A family portrait that is also a nearepic investigation into the broad landscape, the thousand dark acres of the human heart. The introduction, discussion questions, suggested reading list, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your groups reading of a thousand acres, the extraordinary novel that established jane smiley as one of americas greatest writers. Aging larry cook announces his intention to turn over his 1,000. A thousand acres by jane smiley goodreads share book. I was studying english and ensconced in king lear but this book brought it to life for me in a new and vital way. What does the novel reveal about variations and consistencies in the socalled american character. Buy a cheap copy of a thousand acres book by jane smiley. The washington post book world powerful and poignant. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. A thousand acres was a beautifully written dark novel about life in zebulon county, iowa on a large farm that won the 1992 pulitzer price and deservedly so. Ive used her ideas for tutoring, teaching at home and even kid birthday parties. The film is so unfocused that at the end of its very long 104 minutes, i was unable to say who i was supposed to like and who i was supposed to hatealthough i could name several characters for whom i had no feelings at all. Passion appears in many guises in a thousand acres. Find a summary of this and each chapter of a thousand acres.
Weve had so many recent sendups of the classicsahabs wife, bridget joness diary, on beauty, mr. Chapter summary for jane smileys a thousand acres, book 1 chapters 5 7 summary. It was competing with two books that i have read and enjoyed, mao ii and lila. Nobody big except me is the dream world of holden caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab english of the precollegiate. A thousand acres is an ungainly, undigested assembly of womens issues, milling about within a halfbaked retread of king lear. This sober drama lasted about a week in theaters and was dismissed as dreary soap opera by most critics. A thousand acres jane smiley, 1991 knopf doubleday 384 pp. She is also the author of five works of nonfiction and a series of books for young adults. The novel is told in firstperson from ginnys perspective. The article struck me as a good excuse to revisit the book, which turns twenty years old this year. A thousand acres a thousand acres audiobook, by jane smiley. A thousand acres 9780394577739 by smiley, jane and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes longsuppressed emotions.
Written in 1991, a thousand acres is a pulitzer prizewinning novel by author jane smiley. Chapter summary for jane smileys a thousand acres, book 4 chapters 32 34 summary. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Summary chapter 1 looking back to when she was eight years old in 1951, ginny cook smith lays out a detailed map of the 640 acres of tenfootthick topsoil on her father larry. Published in 1991 and winner of the national book critics circle award in 1991 and the pulitzer prize in 1992, jane smileys a thousand acres is a modernized retelling of the shakespeare classic tragedy king lear. Native son richard wright coming in four weeks the july selection from the 20thcentury backlist. A thousand acres is a drama about an american family who meets with tragedy on their land. Stellar casr and a very good adaptation of the book. At the opening of jane smileys latest novel, a thousand acres, the narrator, a woman named virginia cook smith, describes the farm in zebulon county, iowa, that she and her two younger sisters. A thousand acres free pdf, epub, rtf, txt books library. Chapter summary for jane smileys a thousand acres, book 2 chapters 14 17 summary. Winner of both the pulitzer prize and the national book critics circle award, jane smileys spellbinding novel also headed bestseller lists for many months. As in david lynchs vision of america, a thousand acres shows that green fields and crisplypainted houses can hide a festering horror.
A thousand acres book 1 chapters 5 7 summary course hero. At the opening of jane smileys latest novel, a thousand acres, the narrator, a woman named virginia cook smith, describes the farm in zebulon county, iowa. A thousand acres of analysis this novel, as well as the film, is most notably different from king lear because of its female viewpoint and stance on issues affecting women shakespeares king lear vs. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 371 pages and is available in paperback format. A violent surfacing of adolescence which has little in common with tarkingtons earlier, broadly comic, seventeen has a compulsive impact. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a thousand acres. Need help with book 1, chapter 1 in jane smileys a thousand acres. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Download a thousand acres online free pdf, epub, mobi. A thousand acres summary larry cook is a prominent midwestern farmer with three daughters, ginny the eldest, and the narrator of the novel, rose, and caroline, the youngest.
