Description
"An epic novel that spans thirty years in the lives of a farm family in Iowa, telling a parallel story of the changes taking place in America from 1920 through the early 1950s"--Provided by publisher.
Genres
Collection
Publication
London : Picador, 2015.
Pages
623
User reviews
LibraryThing member porch_reader
"Walter Langdon hadn't walked out to check the fence along the creek for a couple of months - now that the cows were up by the barn for easier milking in the winter, he'd been putting off fence-mending - so he hadn't seen the pair of owls nesting in the big elm."
So begins [Some Luck], the first
I was lucky enough to hear Jane Smiley read from this book at the Iowa City Book Festival. As she described the trilogy (which is completed - I believe the other two books will come out within the next year or so), I was struck by how ambitious this project is. This is not just an epic, capturing a century of one family's life. Instead, it is a lens, capturing a century through one family's eyes. I was sad to see this book end. I'm pretty sure that the Langdons will stay in my head until I get the chance to pick up their story in 1954.
So begins [Some Luck], the first
Show More
book in a trilogy about the Langdon family spanning 100 years (1920-2019). The book begins as Walter and Rosanna Langdon welcome their first child, Frankie. The Langdons are an Iowa farm family, not an easy life. As their family grows, their struggles are those of the broader world - the Great Depression, World War II, the beginning of the Cold War. With only one chapter representing each year, we drop into and out of the Langdon family's lives, but as with a treasured family album, the snapshots blur together to create a rich picture of this family. Each person is distinct, approaching trials and joys in unique ways. Even when they are babies, Smiley does an excellent job of helping us see the world through each of the children's eyes. I was lucky enough to hear Jane Smiley read from this book at the Iowa City Book Festival. As she described the trilogy (which is completed - I believe the other two books will come out within the next year or so), I was struck by how ambitious this project is. This is not just an epic, capturing a century of one family's life. Instead, it is a lens, capturing a century through one family's eyes. I was sad to see this book end. I'm pretty sure that the Langdons will stay in my head until I get the chance to pick up their story in 1954.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This novel tells of Walter Langdon and his wife from 1920 to 1953, a chapter being devoted to each year. Walter and his wife have six children and the events pertainng to them are related. One knowledgeable about Iowa farm life sometimes cringes as the author--obviously not an Iowa farm girl, talks
Show More
of clover being 'planted' with corn to keep down the weeds--in those days clover was sowed with oats, but I never heared of it being planted with corn--and there is also a reference to cultivating corn in August--with horses, yet. The author should have had an Iowa farmer proofread her novel to avoid such bloopers. The author also for no discernible reason lards her story with expilcit sexual descriptions which add nothing to the story. In fact, as the years progress the account seems pretty pointless. The passing references to historical events are seldom developed into anything meaningful. I found the book very disappointing and meaningless. Show Less
LibraryThing member pdebolt
Some Luck, the first in a trilogy, chronicles the lives of the Langdon family on their Iowa farm from 1920-1953. Rosanna and Walter Langdon with their five surviving children experience many tragedies and triumphs during this turbulent period in American history. The children are diverse in
Show More
personalities and interests, and each is interesting individually and as part of the entire Langdon family. This is a book I hated to put down and couldn't wait to pick up again. It is filled with ordinary every-day events and heartbreaking poignancy. I eagerly await the story of successive years in this memorable family saga. Show Less
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
When I hate a book, it is usually pretty easy to say why I hated it. When I love one, it just resonates with me, but I can't always ferret out why I loved it. This books falls into that latter situation.
Jame Smiley is a superb author. I've know this from reading some of her earlier works, and I
Books with a genealogy chart at the beginning, as this one has, tend to scare me off. Not so. The characters were pretty easy to keep straight, and not so many key players that I needed to refer to the chart. The characters were all their own people so no confusing one with another just because they were too alike, just a big, messy family all thrown together.
I loved the beginning, the world as experienced through the senses and intellect of a baby, a toddler. I really cared about this farming family. The writing was straightforward, not florid, and quite gorgeous in its simplicity.
