Rating: 
Summary: entertaining but full of holes
Review: One good thing I can say about this book is that it held my interest and at times truly surprised me (about 3/4 of the way through Ginny does something extremely dramatic yet true to the character). I stayed up late reading this book, and it's been a while since I've been unable to tear myself away like that. However, Ginny's husband is some really good guy that she's still happy to see after 15 (?) years of marriage, who then acts in a way that seems mysteriously removed, and betrays her? Their marriage seems to implode without much explanation. I wanted more confrontation with Caroline. It was interesting to see the twist on Lear, where maybe the youngest daughter who is left out of the will isn't such a good girl after all. However, drawing on Lear is not nearly enough to justify giving this flawed novel the Pulitzer Prize. Read the novella The Age of Grief by the same author, for a beautiful example of fiction writing.
Rating:
Summary: Certainly not to uplift
Review: Having grown up in Iowa, I found myself relating the the descriptions of farm life and the habit of continuing life despite any family tragedy or scandal. I disliked the characters and was disappointed that there was no resolution for any of them. It was quite a heavy book and quite often unbelievable.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful for Jane Smiley!!!
Review: If you love a powerful & full-bodied novel, then this book is a must. This one requires the reader to not simply read, but to interpret and look beyond the words, peeling away what's below. It's only then that you'll be able to bring the entire book together, and understand the message Smiley's trying to convey about a dysfunctional farming family in Iowa. She starts off in almost pain staking detail describing each character, and the setting of the farm. But, it speeds up midway and has plenty of surprises that keeps you intrigued. In some ways, hearing the details of farming and what it takes to have a successful and profitable crop, is key to how I viewed the book in the end. Smiley attaches the farming story with a slight maneuver to a dysfunctional family, which ends in a total family tragedy. The story seemed very real to me, and there's a host of issues and problems the family must wade through. In some ways, I could relate to Larry's controlling style, which reminded me of Shakespeare's King Lear. Someone who has all the best intentions, but gets carried away with his own control and superiority that the slow breakdown of the family is way beyond what he can see. At some point you just want each of them to finally catch a break, but Smiley doesn't allow it. Just about the time you're really feeling something for the characters, she takes them away tragically. She traps you into hoping for a "light" at the end of the tunnel for each one. Then slowly, she ruins each character incorporating twists and flaws with each, and by doing so, creates a book that is mesmerizing and keeps you till the end. A must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Pulitzer Prize??? .....Wellllll Sooooooo Whaattttt!
Review: I desperately tried to find this book interesting and struggled to the near end. So much detail was given to settings, farming, unessential nonsense. There was No character building! Boring book, probably even more boring movie! The author writes well but I never did get to know how and why things happened. Boring!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Slow first half, soap opera second half
Review: Smiley's style of writing was not anything worthy of the Pulitzer, in my opinion. The first half of the book was just barely interesting enough to keep me from putting it down. Then the entire world started breaking down around the characters, and despite my frustration with the characters I couldn't stop reading. The characters were well constructed and as complex as real people. However, there seemed to be no redemption for any of the characters after such incredible suffering. In a way, this story of family fragmentation is probably many people's nightmare. I finished the book and felt that my emotions had been manipulated in a rather unsavory way.
Rating: 
Summary: Accurate portray of the Midwest
Review: I read the book shortly after it was awarded the Pulitzer. I hadn't read any detailed reviews, so didn't realize it was meant to symbolize King Lear. I liked the way she built the characters. I would feel sorry for one & then later completely despise him. I enjoyed her using the Midwest & farming as a background. As someone who grew up in very rural Indiana, the background was very familiar to me and struck a chord. The story always had hidden currents. You knew from the beginning that there were secrets. Her book also showed that the truth is in part what each individual perceives it to me. Each sister had different memories & therefore different truths.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel, BUT READ LEAR FIRST!
Review: I loved this book. Some have complained (on-line) that it was boring. My guess is that these folks have not read King Lear. I found that comparing and contrasting Smiley's character's etc. with their Shakespearean equivalents made the book very interesting. So, if you're up to it, try reading King Lear before A Thousand Acres!
Rating:
Summary: Well-written and truthful
Review: After reading this book, I felt as if something had been added to me, as if I had been enlightened somehow. It shows that even the perfect life can have its problems. Though in some parts of the book I felt unintrested, those parts later proved to be useful and truthful. Much of what happened in the book could happen to anyone else. The plot seemed to end without leaving a question in my mind. This book is surely good reading, even though it was not what I had originally expected. I loved this book, and highly recomend it!
Rating:
Summary: Very dramatic, but very believable.
Review: Jane Smiley's characters in A Thousand Acres are as intense and complex as anyone whose path you'll cross today. I read this book twice. My first time through, I felt as bewildered about the turn of events as Ginny does. I had a better understanding the second time. Smiley paints Ginny as a fair and impartial narrator, but it's obvious this is not so. Ginny filters out what is too painful to see, so she's knocked off balance when someone close to her acts contrary to her perception of him or her. She passively goes through life just trying to get by. She's not really likable, but she's not unlikable either -- she's likely to be unnoticed. Smiley's description of modern farming techniques and the highs and lows of attempting to conquer the land is also very compelling. The characters' lives and consciousness are woven into the land until it's hard to see what the land ends and the people begin.
Rating:
Summary: Isn't the Pulitzer supposed to be given for good writing?
Review: Worst book I've read in 10 years. Here is an actual sentence from the book: "Jessie lifted his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow, revealing a perfect stomach and chest." Look for this book at your nearest supermarket.
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