Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - A Thousand Acres

Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

15 reviews

minisaucisse's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I hesitated with a 3,75 because my feeling fluctuated throughout the book. I had no idea it was so famous, and I am not shocked that so many people loved it.

At the beginning, I was very curious about the descriptions of agriculture. The relationship to the land and time, the conflictual connection to nature and family. Many called it man bashing when the movie got out, but I am pretty sure than men at that time and in that situation where goddam tyrants.

The middle was a bit long, but I found the last 300 pages gripping and very telling of the difficulties that can happen in a family that is scared of telling the truth. I liked the narrator and her attention to details and the delicate balances of relationships. I liked that she was a bit passive, somewhat like the lead of persuasion from Jane Austen.

The ending is bitter and heartbreaking to me, but much more interesting than king Lear's. It poses the ultimate questions of adulthood : how can we be adult children ? How to disagree with one's family members ? What roles does our childhood and our roots should play in our adulthood ?

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hkrobock's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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happypilgrim's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

0.5

mainly this book just made me mad and frustrated. 1/2 star for being thought provoking (in a dark frustrating way)

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dina9195's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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coltonpugh's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-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

4.5

This book is not typically one I would explore. It is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear set on a large farm in Iowa. My background in farming is what brought me to give this a chance and I am glad I did.

The story truly lives up to a Tragedy theme. You follow the events of the eldest girl while her father decides to split up the 3rd generation family farm. While I cannot say I have read the original King Lear, the author does a great job capturing the fall of a farming "empire" and the events that lead to it. The character flaws and poor decisions are all believable based on my experience with generational farming.

Overall I really enjoyed this read. Sometimes I felt it could be slow, but the story kept me reading.

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pained_creations's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Not familiar with King Lear, so can't say if it is a decent modern retelling, but as a stand-alone book, I thought it was okay, if a bit far-fetched. Touches on many issues of a very dysfunctional farming family, and what happens with jealousy, secrets and pride take over several members of that family.

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