
A Thousand Acres
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Narrated by:
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C. J. Critt
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By:
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Jane Smiley
Three daughters and their husbands are pulled into a tangle of love, jealousy, and fear when their father, Larry Cook, grows too old to manage the family's fertile thousand-acre farm. As each couple struggles with their own tragedies and challenges, they know their father is judging them in light of the weighty inheritance that hovers within their reach.
The Cook family, and the farm community around them, are part of a mosaic that is as enduring as the fences and fields of the broad midwestern landscape. But this endurance exacts an immense price from them in return.
You will find that this nationally-acclaimed, breathtaking story, in a stirring narration by C. J. Critt, is an unforgettable listening experience.
©1991 Jane Smiley (P)1996 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
- Pulitzer Prize winner, Fiction, 1992
- National Book Critics Circle Award, Fiction, 1991
"[A] magnificent, haunting family drama, an American retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear set on a contemporary Iowa farm....a favorite choice of reading groups everywhere (it would be a natural for Oprah)." (Entertainment Weekly)
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A Thousand Acres
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A Bit Difficult to Enjoy
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Slow Getting There…
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Masterful story telling
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My writing professor assigned this novel to my class. In that context, I would have appreciated a content warning. The revelation in the novel is not necessarily unexpected but I, personally, was not fully prepared for its weight.
Smiley skillfully develops the story by using the rural Iowa setting to inform and drive the plot forward. Her choice to include a multitude of prominent characters and personalities contributes to its moral ambiguity and helps to make the family and social dynamics presented in the novel more realistic and relatable.
At first, I thought the story was moving a little too slowly for me to find it interesting, but it quickly picks up momentum. Though the novel’s themes were difficult for me to digest, and I can’t necessarily say I enjoyed reading it, I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.
As for the audiobook, I think Critt distinguishes the characters and their personalities from one another very well. I did find the pacing of the narration to be slower than I would usually prefer, though.
An Unenjoyable Good Read
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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I would recommend the print version, but not the audio version because the way the book is divided up.What other book might you compare A Thousand Acres to and why?
This is Shakespeare's King Lear set on an Iowa farm in the 1980's.Any additional comments?
A Thousand Acres is an amazing book, well worthy of the Pulitzer Prize. I read this many years ago when it first came out it print and wanted to listen to the audio version while I walked. The novel is organized into six books and 45 chapters, but for some inexplicable reason the recorded version has 13 chapters, some more than an hour long. If, like me, you have fumble fingers and don't hit the stop and start buttons on your device exactly right, you are forced to re-listen to part of the book or skip ahead and miss something. I can't think why this was done this way.Serious Issues with Organization in Recorded Versi
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Would you listen to A Thousand Acres again? Why?
I would not listen again - it is not my kind of story. The teller was good, I enjoyed her delivery, but the story was not what I thought.Good delivery - interesting story
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one of my favorites of all time
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Don't understand the criticism of the narrator. She was perfect for this book.
A canonical classic
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Such a great story
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