It was "King Lear" set on a farm in Iowa

The year was 1997, and Mama brought home A Thousand Acres for us to watch on a Saturday night. It could have been a Friday night, but that doesn't really matter. I don't remember much about the movie, I was only 14 or so at the time, and I can't say that a movie about two sisters fighting over a farm was that appealing.

What I do remember, however, did not prepare me for the book. It seems that they utilized that creative license to the fullest extent... by basically rewriting it all together. But it could just be my memory.

After all, how could I have forgotten that this beautiful fellow played Jess Clark?
Perhaps I blocked this from my memory, as I preferred to remember him as Mr. Darcy. No girl would daydream about one day meeting a Jess Clark, but he is a much better image than what I came up with on my own.

Forgive me. I digress.

A Thousand Acres won Jane Smiley the Pulitzer in 1992 and is, in fact, King Lear set on a farm in Iowa. Ever book review I have read started out that way, and this brief description was utilized as the summary for the movie. However, I would prefer to talk about the work in its own right.

There was something about Smiley's beautiful prose and Ginny's narrative that pulled me in and made me feel at home. Both sets of grandparents were farmers in one way or another, and there is a certain kind of hardness that comes with the profession. One cannot wallow in tragedy; one cannot simply take a day off because you are tired. The cows will still need milking, and the fields will still need tending. The land doesn't take a holiday, and it can be just as callous as hard working hands.

The storyline is simple. The father, Larry Cook, has decided that the time has come to turn his thousand-acre farm into a corporation that would then go to his three daughters. Ginny, the oldest, simply does as she is told. That's what she has pretty much always done. Rose, the middle daughter, has no problem taking the farm as she feels it is her right, and Caroline, the youngest and a lawyer in the big city, has no interest in the land. Family secrets and forgotten memories are brought to light as the father slowly slips into senility, and the sisters and spouses are at constant odds.

While there is much more going on in this quiet novel, what stuck with me was the father's preoccupation with growing and subduing the land for family and prestige, and in the end, not only is the farm lost, divided up and sold to the highest bidder, but the family is destroyed. Smiley creates a realistic world in where there are no perfect specimens of the human race. Each sister, husband, father, neighbor has their own faults, their own baggage, and their own motives that drive them to the devastating end.

For dirt and water.

For stubbornness and envy.

For the Cooks, blood didn't run that thick after all.

While A Thousand Acres is, in fact, King Lear set on a farm, it is so much more than that. Smiley took a classic story and modernized and twisted it to the American culture, our passions and desires, for better or for worse.

Over the next few months, I will have to deviate from my Pulitzer quest. I will instead read other American greats such as Emerson, Melville, and Alcott among others. In stolen moments of spare time, I plan to read Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor (1956). However, it may be Christmas before that is accomplished.

Until then, dear readers.... Happy reading.

We meet again, Mr. Faulkner

So I must admit that, even as an English major, I have only read two Faulkner novels: Intruder in the Dust and The Sound and the Fury.  While I can respect him as an excellent spinner of tales, his long-winded sentences left me breathless and (more often than not) confused. Until I realized that Mr. Faulkner is much better understood and appreciated when read aloud. The Reivers was a perfect example.


Winner of the 1963 Pulitzer, The Reivers is a coming-of-age story about a young boy names Lucius Priest from Jefferson, Mississippi. Told as a memory to a grandchild, the book begins: Grandfather said:


What follows is a wonderfully sorted tale of misadventures, and it all begins with a death and a trip to New Orleans (or Mobile or somewhere). And as the old saying goes, when the cat's away....

Boon Hogganbeck, the hired hand, and Lucius take a road trip in Boss's new automobile up to Memphis, only to discover later that Ned, the coachman, had tagged along in the back. Of course, we wouldn't have much of a story, if these three guys didn't get into some sort of trouble. Boon exposes the young Lucius to a great deal in the four days they are in Memphis: racehorses, gambling, drinking, bawdy houses, and a pretentious deputy aiming for a fight. What fun!

What I found most interesting is Lucius revelation upon his return to Jefferson: It hasn't even changed! Because it should have. It should have been altered, even if only a little. I don't mean it should have changed of itself, but that I, bringing back to it what the last four days must have changed in me, should have altered it. What truth!

