Rating: 
Summary: Even better the third time . . .
Review: I've read this novel twice and listened to it once on tape and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable each reading. The description of the conflict in Kansas Territory between the abolitionists and the Missourians was rivoting and engaging. Smiley provided an immense amount of detailed history--clearly she did her homework. Some readers find this distracting from the story; personally, I find that it added an originality and realism to the narrative. This is not a conversational piece; rather it is the narrative of Lidie's experiences, not her emotions. Lidie is appealing to me as a heroine because she is portrayed so realistically with a mix of passive and aggressive traits. As a reader I sometimes found her inaction frustrating; however, inaction is a part of life. Other readers have complained that the novel is depressing; I object to that analysis. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton is not an escapist novel and one should not expect it to be. In my opinion, it is a de-Romanticized retelling of Huck Finn with a woman as the lead character. I highly recommend this book as one of my favorite novels and Smiley as one of my favorite authors.
Rating:
Summary: A new voice for Smiley
Review: Jane Smiley is one of those authors who seem to have the need to reinvent themselves with each new book. In The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton, she has adopted the stylistic devices of 19th century writing and speech to bring this story of a young woman's experiences in 'Bloody Kansas' to life. So successfully does Smiley present the character of Lidie Newton that it is hard for the reader to believe this person didn't really live - that these aren't the actual words of a real life. This is a tough book in some ways. What the heroine experiences is not often pleasant. The physiscal and emotional suffering are clear and felt by the reader. I always take it as a sign that an author has been successful when I find myself experiencing anger, disappointment, elation or relief on behalf of a book's charcters, and in Smiley's new book this was a constant. Somehow the story of Lidie Newton seemed personal to me right from the start. I suspect that Jane Smiley modeled the character on herself in some ways, because she lives on the page more vibrantly than any Smiley character I can remember. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. What is important is that one comes to know and care about Lidie Newton; therefore anything that happens to her or that she thinks about becomes important for the reader. One of the strengths of the book is the main character's intellectual and spiritual growth. Things don't just happen to her, she learns from what happens. Still, the ending may not please some, because it doesn't show her as clearly triumphant. But it is true to life, and that is what the whole book is about.
Rating:
Summary: An All-True Adventure For You
Review: I began reading this book while on vacation in Pawley's Island, North Carolina. The book came with the house (Nichols). I was unable to finish it before our vacation came to an end and was tempted to take the book for myself. I resisted temptation and resolved to purchase a copy for myself as soon as I returned home. Waiting for the book to arrive from Amazon.com was torturous. From the beginning Jane Smiley draws you into the story with her imagery. I could see myself right along side of Lidie through the entire "adventure". If her heart was broken so was mine. If she laughed so did I. I finished with a sense of actually having visited another time and a sense of having intelligence about the history and mindset of that time. A truly fabulous read! Thanks Jane ~ for the adventure. I'll never forget it.
Rating:
Summary: The best thing I've read all summer
Review: Jane Smiley has done her best job ever! I liked A THOUSAND ACRES, but I loved LIDIE NEWTON. I knew very little about pre-Civil War Kansas, and by the time I finished the book, I had a sense of genuine understanding of the period. Lidie Newton is a real person, full of ambiguity, sometimes sure of herself, lost at other times. I was grateful that the author didn't wrap everything up in a neat package at the end. I also enjoyed the book discussion questions and the interview with the author that were included in the paperback version.
Rating: 
Summary: But still not sure what to think...
Review: I just finished "Lidie Newton" last night and I have to say I'm still divided on whether I'd recommend this book. I guess the best way to qualify it is that I'm not sure I'd suggest it to a friend, but I'd definitely like it if my daughters read it. I make my home in Kansas City and so the historical aspect was particularly interesting to me, probably much more so than for someone who did not grow up here. Having a first-person account from a character as interesting as Lidie also made it more appealing. She's a great character -- more confused than noble, plain, funny, selfish on one hand and tender on the other, smart about some things and really ignorant on others. Jane Smiley knows how to write great characters and Lidie was a much better history lesson than any I remember getting in school. (I had to refresh my memory on the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Missouri Compromise when I read this). However, I do agree with readers who complain that the book drags in places... it does. Those slower places may reveal some interesting tidbit but what could have been said in one page seemed to go on for five. The temptation to skim was really overwhelming, especially after she leaves K.T. for Missouri. People who are looking for a satisfying ending will not get one, as the book just seems to abruptly stop with no hint of what or where Lidie's life will be made. This is what keeps it from being a "five star" book and an unqualified "must read". Because sometimes I had to MAKE myself read it. That being said, I'm glad I did. It really made me think about the beliefs and the behaviors of the people who settled here -- some, my own relatives. While most of the book is understandably pro-Kansas, anti-Missouri, Ms. Smiley does try to offer some explaination of the seemingly indefensible views of Missourians (and "true" southerners). The novel itself goes a long way in explaining the animosity that existed here between Kansans and Missourians -- a real life-or-death conflict that only remains today as the KU/MU college rivalry. Just expect that when you close the book for the last time, you'll be as exhausted as Lidie must have been at the end of her travels.
Rating:
Summary: But still not sure what to think...
