Book Review: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

It's not often that a book or movie surprises me, but A Thousand Acres did. This modern adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear focuses on a farming family with dark secrets and lots of scheming. I had never read King Lear and was not familiar with the story. Perhaps if you are, the story might be less exciting. Although the story is quite dark and the secrets dreadful, I loved the way this book shocked and caught me off guard. There were many times while I was reading along that I would suddenly gasp and cover my mouth, getting the attention of whoever was in the room with me: "What?! WHAT?!" :)

The author does a superb job of weaving her story. It makes for a fast-moving, exciting read. Highly recommended.