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God's Little Acre: A Novel Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 487 ratings

In the Depression-era Deep South, a destitute farmer struggles to raise a family on his own: The bestselling classic by the author of Tobacco Road.
  Single father and poor Southern farmer Ty Ty Walden has a plan to save his farm and his family: He will tear his fields apart until he finds gold. While Ty Ty obsesses over his fool’s quest, his sons and daughters search in vain for their own dreams of instant happiness—whether from money, violence, or sex. 
God’s Little Acre is a classic dark comedy, a satire that lampoons a broken South while holding a light to the toll that poverty takes on the hopes and dreams of the poor themselves. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erskine Caldwell including rare photos and never-before-seen documents courtesy of the Dartmouth College Library.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“What William Faulkner implies, Erskine Caldwell records.” —Chicago Tribune “In many respects, this is an unusual book. It is original, vigorous, lusty.” —The New York Times “Caldwell writes with a full-blooded gusty vitality that makes him akin to the truly great.” —San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987) is the author of twenty-five novels, numerous short stories, and a dozen nonfiction titles, most depicting the harsh realities of life in the American South during the Great Depression. His books have been published in forty-five languages and have sold tens of millions of copies, with God’s Little Acre alone selling more than fourteen million. Caldwell’s graphic realism and unabashedly political themes earned him the scorn of critics and censors early in his career, though by the end of his life he was acknowledged as a giant of American literature.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0054TB678
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (June 21, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 21, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6640 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 487 ratings

About the author

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Erskine Caldwell
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Erskine Caldwell (1903–1987) is the author of twenty-five novels, numerous short stories, and a dozen nonfiction titles, most depicting the harsh realities of life in the American South during the Great Depression. His books have been published in forty-five languages and have sold tens of millions of copies, with God’s Little Acre alone selling more than fourteen million. Caldwell’s graphic realism and unabashedly political themes earned him the scorn of critics and censors early in his career, though by the end of his life he was acknowledged as a giant of American literature.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
487 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story compelling and interesting. They appreciate the realistic depiction of the gritty hardships in the rural South during the Depression era. The book is described as a classic by readers, describing the author as genuine. Many consider it a good look at the history of the area and a typical example of the era. However, opinions differ on the writing quality, character development, and plot. Some find the writing well-written and easy to read, while others feel repetitive and confusing. There are mixed views on the character development, with some finding them fleshed-out enough, while others find them unbelievable or unlikable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

40 customers mention "Story quality"31 positive9 negative

Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it powerful, interesting, and a classic. The book is described as racy in its time with larger-than-life characters and over-the-top plotlines.

"...'God's Little Acre' (1933) is a funny, sensual, raw, and powerful novel whose tragic story is loosely structured within a mythological..." Read more

"...This old classic is still a great read and gives us a glimpse into the early days in the American south and a dysfunctional poor family...." Read more

"...Does Ty Ty find his gold? This was a great story of the final decline of a poor white family in rural Georgia that had me hooked from page one to..." Read more

"...Perhaps the book owes its popularity to the shock value of the outlandish episodes and warped family interactions." Read more

8 customers mention "Picture quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pictures. They find the depiction of rural life in the Depression era to be truthful and realistic. The book provides a glimpse into the daily struggles of farmers in the South and offers a glimpse into a different way of life.

"...cast of characters includes Ty's sons, one of whom is married to a great beauty, Grizelda...." Read more

"...Griselda, one of the sisters-in-law, has a gorgeous body and everybody wants to sleep with her...." Read more

"IT GIVE'S A CLOSE LOOK AT THE SUBSISTENCE FARMER IN THE SOUTH, Its a classic and will remain a book that people will read forever." Read more

"I give this an A# for interest and a true picture iof the rural South in the Depression era days...." Read more

5 customers mention "Classic author"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a genuine classic. They describe it as a wonderful, folksy story about a working class life.

"...the details of the book but just had to read it again and it is very good." Read more

"IT GIVE'S A CLOSE LOOK AT THE SUBSISTENCE FARMER IN THE SOUTH, Its a classic and will remain a book that people will read forever." Read more

"Wonderful, folksy story. One is caught up in the web spun around the characters as they go about their daily lives...." Read more

"...this 50 yrs ago and enjoyed it again recently. a genuine classic author. amazon offers these..." Read more

4 customers mention "Historical value"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical value of the book. They say it provides a good look at the history of the area and is typical of the era. The book is considered a classic and wild novel of the Southern working class.