"The joke was that if he'd killed himself he would have missed the worst year of his life, and still he was glad that he hadn't killed himself."
"At first you thought of people like [redacted] as runaways, and then, after a bit, you knew they were really scouts."
Every chapter was a new year: 1920 - 1953, and the outside world, the wars, and depression, the events that affected the characters, were nicely woven into the story. The trials of farming in changing times rang true.
This novel is supposedly the first of a trilogy, but it stands quite solidly on its own two metaphorical feet.
I was given an advance readers copy of this book for review, and the quotes may have changed in the published edition.
Jame Smiley is a superb author. I've know this from reading some of her earlier works, and I
Show More
hoped this book wouldn't let me down. Of course, it did not.Books with a genealogy chart at the beginning, as this one has, tend to scare me off. Not so. The characters were pretty easy to keep straight, and not so many key players that I needed to refer to the chart. The characters were all their own people so no confusing one with another just because they were too alike, just a big, messy family all thrown together.
I loved the beginning, the world as experienced through the senses and intellect of a baby, a toddler. I really cared about this farming family. The writing was straightforward, not florid, and quite gorgeous in its simplicity.
"The joke was that if he'd killed himself he would have missed the worst year of his life, and still he was glad that he hadn't killed himself."
"At first you thought of people like [redacted] as runaways, and then, after a bit, you knew they were really scouts."
Every chapter was a new year: 1920 - 1953, and the outside world, the wars, and depression, the events that affected the characters, were nicely woven into the story. The trials of farming in changing times rang true.
This novel is supposedly the first of a trilogy, but it stands quite solidly on its own two metaphorical feet.
I was given an advance readers copy of this book for review, and the quotes may have changed in the published edition.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nivramkoorb
The basic story is about a farm family in Iowa and is told in 34 chapters ranging from 1920 to 1953. This book is meant to be the first of a trilogy and I read it with that in mind. I have read Jane Smiley books and I have enjoyed her. This book was written in a simple style and really details farm
Show More
life against the backdrop of history including the depression and world war 2. Because of its' style it has a tendency to not go into great depth but I accepted this because as she proceeded you saw her spend more time on certain characters. If you have not read Jane Smiley then I would recommend you try "Moo" first but if you like it then give this a try. A great way to experience history through the basic day to day struggle. I do intend to read the next book when it comes out. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
This book, the first in a series of three, covers the time period from 1920-1953, but it relates facts from earlier in the century when ancestors of the Langdon family are introduced into the storyline. Because the story goes forward for more than three decades, many major, traumatic events of the
Walter and Roseanna Langdon married young and raised their family on a farm in Iowa. They raised corn, oats, cows, chickens, and pigs. They owned two horses, Ella and Jake. Roseanna churned her own butter and sold it, candled her eggs and sold them too. She even made her own ice cream for which she was well known. It is quite possible, that in another time, with more freedom and rights, Roseanna would have made a larger impression on the world. Life, then, was a far cry from what it is today. The farmhouse had no electricity, no indoor plumbing and was cold in the winter and hot in the summer, women had just earned the right to vote and some began to have rich dreams and hopes of a broader experience.
Roseanna had 6 children, one of whom died in a childhood accident. The six are Frank, a restless and mischievous child, Joe, a bit of a whiner is a more serious individual, Mary Elizabeth, probably her mother’s favorite, Lillian, not a beauty but a charming and well behaved child, Claire, a beauty and Henry, the baby. From the beginning, the book is like a journal describing their daily life. It unfolds deliberately, and when told from the point of view of a child, it will provoke some smiles. Each successive chapter concerns itself with one year, and in the first, the reader gets a glimpse of the Langdon’s world on the farm through the eyes of five month old Frank, the first born of Roseanna and Walter. Life from the children’s viewpoint is often touched with humor, surprise and unexpected wisdom. For instance, Frank relates how he wiggles at the table but no one else does, he describes learning to read and the struggles of growing up with siblings, the first of whom was born in 1922 when he was just two years old. Mary Elizabeth describes her first efforts to walk in great detail and with a sweet innocence. The travails of sibling rivalry are front and center as we witness Frank tormenting the more docile, compliant Joe. It was a hard life, but it was a communal life with neighbor helping neighbor and children playing freely with each other on the farm.
