A review by coltonpugh
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

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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