"This is a classic, wild novel of the Southern working clasa of the 1930s. Highly recommended." Read more

"It is so typical of the era and location" Read more

"A very old book written by an outstanding author. A good look at history of the area that the author knew very well" Read more

"Historical Value Plus Some Meaning Amongst the Sex..." Read more

16 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it well-written and easy to read, mentioning it's an undiscovered classic from a great author. However, others find the writing repetitive, confusing, and hokey at times. The sexual content is tame compared to today's standards, but some readers feel it's boring.

"...of 'God's Little Acre,' and the subject of some of Caldwell's most powerful writing...." Read more

"...Almost painful at times to read, with the repetitiveness of certain phrases and ideas; characters with whom I cannot relate; and blatant..." Read more

"...(the full name of South Carolina was never mentioned) was highly readable, while retaining the slang of the times...." Read more

"...Another undiscovered classic from a great author. Highly recommended!" Read more

14 customers mention "Character development"7 positive7 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters well-developed and recognizable, while others found them unbelievable and unlikable.

"Classic novel, Erskin Caldwell captured all his characters and made them come alive." Read more

"...None of the characters are very bright. They all are driven by instincts, usually either sex, or greed, or both. The men all go for what they want...." Read more

"...glimpse into an arena unfamiliar to many readers, but with characters fleshed out enough so that one could recognize acquaintances in some of..." Read more

"...a single episode of Jerry Springer, I may have found these characters too unbelievable...." Read more

13 customers mention "Plot"7 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot. Some find it hopeful, warm, and uplifting, with characters' unabashed enthusiasm in pursuing their goals. The theme is spiritual and sensual. Others feel the story lacks an interesting plot, is disappointing, and depicts old-world ignorance and poverty.

"...Ultimately more hopeful, warm, and uplifting than the farcical 'Tobacco Road,' 'God's Little Acre' displays Caldwell's vision at its broadest and..." Read more

"A total disappointment, the people and the plot were not really believable and the dialog among the characters seemed to reflect an IQ level below 70..." Read more

"...is fascinating about Caldwell's characters is their unabashed enthusiasm in pursuing their goals...." Read more

"...if you like a boring silly draged out story,this book is for you." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it engaging and well-written, dealing with serious issues of rapid change and people being left behind. Others feel the characters are helpless and ill-equipped to solve their problems, and the execution leaves something to be desired.

"WELL WRITTEN AND WELL-PACED...." Read more

"...this book's reputation precedes it but the actual execution leaves something to be desired." Read more

"...This is a page turner that also deals with serious issues of rapid change and people being left behind by it which are just as relevant today." Read more

"...This entire family is completely unable to care for themselves. They are animals grabbing for gold and rutting with whoever is nearby...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2003
    Like his two other classic novels, 'Tobacco Road' (1931) and the less popular 'Journeyman' (1935), Erskine Caldwell's masterpiece, 'God's Little Acre' (1933) is a funny, sensual, raw, and powerful novel whose tragic story is loosely structured within a mythological framework.

    Uneducated protagonist and patriarch Ty Ty Walden is a Georgia farmer who is gleefully obsessed with the idea that there is a literal gold mine waiting to be discovered somewhere in his land's soil.

    Optimistic Ty Ty (whose two favorite expressions are "what in the pluperfect hell?" and "Well I'll be a suck-egg mule") has spent almost two decades fruitlessly digging fifteen-foot deep holes across his farm, like an archetypal searcher after fairy gold or pirate treasure.

    Far from reflecting Thoreau's conservatorial ideas about nature at Walden Pond, the Walden farm is slowly falling to ruin; fewer and fewer crops are planted each year, and the huge craters in the earth are left gaping. To make the process more "scientific," Ty Ty and his two antagonistic sons, Buck and Shaw, have violently kidnapped albino Dave Dawson, who they believe will be able to "divine" the location of the lode due to his freakish "betwixt and between" status.