Frankie is bullied in school, but he carefully planned his revenge and nipped it in the bud. As he grew older and entered high school, he discovered he loved learning, and at the same time he discovered the opposite sex. He was still antsy and loved to create chaos which fit in neatly with his love of learning about revolutions. World War II was right up his alley and he entered the fray. When he came home, after the war, he was a changed man in many ways, but even those changes were not explored in depth.
As Roseanna continues to bear children, the times changed; from delivering a baby at home on her own, to her last one, Henry, who was born in a hospital, she experienced the ups and downs of joy and then post partum depression. It was worthy to note that in her younger days, breast feeding was frowned upon and a lengthy hospital stay and period of recuperation was thought necessary for the new mother. The worm has certainly turned today. The book really does illustrate the changing times from war to war, invention to invention, year to year. Even the housing industry changed, and people began to cherish their own homes. After the war, affordable communities began to spring up with many accoutrements to make life better. The suburbs were born. When the book ends, the reader will come to the conclusion that one generation has ended, and the next one will be explored in the second of what is to be a three part series.
As an aside, there were several nostalgic points for me in the story. I once lived in a Levitt home. My mother lived in Floral Park, NY, there was an oma and an opa in the family which is what my grandkids call my husband and me and when my sister wanted to impress people, like if we were standing on line some place, she would turn to me and pretend she was speaking French. With a serious face she would say, in a question, Chevrolet Coupe? So, while this novel wasn’t as magnetic as I would have hoped, it certainly moved me. Perhaps in the next book, the characters will be more enriched and developed.
Show More
20th century are mentioned. None are fully explored, rather they seem to be mentioned with regard to the particular character involved and dropped. Therefore, it is really difficult to know if these significant events had a profound, personal effect on the family. The first and second world wars, the drought and the dust bowl, the stock market crash, bank failures, crop failures, The Great Depression, The Holocaust, anti-Semitism, racism, the rise of Communism, the Korean War, the development of many modern inventions and industries like automobiles, indoor plumbing, electricity, air travel, air power in battles, suffrage and prohibition are all touched upon, but not explored. There were so many characters it was difficult to keep track of all of them. For that purpose, the author has included a family tree in the beginning of the book. It was also a bit difficult to figure out who was narrating each chapter. Walter and Roseanna Langdon married young and raised their family on a farm in Iowa. They raised corn, oats, cows, chickens, and pigs. They owned two horses, Ella and Jake. Roseanna churned her own butter and sold it, candled her eggs and sold them too. She even made her own ice cream for which she was well known. It is quite possible, that in another time, with more freedom and rights, Roseanna would have made a larger impression on the world. Life, then, was a far cry from what it is today. The farmhouse had no electricity, no indoor plumbing and was cold in the winter and hot in the summer, women had just earned the right to vote and some began to have rich dreams and hopes of a broader experience.
Roseanna had 6 children, one of whom died in a childhood accident. The six are Frank, a restless and mischievous child, Joe, a bit of a whiner is a more serious individual, Mary Elizabeth, probably her mother’s favorite, Lillian, not a beauty but a charming and well behaved child, Claire, a beauty and Henry, the baby. From the beginning, the book is like a journal describing their daily life. It unfolds deliberately, and when told from the point of view of a child, it will provoke some smiles. Each successive chapter concerns itself with one year, and in the first, the reader gets a glimpse of the Langdon’s world on the farm through the eyes of five month old Frank, the first born of Roseanna and Walter. Life from the children’s viewpoint is often touched with humor, surprise and unexpected wisdom. For instance, Frank relates how he wiggles at the table but no one else does, he describes learning to read and the struggles of growing up with siblings, the first of whom was born in 1922 when he was just two years old. Mary Elizabeth describes her first efforts to walk in great detail and with a sweet innocence. The travails of sibling rivalry are front and center as we witness Frank tormenting the more docile, compliant Joe. It was a hard life, but it was a communal life with neighbor helping neighbor and children playing freely with each other on the farm.
