Arcadia

By: Lauren Groff

Narrated by: Andrew Garman

Lauren Groff’s acclaimed debut novel The Monsters of Templeton was short-listed for the Orange Prize. Her second novel, Arcadia opens in the late 1960s with a group of young idealists forming a commune in western New York State. Into this group is born Bit, who grows into a quiet, distant man. Over the course of 50 years, Bit witnesses the utopia crumble and the world change in unimaginable ways.

©2012 Lauren Groff (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Richly peopled and ambitious… is one of the most moving and satisfying novels I’ve read in a long time.” (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author)

Beautifully written

Beautiful prose. Interesting plot and characters. Too depressing to be called bittersweet, though.

Story petered out

Started out wonderfully, but didn't hold up for me, and ended very abruptly... Maybe her other book Will be better

not a fan

I have read her other two books and love them both... But this one left something to be desired. I don't know if it was the subject or the style of writing but I did not care for it and it was a struggle to get through. there were a few gems within the story but overall I thought it was fairly depressing

down Alice's rabbithole...

I loved the main character of this novel - Bit's inner world took me in. I also loved the storytelling - both within the novel as a character itself, and the storytelling of the novel. The writing was wonderful and the book was sensuous and evocative. I enjoyed his sensitivity and his insistence on clinging to his sensate experience of the world. The book spans the years from hippie commune life through an apocalyptic now, which I appreciated. And the relationship between parents and children, particularly mothers and sons was poignant for me. Lastly, I loved the allusions to Grimm's fairy tales - it made me wish I knew them better. Overall, a great read!

Close to home

Any additional comments?

I am about the age of main characters parents, and also "experimented" with communal living as well as a lot of other facets of this story. I had a deep fear that I was to have a child and raise him/her in that environment that it would be akin to child neglect. ie-bringing up a child in such an unrealistic world...without real healthcare sketchy vegan diet...I could go on, but you know what I mean. I always knew I was just 'playing' at being a 'peacenik', altho the principles are engrained in me even now. This book and story truely resonated with me personally that is to say. The development is a little slow to take off, Until I realized it was being told thru the voice of a young 'hippie' child. Then it made sense to me, and I became Bit. So well written I empathized with him completely. Didnt want the story to stop. The narrator is awesome. Simple perfect.

Didn't dive it as I did with Monsters of Templeton

Any additional comments?

I just couldn't get into this book. I read almost half of it and kept wishing that I was at the end. I loved her other book--The Monsters of Templeton--but the subject of the book, a hippy commune, just didn't keep me interested. And the very small boy who is the main character kept making me think of Owen Meany. So I set this book aside.

Beautiful heart wrenching story

My favorite of all of Lauren Groffs novels, Arcadia follows one man named Bit from childhood in a hippie commune through life. Poignant, beautifully written, we see the world through Bit's eyes.

Pretty good

It was a little more explicit than I was expecting, but it was a good story overall

Stunning Narrative

Well told. The story is the road I chose not to follow on your.

Gorgeous

Now my favorite author after reading this and Matrix. Highly recommend

The story, language, imagery, sentiments.