Book Club Contemporary Family Fiction Literary Fiction Literature Novels

A Thousand Acres

Name: A Thousand Acres
Rating: 3.82 (72158 reviews)
Author: Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley January 1, 1991

3.82 72.2k Ratings

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Synopsis

Aging Larry Cook announces his intention to turn over his 1,000-acre farm—one of the largest in Zebulon County, Iowa—to his three daughters, Caroline, Ginny, and Rose. A man of harsh sensibilities, he carves Caroline out of the deal because she has the nerve to be less than enthusiastic about her father’s generosity. While Larry Cook deteriorates into a pathetic drunk, his daughters are left to cope with the often grim realities of life on a family farm—from battering husbands to cutthroat lenders. In this winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Smiley captures the essence of such a life with stark, painful detail.

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