Retelling of Shakespearean tragedy with families in an Iowa farm community. The aging patriarch Larry Cook transfers the ownership of his farm to his three daughters. Their long suffering husbands are glad to be released from the elders’ iron fist.
Tension begin from the start. The youngest daughter doesn’t want part of the farm. The elder daughters, the bold Rose and passive Ginny, reveal their true natures which includes betrayal as well as hidden secrets.
Then, an old friend, Jess, returns from living in Washington state. He starts a relationship with long suffering and childless Ginny. He wants to do things differently and plans an organic farm. He causes more tension between the sisters.
One night the father becomes angry, accusing everyone and saying he wants the farm back. His behavior becomes more bizarre. Rose and Ginny remember events from their childhood that haunt them, not just the death of their mother. This youngest Caroline grows further apart from them even though they basically raised her.
A Thousand Acres is a tragedy, so don’t expect any happy endings. If you are interested in family sagas, then this book is for you.
“The fact is that the same sequence of days can arrange themselves into a number of different stories.”
― Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres
Librarian a la mode 