Play Audiobook Sample
A Thousand Acres Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 24,404 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, Jane Smiley's spellbinding novel also headed best-seller lists for many months. A Thousand Acres is the powerful, mythic story of an American farm family and the land that nourishes and consumes its members. 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.
Download and start listening now!
"I'm usually not into the "Chronicle of a Midwest American Family" type books, but this one surprised me. Following the loose outline of King Lear, it manages to balance - just barely - tragedy with redemption. Not a lighthearted read."
— Laura (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Absorbing…Exhilarating…An engrossing piece of fiction.”
— Time -
“Powerful and poignant.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A family portrait that is also a near-epic investigation into the broad landscape, the thousand dark acres of the human heart…The book has all the stark brutality of a Shakespearean tragedy.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“Superb…There seems to be nothing Smiley can’t write about fabulously well.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“A full, commanding novel…A story bound and tethered to a lonely road in the Midwest, but drawn from a universal source…Profoundly American.”
— Boston Globe -
“It has been a long time since a novel so surprised me with its power to haunt…A Thousand Acres [has] the prismatic quality of the greatest art.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Brilliant…Absorbing…A thrilling work of art.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Smiley’s novel of family life on an insular Iowa farm raises profound questions about human conduct and moral responsibility.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Smiley lovingly creates an idyllic world of family farm life in Iowa in 1979…Not to be missed.”
— Library Journal
Awards
-
Winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
-
Winner of the 1991 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
-
A New York Times bestseller
-
A USA Today bestseller
-
Winner of the 1992 Ambassador Book Award
-
An ALA Notable Book Finalist for Fiction
A Thousand Acres Listener Reviews
-
" Exhausting book to read. So many repressed emotions. So much cleaning. So much emptiness. "
— Krista, 2/17/2014 -
" Jane Smiley is so gifted. I read her with a pencil and post-its nearby. One of the best books I've read. "
— Kittyfritter, 2/2/2014 -
" Classic Smiley, very good, very controlled writing "
— Phyllis, 1/31/2014 -
" One of my all time favorite! "
— Christine, 1/30/2014 -
" Been a while since I read this book but momentsmfrom it still crop up in my mind from time to time. Wide scope but great depth and detail. Very unique. "
— Helen, 1/30/2014 -
" Excellent book ... extremely sad ... kept me wanting to read further the same way Barbara Kingsolver did with Poisonwood Bible. "
— Mark, 1/29/2014 -
" I don't enjoy reading about incest. The story seemed to go on, and on, and on. Without any real structure. "
— Angie, 1/27/2014 -
" Unadorned writing and a marvelous family drama. Resonate and intrigued with the question asked by the protagonist - "where did it all start to go wrong?". "
— Christine, 1/26/2014 -
" A contemporary reworking of Shakespeare's tragedy, King Lear. Meh, it was okay. "
— Mae, 1/21/2014 -
" OK. I liked this book - until I realized what the plot was. And then I disliked it. Not because it wasn't well written (because it is a beautiful book) but because it made me so sad and angry. "
— Carrie, 1/20/2014 -
" Set in Iowa in the 70's, a family farm is signed over to 2 daughters & their husbands. Quite a downer of a book but interesting nonetheless. It's a modern re-telling of King Lear so if you've read that this book isn't going to shock you but it will most likely disturb you. "
— Teresa, 1/13/2014 -
" One of my favorite books. Now I know it starts out slow...but give it time. You won't forget those characters. "
— Mary, 1/6/2014 -
" The book description is far better than the book. This was a disappointment all the way through. I could not get into the characters at all and the story was just too depressing to be believable. I wouldn't bother with this one. "
— korey, 1/4/2014 -