When I read this, I was immediately reminded of the short story by Stephen King, The Body, in which a group of young boys go off to find the dead body of Ray Brower. When they return, it is impossible to go back to the way things were, yet everything is still the same. Thomas Wolfe always confused me with his quote: You can't go home again. Perhaps, this is what he means.

While some of the language was dated for me, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think, so far, it is my favorite work of his. Some may disagree in that they prefer his other Yoknapatawpha County works, but I have nothing at this point to which to compare.

We will meet again, Mr. Faulkner and I. I will pull up a chair, pour a hot cup of coffee, and say, "Hello there old friend. Tell me a story." Then I will sit back and allow his southern drawl to lull me back to Mississippi, to dirt roads and red clay. Until then, Mr. Faulkner, take care.

Up next, A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (1992).

Until then... Happy reading.

If you sell the land, it is the end...

The Good Earth is about just that, the good earth, the land that brings forth prosperity or devastation. Pearl S. Buck won the Pulitzer for this work in 1932. Interesting enough, the entire work takes place in China before the revolution and the last emperor still reigned.
We meet Wang Lung on his wedding day. His father had arranged the union with the lady of the House of Hwang. He will marry a servant not to pretty as Wang Lung is not in need of a pretty woman and the trouble she brings. Her name is O-lan, and upon their union, she spends the rest of her days selflessly providing for her less than endearing husband. A hard worker, Wang Lung falls into fortune as the gods bless his fields. Instead of saving the money for hard times, he invests it in the land, slowly buying pieces of soil from the House of Hwang until he owns it all. Even the house itself.

At first meeting, Wang Lung is likable enough, a poor farmer plowing the fields. However, as he grows in his wealth and reputation, he moves into the House of Hwang and way from the fields, becoming lazy and idle and throwing money at problems to make them disappear. Wang Lung returns to the land time and time again to sooth his suffering. It is the land that provides, and while he understood that, it was a lesson he failed to pass on to his sons.  In the end (spoiler alert!!), the sons' knowing smiles imply that they will not heed their father's advise, and as soon as he dies, the land will be sold. The end, in this case, it two fold.

Buck aptly describes what happens when wealth is simply given and not earned. While Wang Lung worked the land to bring forth fruit, his sons merely enjoyed the benefits. Wang Lung wanted better for his sons; they should have better than he, toiling in the fields was for no son of his. My how the circle keeps on turning, and there is nothing new under the sun! It is from the earth that life is sustained, fed and nurtured. Wang Lung's trouble came when he deviated from that. A lesson more easily observed from the outside than from within.

While daunting in size, The Good Earth is a fairly easy read with simple writing and a somewhat engaging plot. There were even a few things I could take away from the novel... maybe, dare I say it, what not to do as a parent.

Up next, The Reivers by William Faulkner, winner of the Pulitzer in 1963. Until then... Happy reading.

Empire Falls

Empire Falls won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002, and while it was a quiet novel, I enjoyed my journey with Miles,  Tick, and the rest of the eclectic cast of characters living in a dying town. Perhaps I enjoyed it because I came from a small town much like Empire Falls, a small community of people living out their existence without ever venturing beyond the city limits. Everyone has history with everyone, and past mistakes are hard to escape. At the heart, I think I enjoyed it most for the characters. In this novel, Richard Russo was able to capture the true essence of each individual, plopping you down in the middle of their world and slowly revealing glimpses of the past as the protagonist, Miles Roby makes sense of what his life has become.

Miles struggles with his divorce, caring for his daughter, and keeping the grill afloat, all under the watchful eye of Francine Whiting. Much like the Eye of Mordor, she sees and knows everything, making it hard for Miles to escape her clutches. However, it is not just Whiting that ties him to Empire Falls; Miles, himself, is innately unable to make a decision, to take control, allowing Whiting to pull the strings and driving his wife to the arms of another man.

While the book description promises hilarity, it is few and far between in these soul-searching pages. However, there is some comic relief in the form of one Silver Fox, the fiancee of Miles' ex-wife and a realtor in Empire Falls. The Silver Fox has commandeered Miles' old life, sleeping with is wife, living in his house, and invading the Empire Grill to salt the proverbial wound. While he is a character one immediately loves to hate, he is necessary to allow the reader to breath under the wait of something quiet but powerful.

