A Thousand Acres

By: Jane Smiley

Narrated by: C. J. Critt

Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Jane Smiley's spellbinding novel also headed best-seller lists for many months. A Thousand Acres is the powerful, mythic story of an American farm family and the land that nourishes and consumes its members.

Three daughters and their husbands are pulled into a tangle of love, jealousy, and fear when their father, Larry Cook, grows too old to manage the family's fertile thousand-acre farm. As each couple struggles with their own tragedies and challenges, they know their father is judging them in light of the weighty inheritance that hovers within their reach.

The Cook family, and the farm community around them, are part of a mosaic that is as enduring as the fences and fields of the broad midwestern landscape. But this endurance exacts an immense price from them in return.

You will find that this nationally-acclaimed, breathtaking story, in a stirring narration by C. J. Critt, is an unforgettable listening experience.

©1991 Jane Smiley (P)1996 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

• Pulitzer Prize winner, Fiction, 1992
• National Book Critics Circle Award, Fiction, 1991

"[A] magnificent, haunting family drama, an American retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear set on a contemporary Iowa farm....a favorite choice of reading groups everywhere (it would be a natural for Oprah)." (Entertainment Weekly)

Lots of Emotions

A downward spiral of a story that you have to keep listening to because you really want to know if the characters redeem themselves. Very well written.

Brilliant modern re-telling of King Lear!

Would you consider the audio edition of A Thousand Acres to be better than the print version?

Patience is a virtue and it pays off in the telling of this story. Allow the story to lull you into its magnificent plot. I did both audio and book when it first came out--enjoyed both for different reasons. Both are superb!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Loved all--each finely drawn and well-developed!

Have you listened to any of C. J. Critt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, a first for me...but, beautifully done!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Everyone is a favorite child...rigjht?

Any additional comments?

Love. Love. Love.

Glad I came back to this!

This was a hard book to get into, but then I couldn't put it down after I did. The story was very riveting.

Took a minute to catch my interest

Although it started out slow, overall, a good book, and the narrator made it even better.

Ok but too long

This book was well written but It could have been cut by about 100 pages.

King Lear set on an Iowa farm.

I picked up this book as part of a challenge I am participating in this year. I had not heard anything about it previously. I am grateful for the challenge because this is a wonderful book. Many of the reviewers complained about the drama, some admitting that they do not enjoy these type of family dramas. I disagree. Life is messy and difficult. Families treat each other with cruelty. People live behind facades so their neighbors will not see the things that are dirty, nasty and wrong. I love books that enfold slowly, building the characters quietly, exposing the secrets quietly. I love books that allow the characters to be flawed and real -- and allow the reader to like those characters even when they go to the worst places of their minds. This book gave me all of that.

I was slightly concerned about the King Lear framework -- because an author taking on Shakespeare to me is much like a pop singer taking on The Beatles. I rarely like the result. However Ms Smiley allowed her story to be quiet and nuanced. If the reader had never heard of King Lear or knew nothing about it they could still enjoy this book. And, if the reader has high expectations they can also enjoy the book.

C J Critt, though, was not a perfect choice for a narrator. At times she sounded like she was reading to children. And, at times she sounded like she was reading with a slight southern accent. She didn't have the flat tones of the midwest. For example, she didn't add the "r" to the word "wash" ("warsh"). My family are Iowans and I looked forward to those sounds. A better reader might have lifted the book from 4 stars to 5.

Beautiful Reinterpretation of King Lear

I was glad I listened to this one. C.J. Critt's voice was direct, interpreting Ginny's character superbly. Although I know and enjoy Shakespeare's "Lear", this story nevertheless engaged and surprised me, sometimes making me gasp audibly. Smiley's story diverges from the original in several intriguing and thoughtful ways, but stays true to the heart of it. I would encourage anyone listening to it to refresh their memory of "King Lear." I think you will find your experience of this book enriched!

Beautiful prose. Terrible narration.

If you could sum up A Thousand Acres in three words, what would they be?

It was a beautifully written story, but the narrator almost ruins it. She seems to have no connection to the words she's reading, and reads the entire book in the same sing-song voice as though she's reading to a classroom full of children. It drove me crazy. I want to read the book myself so I can actually appreciate the story and writing.

Enjoyable

Would you try another book from Jane Smiley and/or C. J. Critt?

Yes, it was entertaining

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The characters reactions to situations

Do you think A Thousand Acres needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, the characters were too old by the end.

So much detail

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There is a tremendous amount of detail in this novel.....and, I'm a Dickens fan! I just didn't get the point of all that detail unless it was to point out the mundaness of life in rural Iowa in the 1970's.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Have the grown women stop calling their father "daddy" every two paragraphs.

Could you see A Thousand Acres being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It has been