King Lear set on a farm in Iowa.

Posted by Bel. The time is 5:33pm here in Wellington, NZ.

When googling for an image to go with this book review, I discovered that "A Thousand Acres" by Jane Smiley had been adapted into a film back in the 90s. The ever-so-helpful plot summary on imdb.com says "King Lear set on a farm in Iowa" which does pretty much sum it up.

The cover says 'Pulitzer Prize winner' but they MUST be referring to the author in general and not this particular novel, because, um, well, it kinda read like an trashy epic. I did like that it was so female-centric but I did not like reading so much about farming and fields and machinery and crops and harvesting and SO ON.

I have detected a distinct BIAS in 'The List' and I must confess to inwardly groaning when I realised I was to read yet another book about the American Mid-West. As important as it is to document the workings of hog farms in the 80s, I do prefer the more wide-reaching samples of 'The List'.

Not to write off "A Thousand Acres" completely. The characters were enthralling and grew beyond their Shakespearean inspiration, and I loved the plot developments - which were at times breathtaking, even though in theory I knew where it was all headed.

This is book #25 crossed off 'The List'. As you will note from the recent proliferation of reviews posted, I have been charging through all reading material lately. Woot!