I have been told by other avid readers that this is not the greatest of Russo's work, and that may very well be true. I have found on this Pulitzer journey that the committee sometimes misses the mark (in my humble opinion, of course), but I think Empire Falls offers up the life of a small blue-collar town trying to make it. From where I sit now in 2012, isn't that the new American dream? Just to make it?

Perhaps. I don't know. What I do know is that I find joy my daughter's innocence, in a hot cup of coffee and a good book, in a house full of people I love.

Up next The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, winner of the 1932 Pulitzer Prize.

Until then, my friends.... Happy reading.

A Brief Detour and a New Journey

So... Upon finishing Lonesome Dove, I took a brief detour to read a few things now quite literary enough to be considered for the Pulitzer Prize. And by a few, I mean four. My sister had given me Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for Christmas, and I just couldn't wait a few more YEARS to read it. I put the quest on hold, figuring even the greatest of warriors rested from battle. I was not disappointed. I have come to trust her taste in books, and she could not sing this book's praises any louder were she using a megaphone from a mountain top, and I must agree with her. Set post-911, the book revolves around the mind of an 11-year-old boy whose father died when the twin towers fell. What could wallow in the deepest pits of despair manages to be a message of hope, a way of consciously choosing to make something other than it is in order to bear its weight. As I write this, I am reminded of another excellent work, The Life of Pi, where, in much the same light, a young boy reinvents his reality in order for him to swallow it. We follow him on his quest to uncover a secret message left by his ghost father but watch as he untangles the knots of his past. In the end, I must admit, I was slightly disappointed... but only slightly, for there is always hope. There is always light.

In almost the same night I finished the great work, I picked up The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had this book on my to-read list for the past two years when a colleague of mine spoke about it at our monthly book club. The movie was coming out in a few months, and, as I am a stickler for reading the book before the movie, I decided now was the time. And thus started my five-day addiction... Within two nights of reading, the first book was finished, and fortunately for me, I had the foresight to check the entire trilogy all at once.


I immediately started the second book, Catching Fire, but had to convince myself to be an adult to go to bed. It was well after 2 in the morning. Within two more days, I was starting on the final book,Mockingjay, and within another day and half, I was finished. And then the withdrawals set in... You know, that sense of loss when you finish a great series, the whole in your heart left when you leave their world only to be left with repeats.

The three novels center around Katniss Everdeen who finds herself in the fight to the death in a distopia formally know as North America. You, like thousands (millions) of others, have probably already read the series, so I will not bore you with the plot line and summary. I will say that it was nice to see a strong female character that defiantly fought against the "Capitol" and didn't just pine away for a boy. But for a brief week, I came the closest I think I will ever come to knowing what an addiction felt like.

Seconds seemed like days and minutes seemed like years as I (im)patiently waited for my daughter to go to bed so that I find Katniss waiting for me in the area. Just where I left her, always near certain death. I would then read, hardly noticing the passing of time, ignoring my saint of a husband until he long gone to sleep. Fortunately, my addiction was short lived. But with that said, it took me awhile to want to move on. To "meet" someone new, another friend in another world. So I waited. It's best not to rush these things but to let them slowly fade away, making room for another hero, another friend. While I was waiting, I received some most overwhelming news. I had been accepted into Auburn University's Master of English program. Not only was I accepted but I was offered a GTA position with full tuition and a stipend, a deal too great for this bookish school girl to turn down. So with a deep breath and a heavy heart, I quit job and start school in the fall. At 30 years old, I am either setting a great example for my daughter to be a life-long learner or I am completely crazy. I go back and forth.

 So here's to new adventures, real and imagined, and now back to the quest. For a warrior must continue lest he grow faint of heart. Up next: Empire Falls by Richard Russo, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize.

 Until then, my friends... Happy Reading.

Two Books with One Blog...

All winning streaks must come to an end at some point, right? Well, Humboldt's Gift was a large disappointment. I can understand why the committee liked it, but for me it was a less than entertaining read. I found it too heady and philosophical (and even that was hard to follow at times). Perhaps I am just not in the right phase of life to appreciate it, but I don't plan on rereading it to find out.

