book review - A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

A Thousand Acres was an interesting read for me. It started off as a benign small-town tale, but soon darker threads began to show in the fabric of the story, and by the end, I felt a little stunned. The story is told in such a low-key manner that you hardly realize how deep and dark it's become until it's all over.

The main character is a farm wife caught between the various stronger personalities of her husband, sister, father, and various other characters. Among other factors, revelations from her past have a profound effect on her, causing the entire house of cards that is her life to come tumbling down.

There is not a single man in the book who is portrayed in a positive manner, but since this is my first Smiley book, I can't say if that's a common theme with her. It didn't bother me, but it did make me look twice at the men in my life, wondering at their possible thoughts and motives.

Others reviewers have called this a depressing book, and I guess it is, but it made me think, and I like that in a book. And I like her writing style. There were many phrases and sentences that had me sitting there, staring out the window, thinking about the subtle ways she uses words. A good book, worth 4.5 out of 5 stars.