This study guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a thousand acres. Which of the issues explored in a thousand acres are unique to rural life in america. Suppose that he is not an ancient british king named lear but a prosperous iowa farmer named laurence cook, and that his daughters are not cordelia, regan. Jane smiley is the author of numerous novels, including a thousand acres, which was awarded the pulitzer prize, and most recently, golden age, the concluding volume of the last hundred years trilogy. Unfortunately, those moments dont arrive until the last third of the book, and the first two hundred pages failed to capture my interest. A thousand acres has a choppy feel, almost certainly the result of the book toscreen transition, and the preepilogue ending happens with surprising suddenness. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Our lives are very full right now and i just didnt know if i could be disciplined enough to do a structured science, music. I was studying english and ensconced in king lear but this book brought it to life for me in a. It is an 8minute walk from demodara nine arch bridge and 2,300 feet from little adams peak. A thousand acres quotes showing of 37 i was depressed, but that was a side issue. See all 37 formats and editions hide other formats and. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, a thousand acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and prideand reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity.
There are echoes of king lear in the story of a wealthy farmer who decides to divide his estate among his three daughters. Not to mention that this is the group with the most discussions on the entire site. A thousand acres is a 1997 american drama film directed by jocelyn moorhouse and starring michelle pfeiffer, jessica lange, jennifer jason leigh and jason robards it is an adaptation of the pulitzer prizewinning novel of the same name by jane smiley, which itself is a reworking of william shakespeares king lear. If you were given one thousand acres of land, what would. Ginny is married to ty, a farmer, rose is married to pete, a musician from another state, and caroline, the only one of the three daughters who attended college, is soon to be married to frank.
Patrice newells story warms the heart and the book is visually a pleasure to hold, feel and view. The book has been awarded with pulitzer prize for fiction 1992, ambassador book award for fiction 1992 and many others. The best in jane smileys story is that she has the admirable ability to translate the deepest and most complex of emotions into the simplest yet most captivating words. A thousand acres by jane smiley book club discussion. A thousand acres is a classic novel in at least one sense. A film adaptation was released in 1997 starring michelle pfeiffer and jessica lange. Our book club had seven women present who read the book in entirety, ages 31 to 42. Soon to be a netflix documentary one of slates best nonfiction books of the past 25 years a literary account of the liv. Published in 1991 and winner of the national book critics circle award in 1991 and the pulitzer prize in 1992, jane smileys a thousand acres is a modernized. It won the 1992 pulitzer prize for fiction, the national book critics circle award for fiction in 1991 and was adapted to a 1997 film of the same name. When larry cook, the aging patriarch of a rich, thriving farm in iowa, decides to retire, he offers his land to his three daughters. An ambitious reimagining of shakespeares king lear cast upon a typical american community in the late twentieth century, a thousand acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride, and reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity.
The story takes place in a small farming town in 1979 iowa and centers around the cook family. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will. A thousand acres by jane smiley plot summary litcharts. Larry cook is a prominent midwestern farmer with three daughters, ginny the eldest, and the narrator of the novel, rose, and caroline, the youngest. Coming in three weeks the july selection from the 100 great books list. It is one of, if not the most active group on the entire site discussions that get over 100 comments in 12 hours is not surprising, especially during summer and winterspring holidays. It is the story of a father, his daughters, and their husbands, and their passion to subdue the history of their land and its stories.
Read book a thousand acres by jane smiley read ereader. One thousand acres of unmortgaged, unencumbered, fertile soil. Summary winner of the 1992 pulitzer prize and national book critics circle award. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a thousand acres by jane smiley. Jane smileys a thousand acres is truly a powerful novel. This one page guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of a thousand acres by jane smiley. A thousand acres book columbus metropolitan library. This was more like closing up shop, or, say, having a big garage sale, where you look at everything youve bought in your life, and you remember how much it meant to you, and now you just tag it for a quarter and watch em carry it off, and you dont care. One of the themes in the novel is the detrimental impact, both on the environment at large and on the individual. Three daughters and their husbands are pulled into a tangle of love, jealousy, and fear when their father, larry cook, grows too old to manage the familys fertile thousand acre farm. A thousand acres can jane smileys modern day, countryside retelling of king.