Frankie is bullied in school, but he carefully planned his revenge and nipped it in the bud. As he grew older and entered high school, he discovered he loved learning, and at the same time he discovered the opposite sex. He was still antsy and loved to create chaos which fit in neatly with his love of learning about revolutions. World War II was right up his alley and he entered the fray. When he came home, after the war, he was a changed man in many ways, but even those changes were not explored in depth.
As Roseanna continues to bear children, the times changed; from delivering a baby at home on her own, to her last one, Henry, who was born in a hospital, she experienced the ups and downs of joy and then post partum depression. It was worthy to note that in her younger days, breast feeding was frowned upon and a lengthy hospital stay and period of recuperation was thought necessary for the new mother. The worm has certainly turned today. The book really does illustrate the changing times from war to war, invention to invention, year to year. Even the housing industry changed, and people began to cherish their own homes. After the war, affordable communities began to spring up with many accoutrements to make life better. The suburbs were born. When the book ends, the reader will come to the conclusion that one generation has ended, and the next one will be explored in the second of what is to be a three part series.
As an aside, there were several nostalgic points for me in the story. I once lived in a Levitt home. My mother lived in Floral Park, NY, there was an oma and an opa in the family which is what my grandkids call my husband and me and when my sister wanted to impress people, like if we were standing on line some place, she would turn to me and pretend she was speaking French. With a serious face she would say, in a question, Chevrolet Coupe? So, while this novel wasn’t as magnetic as I would have hoped, it certainly moved me. Perhaps in the next book, the characters will be more enriched and developed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lljonesbooks
Lovely. Can't wait for the next one.
LibraryThing member froxgirl
Jane Smiley's return to rural life is a steady, knowledgeable novel whose overriding sentiment is "anything can happen on a farm". In this book, it does. The central character is Frank, son of Rosanna and Walter, themselves farm children of German heritage. Frank is so intelligent and defiant that
Running chronologically from 1920, when Rosanna and Walter marry, until the end of their union in 1953, the saga encompasses drought, wars, death, socialism, literature, horses, and, most strongly, deep family devotion.
Some Luck (what a title!) contains no blinding revelations: just this haunting quote, summing up this all-encompassing tale -"Corporal, here's what I learned in the war. There's nothing more haunted than a house. Beings gather there. Every house is a planet, exerting gravitational pull. Every house is in a dark wood, every house has a wicked witch in it."
Show More
his parents and siblings are intimidated by him, especially younger brother Joe, whom Frank torments. Running chronologically from 1920, when Rosanna and Walter marry, until the end of their union in 1953, the saga encompasses drought, wars, death, socialism, literature, horses, and, most strongly, deep family devotion.
Some Luck (what a title!) contains no blinding revelations: just this haunting quote, summing up this all-encompassing tale -"Corporal, here's what I learned in the war. There's nothing more haunted than a house. Beings gather there. Every house is a planet, exerting gravitational pull. Every house is in a dark wood, every house has a wicked witch in it."
Show Less
LibraryThing member jwood652
We follow the lives of the Langford family, an Iowa farm family. This first installment of the trilogy covers 1920 to 1953, going from the plowhorse era, early tractors, Great Depression into the post WWII era. It illustrates the incredibly tough farmers life, hardships of war on the homefront and
Show More
in battle, Communism and the Cold War and, of course, the dynamics of a large family. Jane Smiley is a gifted, experienced, award winning author whose writing skill creates an affinity for the Langston family, craving the next installment. Show Less
LibraryThing member lisapeet
I liked this a lot—more than I thought I would when I first started it. It's very, very Midwestern, and I'm not saying that with any kind of coastal condescension. The characters, the action, the pace, all are very even and agreeable, but she somehow manages to avoid this being in any way boring.
