A review by jmatkinson1
Some Luck by Jane Smiley
4.0
After returning from the War in France, Walter Langdon moves his wife and new-born son into a small farm he has bought in Iowa. Over the next thirty years the story of the Langdon family is told. Walter and Rosanna are from German-American stock and their extended family lives close by. As their children grow up some of them move away from the farm and from Iowa itself and whilst national and international events may seem a long way removed from the family in fact they have a huge impact, directly or indirectly.
I find Jane Smiley's work pleasant enough without it really exciting me and this book is no different. Had I taken it on holiday as a beach read I would have been very happy, it doesn't stretch the mind or challenge the reader in any way but it does entertain. The slow pace of rural life and the old-fashioned values of Walter and Rosanna are perfectly pitched and the way that each of their children develops as an individual is cleverly done. After finishing this book I find myself looking forward to the next volume.
I find Jane Smiley's work pleasant enough without it really exciting me and this book is no different. Had I taken it on holiday as a beach read I would have been very happy, it doesn't stretch the mind or challenge the reader in any way but it does entertain. The slow pace of rural life and the old-fashioned values of Walter and Rosanna are perfectly pitched and the way that each of their children develops as an individual is cleverly done. After finishing this book I find myself looking forward to the next volume.