Jane Smiley A Thousand Acres

Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres: A Deep Dive into Family, Power, and the American Dream

Introduction:

Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, a modern retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear, is more than just a literary adaptation. It's a powerful exploration of family dynamics, patriarchal power structures, and the corrosive effects of secrets and lies. This post delves into the heart of Smiley's masterpiece, examining its complex characters, intricate plot, and enduring themes. We'll explore the novel's structure, analyze its key symbols, and consider its lasting impact on literature and critical discourse. Prepare to be captivated by the raw emotion and unflinching honesty of this unforgettable novel.


I. The Power Dynamics of Inheritance and Patriarchy:

Smiley masterfully reimagines the Lear family as the Cook family, shifting the setting from feudal England to the heartland of Iowa. The central conflict revolves around the impending retirement and division of the family farm, a thousand acres of fertile land representing wealth, legacy, and power. Larry Cook, the aging patriarch, mirrors Lear's arrogance and blind faith in his daughters' devotion. His decision to distribute the land unequally ignites a battle for control, exposing the deep-seated resentments and simmering tensions that have long festered beneath the surface of seemingly idyllic family life. This dynamic highlights the pervasive influence of patriarchal power structures, revealing how they shape individual identities and fuel destructive conflicts. The novel doesn't shy away from exploring the complexities of female subjugation within this system, demonstrating how societal expectations and ingrained gender roles limit women's agency and self-determination.


II. The Complex Characters and Their Relationships:

A Thousand Acres boasts a compelling cast of characters, each deeply flawed yet undeniably human. Rose Cook, the eldest daughter, embodies a quiet strength and resilience, grappling with the emotional fallout of her father's manipulative behavior and her own buried trauma. Caroline, the middle sister, presents a striking contrast, her vulnerability masking a deep-seated desire for approval and a desperate need to escape her suffocating family life. Finally, Ginny, the youngest, is a force of nature, fiercely independent and determined to forge her own path, free from the constraints of her family's legacy. The relationships between these sisters, fraught with competition, resentment, and ultimately, a fragile bond of sisterhood, form the emotional core of the novel. Their interactions with their father, their husbands, and their own children showcase the multifaceted nature of family relationships, revealing their capacity for both profound love and devastating betrayal.

III. The Significance of Setting and Symbolism:

The Iowa farmland itself serves as a powerful symbol in A Thousand Acres. It represents not only financial wealth but also family history, identity, and the cyclical nature of life and death. The very act of cultivating the land mirrors the nurturing and destructive aspects of family relationships. The cyclical nature of farming, with its seasons of planting, growth, and harvest, parallels the ups and downs of family life. Moreover, the changing landscape mirrors the transformation of the characters throughout the novel, reflecting their personal growth and the shifting power dynamics within the family. Other symbols, such as the recurring imagery of illness and decay, underscore the theme of generational trauma and the enduring consequences of past actions.


IV. Exploring Themes of Trauma, Abuse, and Forgiveness:

At its heart, A Thousand Acres is a story about trauma. The novel subtly reveals the decades-long pattern of emotional and psychological abuse inflicted by Larry Cook on his daughters. The impact of this abuse manifests in different ways, shaping the identities and relationships of each sister. Rose's quiet suffering, Caroline's desperate search for validation, and Ginny's rebellious spirit all stem from their father's actions. The novel doesn't offer easy answers or simplistic resolutions. Instead, it forces readers to confront the complexities of forgiveness, both self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others. The path towards healing is long and arduous, often fraught with setbacks and moments of doubt, but Smiley ultimately suggests the possibility of reconciliation and self-discovery.


V. The Novel's Enduring Legacy and Critical Reception:

Since its publication, A Thousand Acres has garnered significant critical acclaim and remains a staple in college literature courses. Its powerful exploration of complex family dynamics, gender roles, and societal pressures resonates deeply with readers, making it a relevant and timeless work. The novel's skillful adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear adds another layer of depth and complexity, inviting comparisons and analysis from multiple literary perspectives. Its unflinching portrayal of difficult themes, such as incest and abuse, has sparked important conversations about family secrets, trauma, and the enduring effects of patriarchal systems. The novel's lasting impact lies in its ability to provoke reflection and inspire critical engagement with enduring social and psychological issues.



VI. Outline of A Thousand Acres

Title: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Outline:

Introduction: Sets the stage in the present day, introducing the three Cook sisters and their estranged father.
Part 1: Focuses on the family's history, particularly the father's dominating presence and the sisters' complex relationships.
Part 2: Details the father's decision to divide the farm and the ensuing power struggle among the sisters.
Part 3: Explores the unraveling of the family, revealing long-hidden secrets and confronting the consequences of past actions.
Conclusion: Offers a glimpse into the future, suggesting the possibility of healing and reconciliation, but also acknowledging lasting wounds.

VII. Detailed Explanation of Outline Points:

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VIII. FAQs:

1. What is the significance of the title "A Thousand Acres"? The title directly reflects the size of the family farm and symbolizes the inheritance, legacy, and power it represents.