A thousand acres book 2 chapters 14 17 summary course hero. I was at university when i first read a thousand acres. Best of all, if after reading an e book, you buy a paper version of a thousand acres. Read the book on paper it is quite a powerful experience. Although it starts slow, the pace grows quicker and stronger. This is a very tightknit, fast paced, and insanely active community. Get this book free when you sign up for a 30day trial. A thousand acres is the powerful, mythic story of an american farm family and the land that nourishes and consumes its members. The first edition of the novel was published in 1991, and was written by jane smiley. The book has all the stark brutality of a shakespearean tragedy. The main characters of this fiction, literary fiction story are. Thousand acre farm rustic waterfront barn wedding venue. A thousand acres book 4 chapters 32 34 summary course hero. Aging larry cook announces his intention to turn over his 1,000acre farm one of the largest in zebulon county, iowato his three daughters, caroline, ginny and.
A thousand acres book 1 chapters 1 4 summary course hero. An inquiry into morals, but it was superior to both of these. Description book a thousand acres by jane smiley larry cook is an aging farmer who decides to incorporate his farm, handing complete and joint ownership to his three daughters, ginny, rose, and caroline. A successful iowa farmer decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. May 04, 2004 in a thousand acres, jane smiley transposes the king lear story to the modern day, and in so doing at once illuminates shakespeares original and subtly transforms it. A thousand acres is a 1991 novel by american author jane smiley. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. A classic story of contemporary american life, a thousand acres strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a father, a daughter, a family. The role of the family in this book is a complicated one. An ambitious reimagining of shakespeare s king lear cast upon a typical american community in the late twentieth. Need help with book 2, chapter in jane smileys a thousand acres. We rate books on their quality and readability, as well as the discussion they prompt. This astonishing novel won both of americas highest literary awards, the pulitzer prize for fiction and the national book critics circle award.
A thousand acres by jane smiley a successful iowa farmer decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. Jane smileys novel a thousand acres has been called king lear in the cornfields, but the eagerly awaited screen adaptation is but a skeletal litany of miscarriages, mastectomies, sexual abuse, public humiliations and private betrayals. A thousand acres suppose the tragic old man raging amid the storm is not on a heath but in a cornfield. A thousand acres is divided into six books of varying length, each of which is composed of several numbered, untitled chapters. Set on a farm in iowa, a thousand acres draws on william shakespeares king lear c. In this study guide, chapters have been grouped for the purpose of summary and analysis. The more interesting parts of a thousand acres deal with ginny when she stands up for herself and begins to assert her dreams and desires for her own future. Thousand acre farm is an exquisite and rustic location for your barn wedding venue. Winner pulitzer prize winner national book critics circle awards. Sep 30, 2015 does the electronic version of the book completely replace the paper version. While she has written beautifully about families in all of her seven preceding books, this effort is her best. A thousand acres is the powerful, mythic story of an american farm family and the land that nou. Timothy, even wickedthat the novelty has worn off, if not worn thin.
Free download or read online a thousand acres pdf epub book. Aug 27, 2015 download a thousand acres online free pdf, epub, mobi ebooks. A thousand acres acreage and financing were facts as basic as name and gender in zebulon county, writes jane smiley in her new novel, which explores the lives of a farming family. The property is located 1 mi from ella spice garden. A thousand acres by jane smiley in epub, rtf, txt download e book. Pdf a thousand acres book by jane smiley free download. Thousand acre landscaping 2404 thousand acres rd delanson, ny. The paper, the photography, the font, the subtle background colours and graphics and the care taken over the botanic descriptions give the reader a reason to want to own the printed hardback book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a thousand acres.