" This book was much rawer than I had anticipated; talk about dysfunction! It kept my attention! "
— Teresa, 12/3/2013 -
" The second best book I ever read next to The House of Scorpion. "
— Linda, 12/2/2013 -
" very negative - no redeeming value "
— Elsie, 11/30/2013 -
" Ranks among my all-time favorites-epic isn't enough of a word to describe this work. "
— Teddi, 11/28/2013 -
" Engaging all the way through. "
— Harley, 11/4/2013 -
" I love this modern rendition of "King Lear." "
— Ann, 11/2/2013 -
" This was a great American story. "
— Sylvia, 10/20/2013 -
" Incredibly well-written. Now I understand why it won a Pulitzer Prize. "
— Mary, 9/21/2013 -
" A good read for those times when you want a longer, drama filled book. Smiley does a good job of making all her characters flawed and likeable at the same time. "
— Mary, 9/6/2013 -
" I loved the first hundred pages or so, but then the story turned into something different than I had expected. Also, somewhere near the end I had a dream about how to resolve the conflicts in this book (spoiler alert: the answer is direct communication). "
— Holly, 6/12/2013 -
" negative stars. the literal equivalent of the movie view from the top. "
— Krystal, 4/22/2013 -
" so tragic, so good. "
— Sadie, 12/31/2012 -
" My book club read this together with King Lear, Smiley's inspiration. The combo made for long reading, but it was interesting to compare the two works and see how A Thousand Acres came from King Lear. "
— Joy, 9/10/2012 -
" The sad story of a farm family at the pinnacle of dysfunction... "
— Maribeth, 6/25/2012 -
" I just LOVED this book. The protagonist is an anti-hero for me. I don't want to give away the ending, but personally, I feel her life is redeemed at the end. Opinions, you other folks? "
— Kevin, 8/17/2011 -
" Well it was pretty Oprah-esque dark and twisted family story. However, if you don't read them too often then it doesn't get old and its a great story with interesting characters "
— Jess, 6/21/2011 -
" i would give this book 10 stars, i loved it. haunting, beautiful, sad, a little scary in the evilness of some of the characters. layers to peel back. "
— Sarah, 5/19/2011 -
" Been a while since I read this book but momentsmfrom it still crop up in my mind from time to time. Wide scope but great depth and detail. Very unique. "
— Helen, 5/9/2011 -
" A good read if you like reading about a disfunctional family who are not very likeable people and manage to lose everything, including their relationships with each other and everyone they know. Not my thing. "
— Peggy, 4/28/2011 -
" Probably easier to read than Shakespeare's version of King Lear. Disfunctional families are always good fodder. "
— Susan, 4/28/2011 -
" Unnecessary themes at the end--the book was strong enough till that point, then the end just destroyed it for me. "
— Christina, 4/21/2011 -
" It has some weird issues in the book that I wasn't expecting I guess. By the end of it I was SO beyond ready for it to be over it wasn't even funny. "
— melody, 4/15/2011 -
" Timely for my read. Dealing with family issues. Sisters, fathers, mothers, patterns, trust, living on the surface, communication or lack of it, going through the motions..............I am glad I read it. Not great but it had plenty of nuggets. Wish it had a happy ending but that's life. "
— Kim, 4/14/2011 -
" Great writing and a good story. "
— Chris, 4/14/2011 -
" I'm still rather undecided on this one. "
— Frances, 4/9/2011 -
" Felt it was an unfair representation of the Midwest by an outsider. King Lear parallel is of interest. But canned meat processed to kill was a little over the top to this ex-farm gal. "
— Lily, 4/6/2011 -
" There's a reason why a book wins a Pulitzer. Deep, dark themes about human nature and motivations. Very good. "
— Cusmarg, 4/2/2011 -
" Good story except for the feeling I got that she's saying many farmers are insane. :( "
— Nancy, 3/25/2011
About Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, as well of works of nonfiction and books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. In 2001 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
About C. J. Critt
C. J. Critt is a veteran of Broadway, regional theater, poetry slams, and solo shows. Hailed “Spoken Word Queen” by the Dallas Observer, Critt is a produced writer-director, an Audie nominee, and a CableACE Award winner.