Arcadia in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 31, 2014 Rachel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, libraryebook

Wow so this was a really decent novel. She came out with a blockbuster that I had no desire to read at one point, and then someone mentioned that this was actually a pretty good book so I decided to try it. I might actually go check out that other one. Is it really about monsters? Hmm...

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Apr 17, 2012 Agatha Donkar Lund rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, 2012

Liked the back half (post-commune) of this more than the first, but loved Bit as a character regardless. The sluggishness and preachy nature of the first half knock it from four to three.

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Oct 01, 2016 Sunflower rated it liked it

Shelves: e-books, fiction-read-2016

This book follows the life of a child born into a hippie commune though several stages of his life. I'm only giving it 3 stars because although I thought the beginning part and the end parts were great, this author lost me in the middle. A keenly observed tale of Bit's (yes, the name grates more than a bit) life and loves, with commentary on the characters who live in the commune and how they are moulded by it as they enter the world outside. ...more

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May 25, 2012 Kay Green rated it really liked it

This book gave a wonderful and detailed description of life in an upstate NY commune in the early 70's. I loved the idealism, the optimism and confidence that this was a better way to live. The characters of Bit, and Hannah and Abe (his parents) were so interesting. But the story line dragged somewhat as the problems of communal life increased. Still the author writes beautifully and lots of passages were worth a reread.
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