The story follows a once-successful Pulizer-Prize winning author who has fallen on hard times. He learns that his dear friend and mentor, Humbolt, has died, which sends him into self-deprecating meditations. His sordid past and poor investments are revealed in a painfully slow manner. He ends up in some criminally funny situations, but the plot is lost in the periodic monologues of heady thoughts.

With that said....

I was relieved to pick up Lonesome Dove.

Lonesome Dove, written by Larry McMurtry and winner of 1985 Pulitzer, was a wonderful adventure of the last frontier. The two main characters are Augustus  McCrae and Woodrow Call, two ex-Texas Rangers that own a livery outside of Lonesome Dove. They are complete opposites in every way to people can be, but they are connected as one person.  Life is great for the Hat Creek gang, albeit dull, until (as in all great westerns) a stranger rides into town. Well, to be honest, he wasn't a stranger but a distant memory from their rangering days, but the effect was still the same.  

His name was Jake Spoon, and he had gotten himself into a bit of trouble up in Arizona. He mentions the last remaining wilderness of Montana, a cattle-driver's paradise, and that was all it took to spur the suppressed desire for adventure in William Call. The rest of the story recounts their adventures on an unprecedented cattle drive to Montana. To make it more interesting, Jake Spoon unwillingly carts along Miss Lorena Wood, the only whore in Lonesome Dove.  

In Lonesome Dove, McMurtry has penned some amazing characters. He flawlessly shifts your opinion of Jake Spoon as he floats from day to day with no direction, his moral code slipping along the way. You innately like Augustus McCrae, even if he is a bit of a scoundrel, and you desperately hope for Call to change, to become the man he can't admit himself to be. In the end, it's a haunting tale; everyone is looking for something, something to end the loneliness, but all settle for something a little less than ideal in the end. McMurtry's characters demonstrate how everyone is interconnected and how the crazy idea of a lackluster drifter can alter the lives of so many.

Well done.

I think I will take a break from the Pulitzers for a moment. The Hunger Games has been on my list for a while, and with the upcoming movie, I have decided to bump it up on the list.

Until then... Happy Reading.

                                 

                                                                                          

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters

So it seems I'm on a roll reading books that I honestly enjoy. While somewhat dated and at times flowery for my taste, I found this "Tom Sawyer" like tale engaging and well worth the read.

Winner of the 1959 Pulitzer, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor follows the wiley antics and coming-of-age of.... wait for it.... you guessed it: Jaimie McPheeters.

The year is 1849, and gold has been discovered in the west. Dr. McPheeters, Jaimie's father, is deep in debt, and eager to start affresh on the trail for fortune. Jaimie, eager to escape another year of school, eager goes with him, leaving his mother alone in Kentucky to fight off the creditors. The remaining chapters depict their adventures, fortunes and misfortunes alike.

From the begining, I had a great feeling about this book. Maybe it was residue from finishing yet another great read. Perhaps it was because my father enjoyed it so much. Or maybe it is just that Robert Lewis Taylor is just that good. Whatever the reason, I breezed through the first chapters with little henderance. However...

After Jaimie's second encounter with less-than-friendly natives, my enthusiasm began to wane. Wondering if Taylor simply took Huck Finn from the Mississippi River and placed him the gold rush, I barreled through, waiting for the entire book to be comprised of kidnappings and sterotypes. To my great delight, Taylor proved my worries invalid, mixing things up a bit with fool's gold, showdowns, and thievery.

And as with all great books, the ending came much too quickly. I feel much like Jaimie as he watches his father leave for the last time: "Probably I should have felt sad, because I had an uneasy feeling that we would never see him again. But I couldn't help smiling instead. It was alright. The pot of gold, the real strike, his dream run to earth, lay somewhere up ahead, around the next bend of the trail. It was alright. That next bend was my father's pot of gold, just as I'd said in my letter. I wondered how long he could have lasted before those beckoning hills stirred the old restlessness. How many months before the ranch itself was an enemy, and, the first crack had appeared that told of trouble coming? We waved goodbye, and I watched him ride away to keep his appointment with Fortune."

So we part ways here. I continue on my quest a little better for having know Jaimie McPheeters, and I'm optimistic as I select my next Pulitzer, Humbolt's Gift by Saul Bellows.

Until then, my friends... Happy reading!