book review - Barn Blind by Jane Smiley

Never was an author so in-aptly named. I love the way this woman writes but her books are not easy to live with after you've read them. They're depressing and they stay with me for days as I think back on what happened and how she told the story. Both this book and A Thousand Acres are stories about everyday people whose secrets and desires and unflattering thoughts lead them thru a plot that pulls you in quietly. And they end so softly, like a fading note on the breeze, that you can't really believe it's over.

Kate in Barn Blind is often referred to as 'obsessed' in the reviews. To me, because I share some personality traits with her, she seems less obsessed than simply very driven to achieve her goals. The sub-story of her marriage is played softly in the background, and the children's interactions with each other rang very true to me, often consisting of only a few paragraphs.

It is a book for intelligent readers, I think, because she doesn't fill in every blank, explain every action. You're left to infer a lot, which I enjoy. I have two more Jane Smiley books on the shelf but won't be picking them up real soon. I need a break with something foolish - David Sedaris, maybe? But she has become a favorite author of mine because her books reach out and grab you by the throat.

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.