She did a neat job of it, painting a picture of a family in the first half of the 20th century and making it both interesting on the personal level and having it also be an un-showy American history lesson. Synecdoche, I guess. Anyway, quite enjoyable and now I'm bummed that Random House didn't send me the galley of the sequel because I want to know how everyone's doing.
Show More
You keep waiting for some kind of flashy disaster to come, and it never does in the way you think it will. It's all matter-of-fact, but—when you pull back and look at the whole thing—quite well plotted. Even though there are a bunch of characters whose voices aren't super differentiated, I still had no trouble keeping track of them or telling who was who.She did a neat job of it, painting a picture of a family in the first half of the 20th century and making it both interesting on the personal level and having it also be an un-showy American history lesson. Synecdoche, I guess. Anyway, quite enjoyable and now I'm bummed that Random House didn't send me the galley of the sequel because I want to know how everyone's doing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kebets
Life on a farm has never been easy. This book proves the proverb once again. Life on a farm in southern Iowa for Walter Langdon was not easy. But, ease would not have been Walter's goal! Instead, he wanted to raise a family on the land - and that is just what he did!
Smiley follows Walter's family
I liked the format of this story. Each chapter was a new year. The chapters didn't necessarily follow the same character throughout - but they did follow the time chronologically. So we are able to watch as a family gets electricity or the first car. We experience the Depression in a very Iowa way - they didn't starve, but that is because they worked for every bite they got!
One of my pet peeves with farming books is the ridiculous rose-colored glasses that some writers use when they speak of farming. Smiley doesn't do that. It can be incredibly lonely and beyond difficult - like when Rosanna delivers her own baby by herself because she is not able to get to the field for any help.
It took me a while to get in to this book. I kept waiting for some big moment when luck would come in to play. The reality is that all farming is luck. All farmers know that - you have no control over the weather or the markets. You live on faith and luck and lots of work!
It was interesting to read about Iowa towns that I know...and the comparison between Iowa State and University of Iowa certainly rang true for me...you will have to read it to find out what I mean!
Smiley follows Walter's family
Show More
and life from 1920 until his death in 1953 chapter by chapter, season by season, year after year. Walter marries Rosanna and together they weather the fat years of the 20s and the con-summing drought of the 30s. They raise their children on the acres of the farm - working long hours and feeling incredible pride for their accomplishments. At least most of them.I liked the format of this story. Each chapter was a new year. The chapters didn't necessarily follow the same character throughout - but they did follow the time chronologically. So we are able to watch as a family gets electricity or the first car. We experience the Depression in a very Iowa way - they didn't starve, but that is because they worked for every bite they got!
One of my pet peeves with farming books is the ridiculous rose-colored glasses that some writers use when they speak of farming. Smiley doesn't do that. It can be incredibly lonely and beyond difficult - like when Rosanna delivers her own baby by herself because she is not able to get to the field for any help.
It took me a while to get in to this book. I kept waiting for some big moment when luck would come in to play. The reality is that all farming is luck. All farmers know that - you have no control over the weather or the markets. You live on faith and luck and lots of work!
It was interesting to read about Iowa towns that I know...and the comparison between Iowa State and University of Iowa certainly rang true for me...you will have to read it to find out what I mean!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Staciele
When I heard Jane Smiley had written a new book about an Iowa family covering several generations, I was anxious to read it. I had read her book A THOUSAND ACRES years ago and remember really loving it.
Rosanna and Walter Langdon live in the small farming community of Denby, Iowa. They love the land
What I most enjoyed about this novel was the stories of life on the farm. Growing up on an Iowa farm myself, I could relate, even though it was in the 1970's rather than the 20's, 30's and 40's. These are the years my parents grew up and the Langdon's farm and family reminded me of how I expect my dad's life was growing up. Walter and Rosanna had six children and instilled values of hard work, with even their children as young as five were expected to help out on the farm. The stories of cutting the tales off of new lambs, shearing the sheep, and collecting eggs immediately transported me back to my own childhood.