2. How does A Thousand Acres compare to King Lear? It's a modern retelling, transferring the setting and characters but retaining the core themes of power, betrayal, and familial conflict.

3. What are the major themes explored in the novel? Patriarchy, inheritance, family dynamics, trauma, forgiveness, and the complexities of sibling relationships.

4. Is the novel suitable for all readers? Due to its mature themes of abuse and family dysfunction, it's more appropriate for mature readers.

5. What is the significance of the setting in Iowa? The rural setting reflects a sense of isolation and tradition, which both influences and traps the characters.

6. How are the three sisters portrayed? Each sister embodies a distinct response to their father's actions and their family's dynamics.

7. What is the role of secrets in the novel? Secrets and hidden truths are crucial to the plot, fueling the conflict and affecting the characters' relationships.

8. Does the novel offer a happy ending? The ending isn't conventionally "happy," but it suggests a fragile possibility of healing and moving forward.

9. What makes A Thousand Acres a significant work of literature? Its exploration of complex themes, compelling characters, and skillful adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear make it a significant piece of modern literature.


IX. Related Articles:

1. Jane Smiley's Literary Style: An analysis of Smiley's writing techniques and their influence on A Thousand Acres.
2. Shakespearean Influences in A Thousand Acres: A comparative study highlighting the parallels between the two works.
3. The Role of Women in A Thousand Acres: An examination of female characters and their agency within the patriarchal structure.
4. Themes of Trauma and Healing in A Thousand Acres: A deeper dive into the psychological aspects of the novel.
5. The Symbolism of the Farm in A Thousand Acres: An interpretation of the farm's significance as a symbol of family, legacy, and identity.
6. Critical Reception of A Thousand Acres: An overview of reviews and scholarly discussions of the novel.
7. Comparing A Thousand Acres to other Family Sagas: A comparative analysis with other novels exploring family dynamics.
8. Adaptations of A Thousand Acres: A look at any film or stage adaptations of the novel.
9. Jane Smiley's Other Works: An exploration of Smiley's broader literary contributions and their thematic connections.