    The starving black sharecroppers on the farm perceive the swamp-dwelling Dave as a daimonic "conjur" figure, and flee in terror.

    Hoping to pacify his creator and perhaps turn his luck, Ty Ty has continually designated one parcel of his land as "God's little acre," the harvest from which belongs to the Lord.

    Though he has promised himself he will always forward the proceeds of the acre to the church, Ty Ty, fearing that he may be accidentally promising away his as-yet undiscovered gold, moves 'God's little acre' from one area to another whenever the whim strikes him.

    Thus, one of the book's subtle motifs is a semiconscious denial of divine forces.

    Ty Ty half-heartedly appeases his god with one hand while reneging on the deal with the other. "Blood on my land," a not uncommon motif in Western literature, is the result.

    Though the Walden family is far more socialized than the Lesters of 'Tobacco Road,' they are nonetheless all blissfully ignorant and happily unconscious of themselves.

    Ty Ty, his sons, and his son-in-law think nothing of making aggressive, groping passes at one another's wives or any other woman they think attractive, whether alone or in one another's company. "It's all in the family, ain't it?" says visionary son-in-law Will.

    Ty Ty goes so far as to say to Buck's beautiful wife Griselda, "The first time I saw you...I felt like getting right down there and licking something."

    Blushing Griselda, embarrassed but also touched by what she perceives as a compliment made in front of the gathered family, merely says, "Aw, now, Pa."

    For all of the men and most of the women, just about anyone is fair sexual game, regardless of age, race, creed, or status within the family or society.

    Daughter Darling Jill, continually on the lookout for erotic novelty, seduces her sister's husband and escorts Dave into the darkness behind the house on his first night of capture. For all of the Waldens, ardent sexual desire is a sign of vigor, health, and stamina; for everyone except Buck and daughter Rosamund, almost all sexual activity is of little or no consequence, either before or after the fact.

    Contrarily, a drowsy spell also seems to hang over the farm: several of the characters, including Ty Ty, lose their impetus, momentum, and motivation from moment to moment, so that a thirty - second return to the house to retrieve a forgotten item delays a motor trip by several hours; simply rising from a chair in the late afternoon sun is an action that takes concentration, will, and decisive resolve.

    Like the Lesters, the Walden clan, rutting animals all, are as much a tribe as a family. "Share and share alike" could be their motto; no high premium is set on individuality or personal development.

    When political hopeful Pluto Swint (Pluto has eyes the size of "watermelon seeds" and is morbidly obese: appropriately, his surname a cross between 'squint' and 'swine'), the novel's loudly-dressed, constantly sweating court jester and patsy, arrives on the farm to canvas votes (upon encountering albino prisoner Dave, the first thing Pluto says is, "Who's that? Is he a voter?"), he immediately falls prey to the family's miasmic collective unconsciousness and the torpor in the air.

    The book's secondary plot revolves around Promethean son-in-law Will, the leader of a group of striking mill workers in a small South Carolina town. Unlike the rest of the Waldens, Will has visionary power in addition to a robust physique and 'willful' determination and inner confidence.

    Throughout the novel, Will has a series of dreamy reveries in which the mill is again fully operational, the hungry strikers are gainfully employed, and pretty, respectful young local girls, with their luscious "rising beauties," are awaiting their bread-earning spouses and lovers outside the factory walls at dusk.

    Like his father-in-law Ty Ty, Will has more than a touch of the enchanted poet about him. As if momentarily captured by fairies, Will awakens from his visions to find that he has been taken "away" and then "returned" to the present. Despite his penchant for alcoholism, womanizing, and spousal abuse, the still Christ-like Will is the heart and soul of 'God's Little Acre,' and the subject of some of Caldwell's most powerful writing.

    Banned in Boston and attacked by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice upon release, 'God's Little Acre,' which has one of the most suspenseful climaxes in Twentieth century American literature, went on to sell more than 10 million copies. Ultimately more hopeful, warm, and uplifting than the farcical 'Tobacco Road,' 'God's Little Acre' displays Caldwell's vision at its broadest and finds the author at the height of his fictional powers.
    22 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2023
    Strangely, I recall first reading this book in college as well as seeing the movie more than sixty years ago. Now that I am well into my senior years, I have decided to revisit some of the old American classics. While browsing on Amazon I came across this book (God’s Little Acre by Erskine Caldwell) and decided to purchase it.

