry Cook is a successful farmer who over time and the misfortune of others has accumulated a thousand acres of farmland. He's very proud of that fact, and thrives in the attention it gives to him. His three daughters however, have a very different view of their father. When he decides to turn the farm over to them and their husbands, the cracks in the facade begin to grow.
I loved the first few chapters, filled with beautiful prose and lovely descriptions. I could see in my mind the rows upon rows of corn growing in the Midwestern summer heat. As the pages turned however, I became more and more confused. There was so much backstory that popped in, smack dab in the middle of a scene, drawing me away it. Then again without notice, I got yanked back into the present. Ginny, who is the narrator of the story, seemed at first to me like a woman I could relate to. I understand she found herself in an unexpected and stressful situation, but many of her actions were out of character.
I've read the reviews and people love this novel. This is simply my opinion, but I wanted something more from A Thousand Acres. The story had all the components of a rich and wonderful story. For me, they weren't strung together in an smooth or enjoyable way. By the end I couldn't feel sorry of any of the farmers from Iowa.
I'm always attracted to books that have won the Pulitzer Prize, and when I saw Jane Smiley on the cover of my Writer's Digest magazine, I figured I should give her writing a try. Farmers in Iowa are not really my thing, but I like to keep an open mind when it comes to the books I read.
Larry Cook is a successful farmer who over time and the misfortune of others has accumulated a thousand acres of farmland. He's very proud of that fact, and thrives in the attention it gives to him. His three daughters however, have a very different view of their father. When he decides to turn the farm over to them and their husbands, the cracks in the facade begin to grow.
I loved the first few chapters, filled with beautiful prose and lovely descriptions. I could see in my mind the rows upon rows of corn growing in the Midwestern summer heat. As the pages turned however, I became more and more confused. There was so much backstory that popped in, smack dab in the middle of a scene, drawing me away it. Then again without notice, I got yanked back into the present. Ginny, who is the narrator of the story, seemed at first to me like a woman I could relate to. I understand she found herself in an unexpected and stressful situation, but many of her actions were out of character.
I've read the reviews and people love this novel. This is simply my opinion, but I wanted something more from A Thousand Acres. The story had all the components of a rich and wonderful story. For me, they weren't strung together in an smooth or enjoyable way. By the end I couldn't feel sorry of any of the farmers from Iowa.
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