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  jane smiley a thousand acres: Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres Susan Elizabeth Farrell, 2001-09-01 Continuum Contemporaries will be a wonderful source of ideas and inspiration for members of book clubs and readings groups, as well as for literature students.The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to 30 of the most popular, most acclaimed, and most influential novels of recent years. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. The books in the series will all follow the same structure:a biography of the novelist, including other works, influences, and, in some cases, an interview; a full-length study of the novel, drawing out the most important themes and ideas; a summary of how the novel was received upon publication; a summary of how the novel has performed since publication, including film or TV adaptations, literary prizes, etc.; a wide range of suggestions for further reading, including websites and discussion forums; and a list of questions for reading groups to discuss.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Some Luck Jane Smiley, 2014-10-07 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres comes the first volume of an epic trilogy that takes us on a literary adventure through cycles of birth and death, passion and betrayal that will span a century in America. “Intimate.... Miraculous.... Staggering.... A masterpiece in the making.” —USA Today 1920, Denby, Iowa: Rosanna and Walter Langdon have just welcomed their firstborn son, Frank, into their family farm. He will be the oldest of five. Each chapter in this extraordinary novel covers a single year, encompassing the sweep of history as the Langdons abide by time-honored values and pass them on to their children. With the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change through the early 1950s, we watch as the personal and the historical merge seamlessly: one moment electricity is just beginning to power the farm, and the next a son is volunteering to fight the Nazis. Later still, a girl we’d seen growing up now has a little girl of her own.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Moo Jane Smiley, 2011-08-24 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres comes “an uproariously funny and at the same time hauntingly melancholy portrait of a college community in the Midwest (The New York Times). In this darkly satirical send-up of academia and the Midwest, we are introduced to Moo University, a distinguished institution devoted to the study of agriculture. Amid cow pastures and waving fields of grain, Moo’s campus churns with devious plots, mischievous intrigue, lusty liaisons, and academic one-upmanship, Chairman X of the Horticulture Department harbors a secret fantasy to kill the dean; Mrs. Walker, the provost's right hand and campus information queen, knows where all the bodies are buried; Timothy Monahan, associate professor of English, advocates eavesdropping for his creative writing assignments; and Bob Carlson, a sophomore, feeds and maintains his only friend: a hog named Earl Butz. Wonderfully written and masterfully plotted, Moo gives us a wickedly funny slice of life.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Learwife J. R. Thorpe, 2021-12-07 Inspired by Shakespeare's King Lear, this breathtaking debut novel tells the story of the most famous woman ever written out of literary history. I am the queen of two crowns, banished fifteen years, the famed and gilded woman, bad-luck baleful girl, mother of three small animals, now gone. I am fifty-five years old. I am Lear's wife. I am here. Word has come. Care-bent King Lear is dead, driven mad and betrayed. His three daughters too, broken in battle. But someone has survived: Lear's queen. Exiled to a nunnery years ago, written out of history, her name forgotten. Now she can tell her story. Though her grief and rage may threaten to crack the earth open, she knows she must seek answers. Why was she sent away in shame and disgrace? What has happened to Kent, her oldest friend and ally? And what will become of her now, in this place of women? To find peace she must reckon with her past and make a terrible choice - one upon which her destiny, and that of the entire abbey, rests. Giving unforgettable voice to a woman whose absence has been a tantalising mystery, Learwife is a breathtaking novel of loss, renewal and how history bleeds into the present.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Perestroika in Paris Jane Smiley, 2020-12-01 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author: a captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals—and a young boy—whose lives intersect in Paris in this feel-good escape” (The New York Times). Paras, short for Perestroika, is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon at dusk, she finds the door of her stall open and—she's a curious filly—wanders all the way to the City of Light. She's dazzled and often mystified by the sights, sounds, and smells around her, but she isn't afraid. Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, who knows how to get by without attracting the attention of suspicious Parisians. Paras and Frida coexist for a time in the city's lush green spaces, nourished by Frida's strategic trips to the vegetable market. They keep company with two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion. As the cold weather nears, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But how long can a runaway horse stay undiscovered in Paris? How long can a boy keep her hidden and all to himself? Jane Smiley's beguiling new novel is itself an adventure that celebrates curiosity, ingenuity, and the desire of all creatures for true love and freedom.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Private Life Jane Smiley, 2010 As her husband's obsessions with science take a darker turn on the eve of World War II, Margaret Mayfield is forced to consider the life she has so carefully constructed. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley, 2003-12-02 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A powerful and poignant twentieth-century reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear (The New York Times Book Review) that takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride—and centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest daughter objects, she is cut out of his will. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, A Thousand Acres reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity. “A family portrait that is also a near-epic investigation into the broad landscape, the thousand dark acres of the human heart.... The book has all the stark brutality of a Shakespearean tragedy.” —The Washington Post Book World
