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A thousand acres

by Jane Smiley

Cover of A thousand acres
Popularity 63

This powerful twentieth-century reimagining of Shakespeare’s *King Lear* centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions. Ambitiously conceived and stunningly written, *A Thousand Acres* takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride—and reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity.

FictionFamily farmsParent and adult childFathers and daughtersInheritance and successionAging parentsSistersFarm lifeNational Book Critics Circle Award Winneraward:national_book_critics_circle_award=1991award:national_book_critics_circle_award=fictionIncest