Review: I just finished "Lidie Newton" last night and I have to say I'm still divided on whether I'd recommend this book. I guess the best way to qualify it is that I'm not sure I'd suggest it to a friend, but I'd definitely like it if my daughters read it. I make my home in Kansas City and so the historical aspect was particularly interesting to me, probably much more so than for someone who did not grow up here. Having a first-person account from a character as interesting as Lidie also made it more appealing. She's a great character -- more confused than noble, plain, funny, selfish on one hand and tender on the other, smart about some things and really ignorant on others. Jane Smiley knows how to write great characters and Lidie was a much better history lesson than any I remember getting in school. (I had to refresh my memory on the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Missouri Compromise when I read this). However, I do agree with readers who complain that the book drags in places... it does. Those slower places may reveal some interesting tidbit but what could have been said in one page seemed to go on for five. The temptation to skim was really overwhelming, especially after she leaves K.T. for Missouri. People who are looking for a satisfying ending will not get one, as the book just seems to abruptly stop with no hint of what or where Lidie's life will be made. This is what keeps it from being a "five star" book and an unqualified "must read". Because sometimes I had to MAKE myself read it. That being said, I'm glad I did. It really made me think about the beliefs and the behaviors of the people who settled here -- some, my own relatives. While most of the book is understandably pro-Kansas, anti-Missouri, Ms. Smiley does try to offer some explaination of the seemingly indefensible views of Missourians (and "true" southerners). The novel itself goes a long way in explaining the animosity that existed here between Kansans and Missourians -- a real life-or-death conflict that only remains today as the KU/MU college rivalry. Just expect that when you close the book for the last time, you'll be as exhausted as Lidie must have been at the end of her travels.
Rating: 
Summary: Now that I've finished the book...
Review: I wrote a review while I was still reading this, and now that I'm done, I've downgraded it to a one star. History is supposed to be a backdrop in historical novels, but in this one, Liddie's monotonous narrative about events and people overwhelms the story. I finally began skipping the long narratives, and don't feel I missed anything. Apparently, it seems that Smiley was more interested in showing off her research than in telling a good story. The second half was really dull. I couldn't really figure out why Liddie pinpointed those certain men as the ones who killed her husband. That was really unclear. Her dressing as a man held promise, but that fizzled out too quickly. Her reasons for not accepting a lift to Independence were entirely unconvincing. Worse yet was the ending. We have Liddie return home finally to Quincy, and then the story suddenly skips ten years to the end of the Civil War. She says that she and Frank spoke of Kansas for the first time--but what was she doing ten years in the future? Where was she living, was she married, or what? All I can say, is I'm glad I bought it used. Better yet, I should've just borrowed it from the library.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I'm still reading this book, but it is not what I expected. I thought this would be a story of an adventurous young woman who travels out west and does something--maybe starts a business, opens a saloon, becomes the first female sheriff...instead, she marries and has a man take her to Kansas, and all they're doing is fighting the pro-slave folks from Missouri. In between, she's cooking corncakes and sewing quilts. What happened to the strong woman from the first few chapters? At any rate, I can't keep track of all of the characters that are thrown in. All of their friends in K.T. are completely indistinguishable from one another. I find that I'm skipping paragraphs and even pages of boring dialog and trying to get back to Liddie's story. The history is interesting, but it's getting tiring because it's the same thing repeated over and over again. So maybe I'll read on, because I would like to see some adventure and travels as the title says. But for now, a two star is all its getting.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction?
Review: This is the only novel by Jane Smiley that has taken me 6 months to get through. It was hard to pick up the book and continue on because nothing was grasping my curiousity or interest. This novel is an attempt to tell U.S. history through the eyes of a ficticious character, but it does not work. The characters are shallow - you never know anything useful about any of them. Smiley attempts to dig deeper into Liddie's psyche after the death of Thomas, but it is a little too late. You find out about what she thinks of everyone else, but you never know what she is thinking. Too bad, Liddie could be a very like-able character. And as for Thomas Newton, we knew so little of him the novel probably could have succeeded without him. And how much of the history in this novel are we to believe? Are we inclined to go to the public library and research the Civil War because of this novel? - I think not. A book like "Cold Mountain" made me want to research the Civil War because it was captivating. Smiley did so well in "A Thousand Acres" with her Shakespearean motif, and did well with "Moo" - in both novels you could relate to the characters, sympathize with them. Both of those continue to be two of my favorite novels, but "The True Adventures...." is one that will sit on my bookshelf and never be read again. Smiley should take a little more time to write something unique and imaginative, not a history essay. She is a great author when she doesn't try to write something that is out of her league. She is no James Michener.
Rating: 
Summary: A Pleasant Variation in Historical Fiction
Review: I read a lot of historical fiction, and am by training an historian, so I feel qualified to give this book a solid thumbs-up review. Smiley has chosen an historical period and locale not frequently visited by modern novelists. Her exploration of the antebellum Kansas frontier reveals many little-known events and interesting historical figures. I found it admirable that Smiley allowed the central character, Liddie Newton, to be shaped and changed by the events of her life. Many authors create a rock-like character and bounce events off of them, but Liddie is very realistically painted. Knowing something of history and of the complexities of public opinion in the pre-war period will help readers enjoy this book more, but I think anyone who likes a good story told gently will appreciate Liddie Newton.
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