  jane smiley a thousand acres: King Lear Jeffrey Kahan, 2008-04-18 Is King Lear an autonomous text, or a rewrite of the earlier and anonymous play King Leir? Should we refer to Shakespeare’s original quarto when discussing the play, the revised folio text, or the popular composite version, stitched together by Alexander Pope in 1725? What of its stage variations? When turning from page to stage, the critical view on King Lear is skewed by the fact that for almost half of the four hundred years the play has been performed, audiences preferred Naham Tate's optimistic adaptation, in which Lear and Cordelia live happily ever after. When discussing King Lear, the question of what comprises ‘the play’ is both complex and fragmentary. These issues of identity and authenticity across time and across mediums are outlined, debated, and considered critically by the contributors to this volume. Using a variety of approaches, from postcolonialism and New Historicism to psychoanalysis and gender studies, the leading international contributors to King Lear: New Critical Essays offer major new interpretations on the conception and writing, editing, and cultural productions of King Lear. This book is an up-to-date and comprehensive anthology of textual scholarship, performance research, and critical writing on one of Shakespeare's most important and perplexing tragedies. Contributors Include: R.A. Foakes, Richard Knowles, Tom Clayton, Cynthia Clegg, Edward L. Rocklin, Christy Desmet, Paul Cantor, Robert V. Young, Stanley Stewart and Jean R. Brink
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley, 2003 For use in schools and libraries only. On a prospering Iowa farm in the 1970s, wealthy farmer Lawrence Cook announces his intentions to divide the farm among his daughters, setting off a family crisis reminiscent of Shakespeare's King Lear.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley, 2011-01-05 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A powerful and poignant twentieth-century reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear (The New York Times Book Review) that takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride—and centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest daughter objects, she is cut out of his will. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, A Thousand Acres reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity. “A family portrait that is also a near-epic investigation into the broad landscape, the thousand dark acres of the human heart.... The book has all the stark brutality of a Shakespearean tragedy.” —The Washington Post Book World
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book Logan Smalley, Stephanie Kent, 2020-10-13 For fans of My Ideal Bookshelf and Bibliophile, The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book is the perfect gift for book lovers everywhere: a quirky and entertaining interactive guide to reading, featuring voicemails, literary Easter eggs, checklists, and more, from the creators of the popular multimedia project. The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book is an interactive illustrated homage to the beautiful ways in which books bring meaning to our lives and how our lives bring meaning to books. Carefully crafted in the style of a retro telephone directory, this guide offers you a variety of unique ways to connect with readers, writers, bookshops, and life-changing stories. In it, you’ll discover... -Heartfelt, anonymous voicemail messages and transcripts from real-life readers sharing unforgettable stories about their most beloved books. You’ll hear how a mother and daughter formed a bond over their love for Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, or how a reader finally felt represented after reading Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, or how two friends performed Mary Oliver’s Thirst to a grove of trees, or how Anne Frank inspired a young writer to continue journaling. -Hidden references inside fictional literary adverts like Ahab’s Whale Tours and Miss Ophelia’s Psychic Readings, and real-life literary landmarks like Maya Angelou City Park and the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum. -Lists of bookstores across the USA, state by state, plus interviews with the book lovers who run them. -Various invitations to become a part of this book by calling and leaving a bookish voicemail of your own. -And more! Quirky, nostalgic, and full of heart, The Call Me Ishmael Phone Book is a love letter to the stories that change us, connect us, and make us human.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Year at the Races Jane Smiley, 2014-08-07 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley draws upon her first-hand knowledge to examine the horse on all levels - practical, theoretical and emotional. Drawing on the wisdom of trainers, vets, jockeys and a real-life horse whisperer, Smiley adds an element of drama and suspense as two of her own horses begin their careers at the racetrack. As the horses get closer to the winner's circle, we are enchanted, enthralled and informed about what it's really like to own, train and root for a racehorse.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Early Warning Jane Smiley, 2015-04-28 From the Pulitzer Prize-winner: the second installment, following Some Luck, of her widely acclaimed, best-selling American trilogy, which brings the journey of a remarkable family with roots in the Iowa heartland into mid-century America Early Warning opens in 1953 with the Langdon family at a crossroads. Their stalwart patriarch, Walter, who with his wife, Rosanna, sustained their farm for three decades, has suddenly died, leaving their five children, now adults, looking to the future. Only one will remain in Iowa to work the land, while the others scatter to Washington, D.C., California, and everywhere in between. As the country moves out of post–World War II optimism through the darker landscape of the Cold War and the social and sexual revolutions of the 1960s and ’70s, and then into the unprecedented wealth—for some—of the early 1980s, the Langdon children each follow a different path in a rapidly changing world. And they now have children of their own: twin boys who are best friends and vicious rivals; a girl whose rebellious spirit takes her to the notorious Peoples Temple in San Francisco; and a golden boy who drops out of college to fight in Vietnam—leaving behind a secret legacy that will send shock waves through the Langdon family into the next generation. Capturing a transformative period through richly drawn characters we come to know and care deeply for, Early Warning continues Smiley’s extraordinary epic trilogy, a gorgeously told saga that began with Some Luck and will span a century in America. But it also stands entirely on its own as an engrossing story of the challenges—and rewards—of family and home, even in the most turbulent of times, all while showcasing a beloved writer at the height of her considerable powers.