A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley - Chapters 1 - 23

[George]

Please comment here on chapters 1 - 23 (page 1 - 184 on my flamingo edition) on A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

[George]

This is a novel about the loss of family farms and 'the family' itself in a farming community in Iowa, USA, in the 1970s and 1980s.
The characters are well developed and involving. What is it to be a daughter, to please a proud ageing father? The story of the three daughters growth is a well-paced, slow reveal. The connection to Shakespeare's King Lear is interesting with the author giving more depth and reason to the daughter's decisions than in Shakespeare's play, where they are the more one-dimensional characters. I am finding it an interesting, enjoyable read.