Each chapter is a year in the Langdon's life, jumping from one story to the next oftentimes skipping months in between. If you are looking for a story with a major plot and climax, this is not the book for you. Rather this is a look into a family over 33 years. The Langdon's are like most other families in small town Iowa during this time. They suffer loss, they celebrate births, and they find themselves surviving droughts and depression.
I wish their had been more depth to the stories, but I found I cared about the characters and the lives they were creating. I didn't love SOME LUCK, but I did appreciate the story Smiley is telling.
Rosanna and Walter Langdon live in the small farming community of Denby, Iowa. They love the land
Show More
and survive by using, eating, and selling what they produce. In 1920, Walter is just 25 and Rosanna just 20, starting out on their own farm with their families close by. As they are soon blessed with children, Rosanna and Walter find that each of their children has unique personalities but as they grow into adults, the values and traditions instilled in them by their parents will stay with them no matter where they go.What I most enjoyed about this novel was the stories of life on the farm. Growing up on an Iowa farm myself, I could relate, even though it was in the 1970's rather than the 20's, 30's and 40's. These are the years my parents grew up and the Langdon's farm and family reminded me of how I expect my dad's life was growing up. Walter and Rosanna had six children and instilled values of hard work, with even their children as young as five were expected to help out on the farm. The stories of cutting the tales off of new lambs, shearing the sheep, and collecting eggs immediately transported me back to my own childhood.
Each chapter is a year in the Langdon's life, jumping from one story to the next oftentimes skipping months in between. If you are looking for a story with a major plot and climax, this is not the book for you. Rather this is a look into a family over 33 years. The Langdon's are like most other families in small town Iowa during this time. They suffer loss, they celebrate births, and they find themselves surviving droughts and depression.
I wish their had been more depth to the stories, but I found I cared about the characters and the lives they were creating. I didn't love SOME LUCK, but I did appreciate the story Smiley is telling.
Show Less
LibraryThing member melissarochelle
Read from February 14 to 22, 2015
If you're looking for action or mystery or "the next Gone Girl", then don't look to this book. In Some Luck we meet the Langdon family of Iowa, they are farmers, friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters.
This is the first in a trilogy covering 100
If you like family sagas, then you'll love this book. If you're a fan of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, then you'll definitely want to pick this one up. While Follett introduces us to five different families across the globe, Smiley gives us a more intimate look at life during the same time period.
If you like multi-generational novels, also read these:
A Good American by Alex George
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
The Son by Philip Meyer
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
If you're looking for action or mystery or "the next Gone Girl", then don't look to this book. In Some Luck we meet the Langdon family of Iowa, they are farmers, friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters.
This is the first in a trilogy covering 100
Show More
years in the life of this family (and they're being published quickly, so no yearlong waiting!). In this first installment, we see glimpses into their lives beginning in 1920 when Walter and Rosanna are newlyweds starting their family through 1953 after years of children, changes, and uncharted territory (war, tractors, electricity, oh my!). If you like family sagas, then you'll love this book. If you're a fan of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, then you'll definitely want to pick this one up. While Follett introduces us to five different families across the globe, Smiley gives us a more intimate look at life during the same time period.
If you like multi-generational novels, also read these:
A Good American by Alex George
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
The Son by Philip Meyer
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
Show Less
LibraryThing member c.archer
This is a very real-life sort of story. It begins in 1920 in rural Iowa and concludes in 1953, and covers the life of Walter Langdon and his family from the early years on his farm into his 50's when he is still on the land he has cared for. From early married life through the course of his
This story is not a thriller or intense drama. It is about the real and common struggle of people trying their best to raise a family and make it through each day with the satisfaction of hard work. The following generations all share a bit of this rugged and individualistic spirit, and yet they live lives that are different from their parents. Perhaps this story touched me the most because I am in my fifties and although I didn't experience this time period, I can also begin to look back on my life and find satisfaction in the simple things and in having persisted through both joys and sorrows. There is beauty, but also sadness in the days of one's life and the author has done a lovely job of sharing that with the reader. I thank her for giving us this treasure.