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Horse Heaven Jane Smiley, 2000 It's not true, says a character in Jane Smiley's funny, passionate, and brilliant new novel of horse racing, that anything can happen at the racetrack, but many astonishing and affecting things do -- and in Horse Heaven, we find them woven into a marvelous tapestry of joy and love, chicanery, folly, greed, and derring-do. Haunting, exquisite Rosalind Maybrick, wife of a billionaire owner, one day can't quite decide what it is she wants, and discovers too late that her whole life is transformed . . . Twenty-year-old Tiffany Morse, stuck in her job at Wal-Mart, prays, Please make something happen here . . . This time, I mean it, and something does . . . Farley, a good trainer in a bad slump; Buddy, a ruthless trainer who can't seem to lose even though he knows that his personal salvation depends upon it; Roberto, an apprentice jockey who has the hands but is growing too big for his dream career with every passing day; Leo the gambler and his earnest son, Jesse, who understands everything about his father's system except why it doesn't work; Elizabeth, the sixty-two-year-old theorist of sex and animal communication, and her best friend, Joy, the mare manager at the ranch at the center of the universe--all are woven together by the horses that pass among them: two colts and two fillies who begin with the promise of talent and breeding, and now might or might not achieve stardom. There are the geldings -- Justa Bob, the plain brown horse who always wins by a nose, a lovable claimer who passes from owner to owner on a heart-wrenching journey down from the winner's circle; and the beautiful Mr. T., raced in France and rescued in Texas, who is discovered to have some unusualand amazing talents. And then there is the Jack Russell terrier, Eileen, a dog with real convictions -- and the will to implement them. The strange, compelling, sparkling, and mysterious universe of horse racing that has fascinated generations of punters and robber barons, horse-lovers and wits, has never before been depicted with such verve and originality, such tenderness, such clarity, and, above all, such sheer exuberance.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Duplicate Keys Jane Smiley, 2010-12-01 From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres comes a brilliant literary thriller set in Manhattan that’s “as taut and chilling as anything Hitchcock put on film (San Francisco Chronicle). “A first-rate cliffhanger.” —The New York Times Book Review Alice Ellis is a Midwestern refugee living in Manhattan. Still recovering from a painful divorce, she depends on the companionship and camaraderie of tightly knit circle of friends. At the center of this circle is a rock band struggling to navigate New York’s erratic music scene, and an apartment/practice space with approximately fifty key-holders. One sunny day, Alice enters the apartment and finds two of the band members shot dead. As the double-murder sends waves of shock through their lives, this group of friends begins to unravel, and dangerous secrets are revealed one by one. When Alice begins to notice things amiss in her own apartment, the tension breaks out as it occurs to her that she is not the only person with a key, and she may not get a chance to change the locks. Jane Smiley applies her distinctive rendering of time, place, and the enigmatic intricacies of personal relationships to the twists and turns of suspense. The result is a thriller that will keep readers guessing up to its final, shocking conclusion.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Good Faith Jane Smiley, 2015-02-12 Joe Stratford, who sells nice houses in a beautiful place, and whose not very amicable divorce is over, is ready for his life to begin again. It is 1982, morning in America, and temptation is everywhere. And, as Marcus Burns (Joe's new friend from New York) says, the old rules are ready to be broken. Marcus should know: he's just quit his job with the tax man. But are his ideas about how to get rich - really rich - too big and risky for Joe? And what about the real estate development at Salt Key Farm: why is the local savings and loan so eager to lend Marcus and Joe the money for its asking price? And there's Felicity - the daughter of Joe's business partner - who has finally confessed how fond she is of Joe. But, Joe wonders, is this winning, free-spirited (already married) woman really the one he's been waiting for? 'Smiley's superb novel does for estate agency what The West Wing does for politics - make it, against the odds, enthralling and sexy . . . Good Faith has some wonderfully funny characters and is wise and touching.' Mail on Sunday 'Wonderful . . . With the skill, wit and wisdom that were in evidence in her previous bestsellers Moo and A Thousand Acres, Smiley brings us an absorbing tale about the perils of pursuing your dream.' Red Magazine (Must-Read of the Month) 'Only a writer of consummate craftsmanship and scope could write a novel about a series of real estate deals in a small town an hour and a half from New York City and make it so fully satisfying as to be thrilling. Jane Smiley has done it.' Los Angeles Times
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel Jane Smiley, 2014-08-14 A Pulitzer Prize-winning author's revelatory celebration of the novel - at once an anatomy of the art of fiction, a guide for readers and writers and a memoir of literary life. Over her 20 year career, Jane Smiley has written many kinds of novels - mystery, comedy, historical fiction, epic. But when her impulse to write faltered after 9/11, she decided to approach novels from a different angle: she read 100 of them, from the 1000-year-old Tale of Genji to the recent bestseller White Teeth by Zadie Smith, from classics to little-known gems. With these books and her experience of reading them as her reference, Smiley discusses the pleasure of reading; why a novel succeeds - or doesn't; and how the form has changed over time. She delves into the character of the novelist and reveals how (and which) novels have affected her own life.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Strays of Paris Jane Smiley, 2020-12-08 From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley, The Strays of Paris is a captivating story of three extraordinary animals – and one little boy – whose lives cross paths in Paris. Paras is a spirited young racehorse living in a stable in the French countryside. That is until one afternoon, when she pushes open the gate of her stall and, travelling through the night, arrives quite by chance in the dazzling streets of Paris. She soon meets a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated crow, and life amongst the animals in the city’s lush green spaces is enjoyable for a time. But everything changes when Paras meets a human boy, Étienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the secluded, ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly-one-hundred-year-old great grandmother live quietly and unto themselves. As the cold weather of Christmas nears, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom among humans and animals alike. But how long can a runaway horse live undiscovered in Paris? And how long can one boy keep her all to himself? Charming and beguiling in equal measure, Jane Smiley’s novel celebrates the intrinsic need for friendship, love, and freedom, whomever you may be . . .
