I grabbed A Thousand Acres off the shelf at the library having heard nothing about it. I chose it because of the little gold Pulitzer Prize sticker it was sporting. I can’t say that I like to read Pulitzer winners because they are usually really great books that appeal to me…because usually I don’t like them. I am just curious what contemporary novels are chosen to win this prestigious honor. It’s kind of like watching the Oscars, and then watching the Oscar winning films. Usually they just make you go, “wwhhaaat?” The same is NOT true for the Newberry winners. You can rest assured that if you pick up the medal winner, or an honor book, it is going to be great.
Back to the review at hand; I gave this book two stars. I didn’t care for it. I knew the story would be depressing, because the back cover divulged that it was based loosely on Shakespeare’s King Lear, and we all know how that ended. But that was not necessarily a turn-off for me. But the novel just fizzeled and died for me. It was almost like the author was trying too hard to make her story follow Shakespeare’s plot. I think it would have been so much better if she would have gone her own direction, and I actually did like her writing style.
The story is about an aging, and somewhat eccentric farmer and his three daughters, whom he decides to divide his life’s work amongst, that being his one thousand acre farm. The youngest daughter (a lawyer) expresses some hesitation, and is immediately cut out of the deal. This event sets off a domino effect of basically depressing things happening to the family, at the same time drudging up horribly depressing things from the past. THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT: but when the book finally ends, pretty much everyone but the narrator is dead. And it isn’t like all the heavy stuff is plot thickening, or high drama…it’s just like one thing after another, just endless waves of bad luck for the family. Maybe that is what life is like for some families, and maybe this book would appeal to such people, if anything, to make them feel better about their lives.
However, if you want something enlightening, or meaningful, or upbeat…skip this one.
I wish I had a great book recommendation for you each week, but the fact of the matter is, you do have to sift through some sludge to find the gems. Hopefully I'll have some good ones for you soon!
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