Show More
marriage, the author, Ms. Smiley, tells of the ups and downs of life during this time period. I enjoyed the family's experiences as children were born and grew up, some moving on and others staying put. They weather the depression and the early lean years and with some luck, both good and bad, they wind up with a life that is ordinary but full and rich. This story is not a thriller or intense drama. It is about the real and common struggle of people trying their best to raise a family and make it through each day with the satisfaction of hard work. The following generations all share a bit of this rugged and individualistic spirit, and yet they live lives that are different from their parents. Perhaps this story touched me the most because I am in my fifties and although I didn't experience this time period, I can also begin to look back on my life and find satisfaction in the simple things and in having persisted through both joys and sorrows. There is beauty, but also sadness in the days of one's life and the author has done a lovely job of sharing that with the reader. I thank her for giving us this treasure.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pollyfrontier
I played the audio book over and over, and for a time cared for and felt as if I belonged in this endearing farm family.
Will look for the sequel.
Will look for the sequel.
LibraryThing member Doondeck
It took me a long time to get through this book. It was interesting, sometimes tedious and every now and then, sprinkled with some very touching vignettes.
LibraryThing member ccayne
Really disappointed since I love Smiley. I may try again.
LibraryThing member jody
I love a novel that can so beautifully portrait something as hard as farm life. And here Smiley does it once again! The Langdons are the most human of people. Simple workers of the land, yet complex in their views and morals. There are a few priceless moments ... but one of my favourites is in1948
Show More
when all the family gathers at the farm house for Thanksgiving and Roseanna is overwhelmed by the love she feels for them. I know this feeling personnally and am amazed at the emotional subtlety that she creates here.Can't wait to continue this trilogy into the furture. Show Less
LibraryThing member rglossne
I actually abandoned this book for a while, but I am glad I went back to finish. A family saga encompassing farm and family life in the first half of the twentieth century. Beautifully written, characters I cared about. Will read the rest of the trilogy.
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Told in annual chapters beginning in 1920 this is the story of the Langdon family, Walter and Rosanna and their children, Frank, Mary Elizabeth (who dies as a child), Joe, Lillian, Henry, and Claire. Each chapter is a reflection of the times in America as well as the times in the life of this
The last chapter in the book is 1952. Frank has served as a sniper in the war and Joe remained on the farm marrying a neighbor girl. Lillian and Henry lead lives far from Iowa.
The book ran very true for the relationships of the Iowa farmers and life was much like I remember it during the 50's and 60's. The book was funny at times, sad, and right on when depicting how some world events affected a farm family in Iowa.
Show More
family. In the 1920's Walter is working with horses, then tractors come, the Depression, and government farm programs all affect how this family survives and how they relate to each other. Frank is a bully, an independent with little feelings for others, but bright and hard working. Joe, on the other hand, is more sensitive and loves farming. Lillian marries abruptly to a man traveling through Iowa and finds herself on the East Coast eventually the wife of a CIA administrator. Henry loves literature and the history of language and becomes a teacher and is gay. Claire's life is sometimes overshadowed by all the events of the older brothers and sisters.The last chapter in the book is 1952. Frank has served as a sniper in the war and Joe remained on the farm marrying a neighbor girl. Lillian and Henry lead lives far from Iowa.
The book ran very true for the relationships of the Iowa farmers and life was much like I remember it during the 50's and 60's. The book was funny at times, sad, and right on when depicting how some world events affected a farm family in Iowa.
Show Less
LibraryThing member VashonJim
Story of the lives and loves of a farm family started very slowly. The chapter-equals-a-year format gradually picked up steam as the children reached adulthood. By the end it was pretty good, but I almost gave up join it several times.
LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
I'm in two minds about this one; I really enjoyed A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, and I do love reading novels that begin with family trees so that I can gradually put characters to the names - but the story was nearly as flat as Iowa itself! Walter and Rosanna get married, live on a farm, have
Show More
children, then more children, while the years are marked by freezing winters and stifling summers, punctuated by drolly announced deaths (my favourite is 'Well, [x] was dead by Monday morning'). Then the children start growing up and having grandchildren. The narrative stretches from the 1920s to the 1950s, and I swear I aged with every passing month. I did grow to know and like the many characters, from proud matriarch Rosanna to golden boy Frank and bookish Henry, but the only major event is World War Two, and even that felt like a potted history from an American war movie. A grudging four stars, because Jane Smiley has a beautiful way with words, but I think I'll pass on part two. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaylia3
Some Luck opens during the flapper era jazz age, but the young Langdon family spends their time in the farm fields of Iowa, not the speakeasies of Chicago or salons of Paris. The first of Jane Smiley’s family saga trilogy, there’s one chapter for each year from 1920 to 1953, taking the story
In the beginning there’s only Rosanna and Walter, a young married couple who’ve just purchased a farm by taking on substantial debt. Soon children start coming along and as the story goes on through the years readers watch them grow up and make new lives, often far away from their Iowa roots.
Smiley’s writing style is subtle, recounting sometimes quotidian events through the limited third person perspectives of almost all of her many characters, often starting from when they were very young children with limited verbal skills. Much of the story is not high drama, but somehow most of it is compelling anyway and I was completely drawn into the lives of the Langdons. Watching the children grow to adults was fascinating, and Smiley held my interest by making sometimes surprising but ultimately plausible choices for her characters.
Show More
through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, WWII, and the early days of the Cold War.In the beginning there’s only Rosanna and Walter, a young married couple who’ve just purchased a farm by taking on substantial debt. Soon children start coming along and as the story goes on through the years readers watch them grow up and make new lives, often far away from their Iowa roots.
Smiley’s writing style is subtle, recounting sometimes quotidian events through the limited third person perspectives of almost all of her many characters, often starting from when they were very young children with limited verbal skills. Much of the story is not high drama, but somehow most of it is compelling anyway and I was completely drawn into the lives of the Langdons. Watching the children grow to adults was fascinating, and Smiley held my interest by making sometimes surprising but ultimately plausible choices for her characters.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dawnlovesbooks
very long and dull. too many characters!
LibraryThing member Beamis12
Jane Smiley is a natural born storyteller and she writes characters that are so relatable. The Langdons are such a regular family, raising their children and farming their land in Iowa. The story starts in 1920 and everything we learn of a historical context we learn from the effect it had on the
We hear from each family member, even the young children. Frankie was such a scamp, always in trouble and his thoughts often made me smile. We follow their sorrows, their joys, their hardships and their successes. As the children get older, finding lives of their own we are shown more history, the war, the threat of communism and eventually the fears of Russian spies.
The book is divided into yearly chapters, ending in 1953. I felt like I could have been reading the life story of people I know. Her writing is just so natural, flowing, her characters so complete. Generational novels can be challenging, sometimes overstuffed but Smiley gave us just enough of each character to let us know them without boring us with needless details. I will so miss this family and am glad this is the first part of a trilogy. Looking forward to catching up with their lives once again.
I also appreciate that this story was linear, no going back and forth in time, just from character to character. As you can tell I loved this book.
ARC from publisher.
Show More
family and their community, such as the great depression, droughts when they had to fight to keep their farm going.We hear from each family member, even the young children. Frankie was such a scamp, always in trouble and his thoughts often made me smile. We follow their sorrows, their joys, their hardships and their successes. As the children get older, finding lives of their own we are shown more history, the war, the threat of communism and eventually the fears of Russian spies.
The book is divided into yearly chapters, ending in 1953. I felt like I could have been reading the life story of people I know. Her writing is just so natural, flowing, her characters so complete. Generational novels can be challenging, sometimes overstuffed but Smiley gave us just enough of each character to let us know them without boring us with needless details. I will so miss this family and am glad this is the first part of a trilogy. Looking forward to catching up with their lives once again.
I also appreciate that this story was linear, no going back and forth in time, just from character to character. As you can tell I loved this book.
ARC from publisher.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
National Book Award (Longlist — Fiction — 2014)
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2016)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
The Observer Book of the Year (Fiction — 2014)
Library Journal Top Ten Book (2014)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — Fiction — 2014)
Original publication date
2014