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Ordinary Love and Good Will Jane Smiley, 2011-01-05 These exquisite twin novellas chronicle the difficult choices that reshape the lives of two very different families. In Ordinary Love, Smiley focuses on a woman’s infidelity and the lasting, indelible effects it leaves on her children long after her departure. Good Will portrays a father who realizes how his son has been affected by his decision to lead a counterculture life and move his family to a farm. As both stories unfold, Smiley gracefully raises the questions that confront all families with the characteristic style and insight that has marked all of her work.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Dangerous Business Jane Smiley, 2023-11-07 From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling author of A Thousand Acres: An amazing “mash-up of a Western, a serial-killer mystery and a feminist-inflected tale of life in a bordello” (The Washington Post). In 1850s Gold Rush California two young prostitutes, best friends Eliza and Jean, attempt to find their way in a lawless town on the fringes of the Wild West—a bewitching combination of beauty and danger—as what will become the Civil War looms on the horizon. “Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise... Monterey, 1851. Ever since her husband was killed in a bar fight, Eliza Ripple has been working in a brothel. It seems like a better life, at least at first. The madam, Mrs. Parks, is kind, the men are (relatively) well behaved, and Eliza has attained what few women have: financial security. But when the dead bodies of young women start appearing outside of town, a darkness descends that she can't resist confronting. Side by side with her friend Jean, and inspired by her reading, especially by Edgar Allan Poe’s detective Dupin, Eliza pieces together an array of clues to try to catch the killer, all the while juggling clients who begin to seem more and more suspicious. Eliza and Jean are determined not just to survive, but to find their way in a lawless town on the fringes of the Wild West—a bewitching combination of beauty and danger—as what will become the Civil War looms on the horizon. As Mrs. Parks says, Everyone knows that this is a dangerous business, but between you and me, being a woman is a dangerous business, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise ...
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo, 2021-04-06 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory.” —Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe In this “rich, complex family saga” (USA Today) full of long-buried family secrets, Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator turned stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects. With the unexpected arrival of young Jonah Bendt—a child placed for adoption by one of the daughters fifteen years before—the Sorensons will be forced to reckon with the rich and varied tapestry of their past. As they grapple with years marred by adolescent angst, infidelity, and resentment, they also find the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Secrets of the Sprakkar Eliza Reid, 2022-02 The Canadian first lady of Iceland pens a book about why this tiny nation is leading the charge in gender equality, in the vein of The Moment of Lift. Iceland is the best place on earth to be a woman—but why? For the past twelve years, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report has ranked Iceland number one on its list of countries closing the gap in equality between men and women. What is it about Iceland that enables its society to make such meaningful progress in this ongoing battle, from electing the world’s first female president to passing legislation specifically designed to help even the playing field at work and at home? The answer is found in the country’s sprakkar, an ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary or outstanding women. Eliza Reid—Canadian born and raised, and now first lady of Iceland—examines her adopted homeland’s attitude toward women: the deep-seated cultural sense of fairness, the influence of current and historical role models, and, crucially, the areas where Iceland still has room for improvement. Throughout, she interviews dozens of sprakkar to tell their inspirational stories, and expertly weaves in her own experiences as an immigrant from small-town Canada. The result is an illuminating discussion of what it means to move through the world as a woman and how the rules of society play more of a role in who we view as equal than we may understand. What makes many women’s experiences there so positive? And what can we learn about fairness to benefit our society? Like influential and progressive first ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Michelle Obama, Reid uses her platform to bring the best of her nation to the world. Secrets of the Sprakkar is a powerful and atmospheric portrait of a tiny country that could lead the way forward for us all.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Barn Blind Jane Smiley, 2017-10-05 Written with the grace and quiet beauty of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Barn Blind is a spellbinding story on the classic American themes of work, love, and duty, and the lengths we will go to achieve success. The verdant pastures of a farm in Illinois have the placid charms of a landscape painting, but the horses that graze there have become the obsession of a woman who sees them as the fulfilment of every wish: to win, to be honoured, to be the best. Her ambition is the galvanizing force in Jane Smiley's first novel, a force that will drive a wedge between her and her family, and bring them all to tragedy . . .
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Descendants Kaui Hart Hemmings, 2011-10-04 Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Study Guide for Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres Gale, Cengage Learning, 2015-09-24
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Hollywood Animal Joe Eszterhas, 2010-05-05 Joe Eszterhas had everything Hollywood could offer. A combination of insider and rebel, he saw and participated in the fights, the deals, the backstabbing, and all the sex and drugs. But here, in his candid and heartwrenching memoir, we see the rest of the story: the inspiring account of the child of Hungarian immigrants who, against all odds, grows up to live the American Dream. Hollywood Animal reveals the trajectory of Eszterhas's life in gripping detail, from his childhood in a refugee camp, to his battle with a devastating cancer. It shows how a struggling journalist became the most successful screenwriter of all time, and how a man who had access to the most beautiful women in Hollywood ultimately chose to live with the love of his life in a small town in Ohio. Above all, it is the story of a father and a son, and the turbulent relationship that was an unending cycle of heartbreak. Hollywood Animal is an enthralling, provocative memoir: a moving celebration of the human spirit.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Georges and the Jewels Jane Smiley, 2009 Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt grows up on her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, learning to train the horses her father sells and trying to reconcile her strict religious upbringing with her own ideas about life.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Taking the Reins (An Ellen & Ned Book) Jane Smiley, 2020-03-10 A young rider encounters well-known horses and new friends in the final installment of the Ellen & Ned trilogy by Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley. Ellen's family has moved to a new town...but some things, like her love for horses, remain the same. Ellen is now the proud owner of her own horse, Tater. She's learning new skills and challenging herself as a rider...but she still can't stop thinking about Ned, the feisty former racehorse she sees on the ranch during her lessons. In the meantime, Ellen's making new friends and encountering old ones. Most exciting of all is Da, a boy from a riding family who is possessed of a spirit of mischief and daring and knows his own mind. Ellen still has a lot to learn...about horses, friendship, and herself. And will she ever be able to get Ned off her mind?