    Like other Caldwell’s novels they take place in the south, in this case Georgia. This is all about a poor dysfunctional family and how they manage to live their lives while involved in various sexual situations with other family members. This book, as well as the movie, was very controversial at the time. By today’s standards the sex situations in this book may seem tame; however, the theme in this book seems to be focused on uninhibited incest sex.

    This old classic is still a great read and gives us a glimpse into the early days in the American south and a dysfunctional poor family.
    Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The mighty pen: Your self-defense friend. Tactical use of the pen for self-defense).
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018
    Erskine Caldwell’s 1933 novel God’s Little Acre is Southern Gothic at its best. Is it better than his 1932 novel Tobacco Road? The jury is still out on that verdict, but I thoroughly enjoyed the 1933 novel. The vernacular language of the 1930’s Georgia/Carolina (the full name of South Carolina was never mentioned) was highly readable, while retaining the slang of the times. An example of that is when the patriarch of the 45 acre farm, Ty Ty Walden, bemoaned the fact that one of his sons, Shaw, dropped his shovel and wanted to go to town, “Why in the pluperfect hell can’t he let the women alone? There ain’t no sense in a man going rutting every day in the whole year. The women will wear Shaw to a frazzle...he ought to be satisfied just to sit at home and look at the girls in the house.” Ty Ty uses the word pluperfect throughout the novel as well as the terms: as sure as God makes little green apples...and that’s a fact. This novel was banned for a long time in many states because it was considered pornographic. While there are a lot of promiscuous sexual happenings amongst the Walden family, they would hardly be considered pornographic in today’s standards...maybe it would have a “R” rating at best. Even with all those restrictions, the novel still sold 10 million copies.

    So Ty Ty Walden has been digging up his farm looking for gold for fifteen years with the help of his boys Buck and Shaw. His other son, Jim Leslie (a cotton broker) left a long time ago to marry a rich girl and live in a big white house on a hill in the city. Ty Ty has two d**kies (the author’s words, not mine), Black Sam and Uncle Felix, planting cotton on a small parcel of the land (they also dig when not plowing). On page thirteen, Ty Ty tells Pluto Swint, who is running for sheriff, about the one acre he has set aside, “You see that piece of ground over yonder, Pluto? Well, that’s God’s little acre. I set aside an acre of this place, and every year I give the church all that comes off that acre of ground. If it’s cotton, I give the church all the money the cotton brings at market. The same with hogs, when I raised them, and about corn, too, when I plant it. That’s God’s little acre, Pluto. I’m proud to divide what little I have with God.” Unfortunately, Ty Ty hasn’t planted or raised anything on that acre for many years. And he keeps moving the acre around when he decides to dig there. Most of his farm is pock marked with giant holes and high piles of dirt and clay.`Ty Ty’s daughter, Darling Jill is a real looker, while Buck’s Wife, Griselda, is considered the prettiest girl in the county. A third daughter, Rosamond, lives in Carolina with her husband, Will, in a cotton mill town. Buck hates Will and calls him a lint-head, because cotton mill workers always have residue cotton fibers in their hair. Will and his co-workers have been on strike against the mill for eighteen months. The entire Walden family (except Jim Leslie) are dirt poor.

