A Thousand Acres

This book is the first retelling that I remember reading, so in some ways, it’s the standard by which I judge all others. Jane Smiley’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel imagines King Lear in a contemporary setting with an aging farmer signing over his land to his three daughters.

What I find most remarkable about this project is how Smiley captures the original play's melancholic spirit. There’s a sense of longing for a different past and sequence of events that might have prevented all this familial heartache. 

You knew this would be on here. This very bold, unapologetic retelling of King Lear won the Pulitzer in 1992.

I particularly like the way the daughters (one of whom is the narrator) are given more sympathetic depth, a must for any modern work. The story really does pull you in, even if the moniker of “family drama” is usually a yellow flag, as it often is for me. 

Also fascinating is the way the titular farm itself (the “kingdom”) is portrayed as a separate character. The land, the soil, is often described metaphorically to enhance and even explain the… show more.

In this deeply disturbing novel, an elderly and despotic farmer named Larry Cook decides to give joint ownership of his 1000-acre farm in Iowa to his three daughters, although the youngest, Caroline, objects to this arrangement and is soon disinherited.

In the emotional wake of this family conflict, long-hidden revelations about how Cook sexually abused his two eldest daughters – Ginny and Rose – come to light. As the old tyrant’s mind and body deteriorate, Ginny and Rose run the farm as best they can and share their painful memories with each other.

Will they be able to make peace… show more.

I like to imagine families as a single human body and all the organs as the various family members. One organ breaks down and disease finds its way to other organs. If you buy into that analogy it’s easy to see how one family member can tear an entire family apart. But this novel, tragic as it is, reminded me that each person must do their own individual healing. Reconciling the past and finding our way to healing is not a group thing, not even a family thing. It’s choosing to find our own way, our own truth, however painful… show more.