A Thousand AcresA Thousand Acres
Score Modern
What it's about
Larry Cook, a proud, domineering Iowa farmer, suddenly decides to hand over his thousand-acre farm to his three daughters. When the youngest, Caroline, hesitates, he cuts her out. Ginny, the eldest, tells what happens next, as the family comes apart and long-buried secrets about her father come to light. It's King Lear, retold on a modern farm.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It's a powerful, unsettling family story that gives Shakespeare's 'wicked' daughters their side.
You'll love it if you liked
East of Eden
Hamlet
The Other Side of the BridgeGood to know
It deals with incest and the father's sexual abuse of his daughters. The pace is slow and rural.
By the numbers
- Readers13 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics86 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller21 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #191 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #862 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1596 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
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Quick answers
Is A Thousand Acres worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. It ranks #1,596 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Thousand Acres about?
Larry Cook, a proud, domineering Iowa farmer, suddenly decides to hand over his thousand-acre farm to his three daughters. When the youngest, Caroline, hesitates, he cuts her out. Ginny, the eldest, tells what happens next, as the family comes apart and long-buried secrets about her father come to light. It's King Lear, retold on a modern farm.
How long does it take to read A Thousand Acres?
About 9 hours (371 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has A Thousand Acres won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1992); NBCC Award (Fiction) winner (1991).
What should I read after A Thousand Acres?
If you liked it, try East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Hamlet by William Shakespeare or The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson.