Book Reviews of A Thousand Acres

A well written book. It gives a dark picture of human nature. It portrays mankind as self-centered, manipulative, and vengeful. The worldview of this book would definitely be that men and women are basically sinful. Not a book for those looking for a "feel good" piece of literature.

My favorite book of all time. Just remember that it is a story of incest and how two sisters deal with it.

Very sad, but a wonderful book.

Jane Smilie is a talented and captivating writer. This novel, which sometimes parody's the tragedy of Shakespeare's King Lear, is also a wonderfully placed in the landscape of earthy Iowa.

wasn't this book made into a movie? i seem to remember this story line. the movie was good. different but good . . .

Pullitzer prize winning author - this is another story about families. A thousand acres,a piece of land and the dramatic novel of an American family whose wealth cannot stay the hand of tragedy.

Classic story of contemporary American life. Wealth, in a thousand acres of land cannot stay the hand of tragedy. A story of sisters, daughters, wives, and husbands, and the father. Set in the midwest, it explores the dual nature of every character. Pulitzer prize winner.

A story of contemporary American life. The losing of a mid-west farm and how it affects each family member differently. Moving story.

An intense, compelling story of a father and his daughters, of sisters, of wives and husbands, and their efforts to keep their family and land together. A powerful and haunting story.

Jane Smile has set her rich, dramatic novel in the farmlands, featuring an American family whose wealth cannot stay the hand of tragedy. It is the intense, compelling story of a father and his daughters, of sisters, wives and husbands and of the human cost of a lifetime spent trying to subdue the land and the passions it stirs.

When I first started reading the first 40 or so pages of this book I kept asking myself "How did this book earn a Pulitzer?" There is much talk about farming so I wasn't that interested. The characters were slowly revealing themselves, then bam! My answer to why it was a National Best Seller and earned a Pulitzer was more than answered in those 371 pages. Page after page I never expected this story to evolve the way it did. This book reveals human nature in all it's beauty and ugliness.

Really great story that kept me reading. The plot was nothing like I had imagined and I
couldn't put the book down needing to know how it was all going to end.

Extremely well written. Lots of King Lear references.

Had a difficult time getting into this book, but once I did, it held my interest. A story of people who farm & work hard on their lands. Of people & how their lives inter-mingled. Well written.

Dad is crazier as he ages, the sisters can't agree on what to do with the land they will inherit, and the husbands have to put their two cents in. Add a little extra marital fling, some death and away you go. One of the best Pulizers I have read.

This is a fantastic book. If you are familiar with King Lear it adds an extra layer of resonance, but the book doesn't depend on those shared plot elements. I really felt for the characters and was surprised and moved by their actions.

I couldn't get past the second or third chapter. I had a HARD time keeping the characters straight, and the book was waaaaay to "wordy" (used 5 adj where 1 or 2 would work). Couldn't keep my interest, sorry.

A wonderful story of two sisters and their father...sharing a dark secret.

Just a really beautiful novel, with characters I couldn't help loving, even though they're not the kinds of characters I usually love.

A family's story of what happens when land becomes the priority. Very good.

Fantastic!

AN American family whose wealth cannot stay the hand of tragedy.National Bestseller,Winner of Pulitzer Prize,National Book Critics Circle Award

Verg good. A real work of art.

Smiley's first, best, and most moving!

Excellent book about family troubles, quick smooth read.

Masterful storytelling. A great read.

Quirky story.

A nice book this is a story bound and tethered to a lonely road in the midwest.a great american novel.

A good Read/ Oprah book selection.

I like the twist on King Lear.

Powerful book; incredible study of family relationships, and so well written. I loved it. But so painful I'm not sure I'll read it again.

very sad

Enloyed this modern-day King Lear type of story.

Pulitzer Prize winning novel, loosely based on King Lear, set in the American Midwest; a story of love, jealousy,family dysfunction, greed, miserliness, and the amassing of a huge industrial farm and at least one plot.

Jane Smiley is a master of prose!

Excellent book, an important rewrite of Shakespeare's King Lear, and a wonderful group discussion book.

This is a book whose characters and writing stayed with me for years. I am just now able to give it up.

In my opinion, Jane Smiley's best book. Yes, it is a sad story, but the characters came alive for me as their lives spun out of control. If you like this book, read "Map of the World" by Hamilton.

Very griping profile of a dysfunctional family. Saw the movie first and then read the book.

This was a very sad book. From the aging father signing the rights to the farm to his daughters, to the inevitable loss of the farm altogether it seems as if one tragedy after another befalls the family. Untimely death, incest, adultery, lawsuits, accidents, attempted murder, you name it, page after page it happens.

Like all of Jane Smiley's works this book is very well written, and I enjoyed the experience of reading it, even if it was kind of like a train wreck. You don't want to look, but you just can't look away. If you're looking for something like "Moo" keep looking, this isn't even close, but if you're looking for a bittersweet, tragic read to remind you that "no matter how bad it seems, it could be worse", look no further.

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