Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner
A Thousand Acres
by Jane Smiley
Summary
A retelling of King Lear set on a thousand acre Iowa farm, where an aging patriarch's sudden decision to divide his land among his three daughters cracks open long buried family violence and the costs of postwar industrial agriculture. Smiley narrates from the eldest daughter's point of view, recasting Shakespeare's drama as a story about land, inheritance, and women's silenced histories. The novel is a landmark of late twentieth century American feminist fiction.
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Historical Context & Significance
The novel was a landmark for 90s feminism, shifting the perspective from the patriarch to the daughters and revealing hidden family traumas.