    Pluto, who loves Darling Jill, tells Ty Ty that a albino man has been spotted near the swamp. The d**kies say that an all-white man can divine (locate) a lode. They believe in the power of conjuring. Ty Ty and his boys drive to the swamp in hopes of capturing the all-white man. They capture the albino in his house by the swamp and bring him back to the farm. Sometimes this novel makes me laugh (it’s not supposed to). Uncle Felix keeps guard on Dave, the albino, but he really doesn’t have to since Dave has eyes for Darling Jill. So funny (this novel isn’t a comedy, but sometimes it seemed like one). The next day, Pluto ask Ty Ty, “Did he divine for you, Ty Ty?” “Just like four and four makes eight,” Ty Ty said. “When we got him here and told him what he was to do, why the first thing he did was to point out that spot where the new hole is now. He said that was the place to dig for the lode. And that’s where it is.” There is a lot of excitement in the ensuing pages. Who has sex with who? Who or how many in the family will die or be murdered? How about the cotton mill strike? Does Ty Ty find his gold? This was a great story of the final decline of a poor white family in rural Georgia that had me hooked from page one to the last few pages, which were fateful or fatal...depending on who the character was.
    19 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • destinydebb
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Book
    Reviewed in Australia on February 25, 2019
    This story is one of love,violence and tragedy. One you start reading it you can,t put it down. It deals with a lot of things that are happening in our world today. A story that will forever etch your mind and the author faces us with a lot to think about. Nothing to me was unlikeable about it . A story that really grips you from beginning to end.
  • Thespionic
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly Humourous Read and True Classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2014
    This book, written in 1933, notorious for its sexual content, sold 14 million copies and is the 89th best selling book world wide. It was also made into a film. Erskine Caldwell grew up in the `South' and so writes from his own childhood experiences. He died in 1987, aged 84.
    The tale is set around the Georgia / South Carolina area. Like Tobacco Road it concerns a' red neck' farmer, his family and their attempts to scratch a living off the land.
    The story revolves around the Walden family. The centre piece is the father; a widower, by the name of Ty Ty, which I think is a local Georgia name?
    He has got the gold fever and has been digging great big holes on his farm for 15 years without striking it lucky!
    He lives with his daughter `Darling Jill,' His son Buck and his wife Griselda and his other son, Shaw, who's single. There is another son who lives in Carolina. He's the one who has made it rich and lives in a big fancy house! He has nothing to do with them!
    Other players are Ty Ty's other daughter, Rosamond, who is married to Will, a staunch union man at the local textile mill.
    Just like `Tobacco Road,' they have one family friend, Pluto Swint, an obese farmer, who is running for sheriff this year. He fancies Darling Jill, even though she's a `loose' woman and wont marry him yet because of his huge gut! Ty Ty is proud of the good looking women in his house and family and isn't shy in telling people in his own inimitable way!
    Yes, there is a good deal of sexual content spread among the family members, it's a bit disturbing but it's not incest to my understanding of the word.
    Nor is the sexual content graphically described in any way and it's pretty tame by today's standards, though it is blunt and implied and stronger than innuendo. To say this is porn in this day and age is ridiculous and rather pompous in my opinion. It didn't offend me at all, in fact I enjoyed it..... though I can fully understand why this read wouldn't be for some folks!
    The book borders on farce and ultimately tragedy. It also has a little of the `absurd' in it as well - let's go and rope that albino down in the swamp and bring him back home!
    I really enjoyed this book, it's very humorous, has a decent storyline and many very interesting characters which grip you. The chapters where `Will' is utterly consumed with the mill reopening and wanting Greselda sexually is utterly compelling and builds into a memorable climax.
    Great read - couldn't put it down.
  • reinette
    4.0 out of 5 stars à lire
    Reviewed in France on July 16, 2012
    Comme dans "la route du tabac" du même auteur, ce livre se situe dans le sud des Etats Unis, en pleine crise de la filière du coton mettant les ouvriers au chômage et les paysans sur la paille. Mais l'histoire de cette famille est en plus complètement loufoque: le père s'est mis dans la tête que ses champs recèlent de l'or et (presque) toute la famille croit en cette idée farfelue et se dévoue pour creuser, creuser...en abandonnant le travail de la ferme. Les relations entre les membres de cette famille sont parfaitement logiques dans ce cadre surréaliste, et les dialogues sonnent juste.
    Cette histoire improbable va progressivement du comique au tragique de façon tout à fait originale, avec une tension croissante entre les protagonistes. On la vit jusqu'au bout car elle est très bien racontée.
  • nellie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2014
    Very good read
  • Donald Zemaitis
    2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting review of a book I read back in the ...
    Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2015
    Interesting review of a book I read back in the 1050's. Then it was considered Hot Stuff. Today, I would consider it as a study of history from that era. I wonder if in certain areas of the country, how much things have changed? Actually, how many places in the world are much different today, than they were back around 1950.The book does make a person think.

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