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Some Luck A novel The Last Hundred Years Trilogy A Family Saga Book 1 edition by Jane Smiley Literature Fiction eBooks

Download As PDF : Some Luck A novel The Last Hundred Years Trilogy A Family Saga Book 1 edition by Jane Smiley Literature Fiction eBooks

Some Luck A novel The Last Hundred Years Trilogy A Family Saga Book 1 edition by Jane Smiley Literature Fiction eBooks

Suffering acutely from “Downton Abbey Withdrawal” now that the great saga of the Crawley family is concluded, I cast around for something literary and satisfyingly toothsome to take its place. I thought perhaps I would re-read the great Forsyte Saga for the umpteenth time, but then I thought, no, I must try something else. And so I found Some Luck by the prolific American writer Jane Smiley, and I think that it will do nicely for now. This is the first of a sweeping trilogy that spans nearly a century, and it was a National Book Award nominee and flows from the highly accomplished pen of the author who won the Pulitzer Prize for her book A Thousand Acres. It begins in the small farming town of Denby, Iowa in 1920, with the patriarchal couple of Rosanna and Walter Langdon welcoming into the world their first child, Frank. Joe comes next, and then many more children, but the two elder boys are the focal point of this book, and the story of their lives unspools fascinatingly as the reader is given a harrowing, up close and personal look into small family farm life in the roaring twenties, and then the Great Crash, the Depression, and the Dust Bowl of the thirties, followed by World War II and the boom years that followed. It is eventually the story, too, of how what is called The Great Generation was formed.
Smiley is a Dickens scholar and a huge admirer of the great Victorian storyteller, and so his influence is abundantly clear in her own work. Like Dickens works, this novel is plotted at a spanking pace, the characters are many and varied but always interesting, great tides of history and human empathy sweep through the book and the reader comes to know and care intensely for these very sympathetic characters. My only criticism of the book is perhaps that it is not Dickensian enough, in the sense that Smiley is almost too egalitarian in giving every character equal time and not focusing enough on the stories of Frank and Joe, who are far and away the more interesting characters in the book. Each short chapter is a calendar year, and each of the many characters has to be heard from in each chapter, so the inevitable result is a regrettable dilution of the more important characterizations. Dickens would never have let you lose sight of the main character, no many how many picturesque minor characters might swarm through his story.
Still, it is a gripping and highly satisfying story, told with great skill and panache, and the reader is borne along the bumpy ride that is every American family. The detailed and sensitive portrayal of everyday farm life in the rural America of our grandparents’ time is fascinating and we come to care for these characters almost as if they are members of our own family. Every reader of a certain age will see parts of himself or herself in these brilliantly defined and portrayed characters, and feel a lively kinship to their experience of growing up in the America of the last century.


Tags : Some Luck: A novel (The Last Hundred Years Trilogy: A Family Saga Book 1) - Kindle edition by Jane Smiley. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Some Luck: A novel (The Last Hundred Years Trilogy: A Family Saga Book 1).,ebook,Jane Smiley,Some Luck: A novel (The Last Hundred Years Trilogy: A Family Saga Book 1),Anchor,Historical - General,Literary,Sagas,20th century,American Historical Fiction,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Sagas,Farm life,Farm life;Fiction.,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,FictionSagas,Historical - General,History,Iowa;Fiction.,Literary,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Rural families,Rural families;Fiction.,Sagas,Smiley, Jane - Prose & Criticism,Social change,United States,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Sagas,FictionSagas,Fiction - Historical,American Historical Fiction,Smiley, Jane - Prose & Criticism,20th century,Farm life,History,Rural families,Social change,United States,Fiction,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Some Luck A novel The Last Hundred Years Trilogy A Family Saga Book 1 edition by Jane Smiley Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

If Jane Smiley ever came across my reviews, she would probably say, "Well, that Philistine clearly doesn't understand the deep meanings, subtle character developments, and clever deconstructionism of this novel." I don't think she would be quite right, but I admit now to reading novels for pleasure rather than to engage in critical analysis. I'm glad I was a political science rather than an English major. There's no fiction in politics - nothing but straightforward, clear analysis. -) In English however, there can be many hidden meanings.

