Library's review
The first section of the book is set during Bit's childhood, when the traveling band of hippies settles at Arcadia, an upstate New York estate that they turn into a commune. Because we are seeing events through the eyes of a child, many of the undercurrents of tension between adults are understated but Groff still manages to convey what's happening to the reader without betraying her young protagonist's POV. This was my favorite part of the novel, as we see the group settle into its community living and then slowly come apart.
The next section picks up Bit's life as an adult. He's a struggling photographer and university teacher, with a toddler daughter and a missing wife. The final section moves us further on, as Bit struggles with his now-teenage daughter and the increasing fragility of the world around him and his aging hippie parents.
Groff draws some beautiful word pictures, and I was captivated by the situations she created. Even the more minor characters come alive with distinct personalities (whether positive or negative). However, I found the ending, which is set in the immediate future (2018) in the midst of a potential world environmental catastrophe, to be fairly unconvincing and a bit of a letdown after the luminous beginning. Still, it was a worthy read and one I would recommend for readers who love interesting characters.
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Fiction. Literature. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"Timeless and vast... The raw beauty of Ms. Groff's prose is one of the best things about Arcadia. But it is by no means this book's only kind of splendor."�??-Janet Maslin, The New York Times "Even the most incidental details vibrate with life Arcadia wends a harrowing path back to a fragile, lovely place you can believe in."�??-Ron Charles, The Washington Post In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding a commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this romantic utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday. Arcadia's inhabitants include Handy, the charismatic leader; his wife, Astrid, a midwife; Abe, a master carpenter; Hannah, a baker and historian; and Abe and Hannah's only child, Bit. While Arcadia rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. He falls in love with Helle, Handy's lovely, troubled daughter. And eventually he must face the world beyond Arcadia. In Arcadia, Groff displays her literary gifts to stunning effect. "Fascinating."-�??People (****) "It's not possible to write any better without showing off."�??-Richard Russo, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Empire Falls "Dazzling."�??-… (more)