I have to admit, I swore off of Jane Smiley years ago after reading A Thousand Acres because I was so mad at the ending. My book club chose Some Luck though, so I read it.
Some Luck is a character study of normal hard working families that takes place in the town of Denby Iowa. While Denby doesn't exist, the other towns mentioned in the book do. I really enjoyed the references to Ames, Iowa City, Muscatine, Davenport, Tipton, Cedar Rapids, Rock Island & Cairo,IL. and so many other cities that I recognized.
Aside from that, It was very interesting to watch these characters grow up on the farm and what it taught them. It was also interesting to watch them grow and make decisions on their lives, loves and careers.
If you are looking for a book with a mystery or a big plot or some dynamic impact, stop looking. It isn't there. It is a book with insight to the differences and the similarities in a family. A book about how times change and how people change with the times. A book about loss, success, frailties and expectation. It is a book about family.
Walter & Rosanna have bought a farm and Walter's whole life is the farm. They have children, and we read about these children growing and becoming their own beings. Some continue to farm, others want to get away from it as fast as possible.
While this was enjoyable to read, I felt there was really no plot to the book. It reads (knowing that there are two more books in a series) like a preface to something more, and that is all. Sad that the book didn't really have a story with an ending.