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Mystery Horse Jane Smiley, 2012-05-01 When Abby Lovitt gets to work at her family's ranch, she can hardly believe her luck. True Blue is a beauty, a dapple grey, and he needs a new home - his owner was tragically killed in a car crash, and no one has claimed him. Her father is wary, as always. But Abby is smitten. True Blue is a sweetheart, and whenever Abby calls out, Blue, Blue, how are you? he whinnies back. But sometimes True Blue seems, well . . . spooked. He paces, and always seems to be looking for something. Or someone. Abby starts to wonder about True Blue's owner. What was she like? What did she look like? And what are the strange whispers Abby sometimes hears when she's with him?
  jane smiley a thousand acres: True Blue Jane Smiley, 2011-09-27 True Blue is a beauty, a dappled gray, and when Abby gets to take him to her family's ranch, she can hardly believe her luck. The horse needs a home: his owner—a woman brand new to the riding stable--was tragically killed in a car crash and no one has claimed him. Daddy is wary, as always. But Abby is smitten. True Blue is a sweetheart, and whenever Abby calls out, Blue, Blue, how are you? he whinnies back. But sometimes True Blue seems...spooked. He paces, and always seems to be looking for something. Or someone. Abby starts to wonder about True Blue's owner. What was she like? What did she look like? One moonlit night, Abby could swear she hears a whisper in her ear: He's still my horse. Filled with riding scenes and horse details, this newest middle-grade novel from a Pulitzer Prize-winner offers a mysterious and suspenseful almost-ghost story.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The meanings of property in terms of land in "A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smileys Annegret Rehse, 2008-02-22 Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (Englisches Seminar), language: English, abstract: This work deals with concepts of ownership in terms of land in the novel A Thousand Acres written by Jane Smiley. The novel was written in 1991 and was rewarded a Pulitzer Prize. Jane Smiley rewrote the Shakespearean play King Lear by narrating the story from the eldest daughter’s point of view. However, A Thousand Acres is not only a rewriting of Shakespeare’s work, it also comments on the social and agricultural circumstances in the United States of the 1960s and 70s, where the novel is set. Her critique in this novel points towards industrialised farming and the exploitation of land and its resources. The aim of the paper ist to find out how agriculture and farming are represented in A Thousand Acres. How does Jane Smiley describe the results of industrialised farming? Is there any return? How do people cope with agribusiness and its consequences? What is the structure of the society that lives for agribusiness? In the course of answering these questions I will try to draw relating problems between Smiley's A Thousand Acres and Shakespeare's King Lear and will try to point out the differences between the novel and the play in matters pertaining to concepts of land-ownership.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Antkind Charlie Kaufman, 2021-07-06 The bold and boundlessly original debut novel from the Oscar®-winning screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synecdoche, New York. LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • “A dyspeptic satire that owes much to Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon . . . propelled by Kaufman’s deep imagination, considerable writing ability and bull’s-eye wit.—The Washington Post “An astonishing creation . . . riotously funny . . . an exceptionally good [book].”—The New York Times Book Review • “Kaufman is a master of language . . . a sight to behold.”—NPR NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND MEN’S HEALTH B. Rosenberger Rosenberg, neurotic and underappreciated film critic (failed academic, filmmaker, paramour, shoe salesman who sleeps in a sock drawer), stumbles upon a hitherto unseen film made by an enigmatic outsider—a film he’s convinced will change his career trajectory and rock the world of cinema to its core. His hands on what is possibly the greatest movie ever made—a three-month-long stop-motion masterpiece that took its reclusive auteur ninety years to complete—B. knows that it is his mission to show it to the rest of humanity. The only problem: The film is destroyed, leaving him the sole witness to its inadvertently ephemeral genius. All that’s left of this work of art is a single frame from which B. must somehow attempt to recall the film that just might be the last great hope of civilization. Thus begins a mind-boggling journey through the hilarious nightmarescape of a psyche as lushly Kafkaesque as it is atrophied by the relentless spew of Twitter. Desperate to impose order on an increasingly nonsensical existence, trapped in a self-imposed prison of aspirational victimhood and degeneratively inclusive language, B. scrambles to re-create the lost masterwork while attempting to keep pace with an ever-fracturing culture of “likes” and arbitrary denunciations that are simultaneously his bête noire and his raison d’être. A searing indictment of the modern world, Antkind is a richly layered meditation on art, time, memory, identity, comedy, and the very nature of existence itself—the grain of truth at the heart of every joke.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Moor's Account Laila Lalami, 2014-09-09 PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • The imagined memoirs of the first black explorer of America—this stunning [book] sheds light on all of the possible the New World exploration stories that didn’t make history” (Huffington Post). In these pages, Laila Lalami brings us the invented memoirs Mustafa al-Zamori, called Estebanico. The slave of a Spanish conquistador, Estebanico sails for the Americas with his master, Dorantes, as part of a danger-laden expedition to Florida. Within a year, Estebanico is one of only four crew members to survive. As he journeys across America with his Spanish companions, the Old World roles of slave and master fall away, and Estebanico remakes himself as an equal, a healer, and a remarkable storyteller. His tale illuminates the ways in which our narratives can transmigrate into history—and how storytelling can offer a chance at redemption and survival.