Literary Fiction · DarkAn Iowa farmer gives his thousand-acre farm to his three daughters, and the youngest objects
A Thousand Acres
by Jane Smiley
A farmer gives his land to his three daughters, and the youngest says no
Larry Cook, an aging farmer in Iowa, decides to incorporate his thousand-acre farm and give it jointly to his three daughters. The youngest, Caroline, objects and is cut out of the agreement. The story is told by the oldest sister, Ginny, and it follows what the decision does to the family and to the neighbors next door.
More about this book
Who
Larry Cook, the father; his daughters Ginny, Rose and Caroline; and the neighboring Clark family. Ginny, the eldest, tells the story.
World
A large family farm in Iowa. The book does not name a year.
What makes it different
It is a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear: Larry matches Lear, and his three daughters match Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. It won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was made into a film in 1997.
Feel
Serious and slow-burning, a family story set in farm country.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- A Thousand AcresWikipedia