I'm a great fan of Jane Smiley's books, and "Some Luck" was a charming, warm-hearted read. I enjoyed every page. The chronological progression, from 1920 through 1953, allowed the characters to come of age, or go from younger to older adult status, or retain or abandon the farming gene. Character development was superb. This was life on an Iowa family farm, with all its vicissitudes - people grow old, some die, kids grow up (some leaving and some staying to continue farming). All have flaws/weaknesses, but none of those flaws are dramatically debilitating. The novel includes no murders, no violence (except killing of the animals, which can be chalked up to a normal feature of the farming business), no evil folks (most hats are neither black nor white, but very light gray).

Farming turns out to be a tough business, with lots of uncertainty, harsh conditions, and room for plenty of agonizing decision-making. For me, the title "Some Luck" means that no matter how hard a farmer works, s/he must rely on some degree of luck in order to keep going. I'm sure there are other, more sophisticated interpretations of "some luck," but I'm okay with the simple explanation.

The edition of "Some Luck" includes a reading group guide consisting of 21 questions. I'm very glad I didn't see these questions till I had finished the book. Number 6, for example, states that "Throughout the story Frank is described as persistent, if not out-right stubborn. How does this quality help him in his life? Does it hinder him?" Frank was one of my favorite characters and I enjoyed his persistence. But I wasn't interested in analyzing whether it hindered him in life. Maybe that's why I avoid joining book clubs. You need to have an opinion about virtually everything you read. That's too reminiscent of grad school for me. I don't mind pondering meanings when I feel like it, but not for every word. (4-1/2 stars)
Suffering acutely from “Downton Abbey Withdrawal” now that the great saga of the Crawley family is concluded, I cast around for something literary and satisfyingly toothsome to take its place. I thought perhaps I would re-read the great Forsyte Saga for the umpteenth time, but then I thought, no, I must try something else. And so I found Some Luck by the prolific American writer Jane Smiley, and I think that it will do nicely for now. This is the first of a sweeping trilogy that spans nearly a century, and it was a National Book Award nominee and flows from the highly accomplished pen of the author who won the Pulitzer Prize for her book A Thousand Acres. It begins in the small farming town of Denby, Iowa in 1920, with the patriarchal couple of Rosanna and Walter Langdon welcoming into the world their first child, Frank. Joe comes next, and then many more children, but the two elder boys are the focal point of this book, and the story of their lives unspools fascinatingly as the reader is given a harrowing, up close and personal look into small family farm life in the roaring twenties, and then the Great Crash, the Depression, and the Dust Bowl of the thirties, followed by World War II and the boom years that followed. It is eventually the story, too, of how what is called The Great Generation was formed.
Smiley is a Dickens scholar and a huge admirer of the great Victorian storyteller, and so his influence is abundantly clear in her own work. Like Dickens works, this novel is plotted at a spanking pace, the characters are many and varied but always interesting, great tides of history and human empathy sweep through the book and the reader comes to know and care intensely for these very sympathetic characters. My only criticism of the book is perhaps that it is not Dickensian enough, in the sense that Smiley is almost too egalitarian in giving every character equal time and not focusing enough on the stories of Frank and Joe, who are far and away the more interesting characters in the book. Each short chapter is a calendar year, and each of the many characters has to be heard from in each chapter, so the inevitable result is a regrettable dilution of the more important characterizations. Dickens would never have let you lose sight of the main character, no many how many picturesque minor characters might swarm through his story.
Still, it is a gripping and highly satisfying story, told with great skill and panache, and the reader is borne along the bumpy ride that is every American family. The detailed and sensitive portrayal of everyday farm life in the rural America of our grandparents’ time is fascinating and we come to care for these characters almost as if they are members of our own family. Every reader of a certain age will see parts of himself or herself in these brilliantly defined and portrayed characters, and feel a lively kinship to their experience of growing up in the America of the last century.