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: The Age of Grief Jane Smiley, 2017-10-05 In this brilliant collection of five short stories and a novella, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley presents six unforgettable portraits exploring the perils of domestic life. I am thirty-five years old, and it seems to me that I have reached the age of grief. Others arrive there sooner. Almost no one arrives much later . . . In the title novella, a man who has reached the 'age of grief' slowly realizes that his wife is in love with someone else. Unsure whether his marriage is best protected by confronting her or by feigning ignorance, he struggles to repress his anguish and to prevent his wife discovering that he is aware of her infidelity . . . Accompanying this novella are five short stories, including The Pleasure of Her Company, in which a lonely, single woman befriends the married couple next door, hoping to learn the secret to their happiness. And Long Distance, in which a man finds himself relieved of the obligation to continue an affair that is no longer compelling to him, only to be waylaid by the guilt he feels at his easy escape.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Interpretation of "King Lear". Mrs. H. Kate Richmond West, 1884
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Horse Heaven Jane Smiley, 2001-01 #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK A WISE, SPIRITED NOVEL . . . IN WHICH] SMILEY PLUMBS THE WONDROUSLY STRANGE WORLD OF HORSE RACING. --People ONE OF THE PREMIER NOVELISTS OF HER GENERATION, possessed of a mastery of craft and an uncompromising vision that grow more powerful with each book . . . Racing's eclectic mix of classes and personalities provides Smiley with fertile soil . . . Expertly juggling storylines, she investigates the sexual, social, psychological, and spiritual problems of wealthy owners, working-class bettors, trainers on the edge of financial ruin, and, in a typically bold move, horses. --The Washington Post A NOVEL OF PASSION IN EVERY SENSE . . . SHE DOES] IT ALL WITH APLOMB . . . WITH A DEMON NARRATIVE INTELLIGENCE. --The Boston Sunday Globe WITTY, ENERGETIC . . . It's deeply satisfying to read a work of fiction so informed about its subject and so alive to every nuance and detail . . . Smiley's] final chapters have a wonderful restorative quality. --The New York Times Book Review RICHLY DETAILED, INGENIOUSLY CONSTRUCTED . . . YOU WILL REVEL IN JANE SMILEY'S HORSE HEAVEN. --San Diego Union-Tribune Chosen by the Los Angeles Times as One of the Best Books of the Year From the Trade Paperback edition.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie Nancy Mitford, 2013-09-24 Two sparkling comedies from early in the career of the beloved author of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, here published in one volume with a new introduction from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres. • “Exuberant...enjoyable skulduggery and shenanigans.” —The New York Times In Christmas Pudding, an array of colorful characters converge on the hunt-obsessed Lady Bobbin’s country house, including her rebellious daughter Philadelphia, the girl’s pompous suitor, a couple of children obsessed with newspaper death notices, and an aspiring writer whose serious first novel has been acclaimed as the funniest book of the year, to his utter dismay. In Pigeon Pie, set at the outbreak of World War II, Lady Sophia Garfield dreams of becoming a beautiful spy but manages not to notice a nest of German agents right under her nose, until the murder of her maid and kidnapping of her beloved bulldog force them on her attention, with heroic results. Delivered with a touch lighter than that of Mitford’s later masterpieces but no less entertaining, these comedies combine glamour, wit, and fiendishly absurd plots into irresistible literary confections.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: Lila Robert Pirsig, 2013-11-06 In this bestselling new book, his first in seventeen years, Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, takes us on a poignant and passionate journey as mysterious and compelling as his first life-changing work. Instead of a motorcycle, a sailboat carries his philosopher-narrator Phaedrus down the Hudson River as winter closes in. Along the way he picks up a most unlikely traveling companion: a woman named Lila who in her desperate sexuality, hostility, and oncoming madness threatens to disrupt his life. In Lila Robert M. Pirsig has crafted a unique work of adventure and ideas that examines the essential issues of the nineties as his previous classic did the seventies.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: We That Are Young Preeti Taneja, 2017-11-03 Jivan Singh, bastard son, returns to Delhi after fifteen years of exile to find a city on fire with protests and in the grip of drought. On the same day, Devraj, father of Jivan's childhood playmates, founder of India's most important Company, announces his retirement, demanding daughterly love in exchange for shares. Sita, his youngest child, refuses to play, turning her back on the marriage he has arranged. Her sisters Gargi and Radha must take over the Company and cement their father's legacy. As they struggle to make their names, a family and an empire begin to unravel. We That Are Young is Shakespeare's King Lear told as a devastating commentary on contemporary India. From Delhi mansions to luxury hotels, from city slums to the streets of Kashmir, from palace to wayside, Preti Taneja recasts an old tale in fresh, eviscerating prose that bursts with energy and fierce, beautifully measured rage. This is the story of a country that, like the old king, is descending into madness.
  jane smiley a thousand acres: A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth Daniel Mason, 2020-05-14 *Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2021** From Daniel Mason, the bestselling, award-winning author of The Winter Soldier and The Piano Tuner comes a collection of interlacing tales of men and women as they face the mysteries and magic of the world. On a fated flight, a balloonist makes a discovery that changes her life forever. A telegraph operator finds an unexpected companion in the middle of the Amazon. A doctor is beset by seizures, in which he is possessed by a second, perhaps better, version of himself. And in Regency London, a bare-knuckle fighter prepares to face his most fearsome opponent, while a young mother seeks a miraculous cure for her ailing son. At times funny and irreverent, always moving, these stories cap a fifteen-year project that has won both a National Magazine Award and Pushcart Prize. From the Nile’s depths to the highest reaches of the atmosphere, from volcano-wracked islands to an asylum on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, these are lives of ecstasy and epiphany.