Product Description
A riveting new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winner that traverses the intimate landscape of one woman’s life, from the 1880s to World War II.

Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty-seven in post–Civil War Missouri when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early. He’s the most famous man their small town has ever produced: a naval officer and a brilliant astronomer—a genius who, according to the local paper, has changed the universe. Margaret’s mother calls the match “a piece of luck.”

Margaret is a good girl who has been raised to marry, yet Andrew confounds her expectations from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in faraway California. Soon she comes to understand that his devotion to science leaves precious little room for anything, or anyone, else. When personal tragedies strike and when national crises envelop the country, Margaret stands by her husband. But as World War II approaches, Andrew’s obsessions take a different, darker turn, and Margaret is forced to reconsider the life she has so carefully constructed.

Private Life is a beautiful evocation of a woman’s inner world: of the little girl within the hopeful bride, of the young woman filled with yearning, and of the faithful wife who comes to harbor a dangerous secret. But it is also a heartbreaking portrait of marriage and the mysteries that endure even in lives lived side by side; a wondrously evocative historical panorama; and, above all, a masterly, unforgettable novel from one of our finest storytellers.Amazon.com Review
Questions for Jane Smiley on A Private Life

Q: Some of the characters in Private Life are based in part on members of your own family--your main character Margaret Mayfield on your great aunt, Frances See and Andrew Early on her infamous scientist husband Thomas Jefferson Jackson See, a naval astronomer whose increasingly implausible theories made him an outcast in the scientific community. Did you ever meet them?
A: I didn’t know my aunt at all, or her husband. She died when I was about two or three. She was my grandfather’s much older sister--he was the youngest of ten children and she was number two or three. But my mother and her siblings were quite fond of her. As for her husband, they thought he was just an eccentric family uncle, and I don’t think they realized how infamous he was in the physics establishment.

Customer Reviews (64)

Tedious
Here are 3 things I wish authors would not use in their novels:
Long descriptions of paintings
Long descriptions of dreams
Long descriptions of the origins of the universe

If one or more of these concern you, skip this book.

Might have made a nice SHORT story
There really was no story.Old maid marries overbearing man.Minor detail descriptions took up pages.I skimmed through a lot just to get through it.I guess I kept hoping there would be a plot.

The slow progression of marriage, madness
Margaret Mayfield is 27 when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early, the genius son of a prominent family in their rural Missouri town.Andrew and Margaret begin their married life at the Navy base on Mare Island, north of San Francisco, where Andrew heads the naval observatory.Bookish and dependable Margaret is passively curious to learn about her new role as a wife, as well as the enigmatic man to whom she is now married. She does so over the nearly 60 years the book spans, mostly through her relationships with a cast of intriguing neighbors and relatives.

In the background pass the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, World War I, and the invention of automobiles as Andrew grows increasingly obsessed with achieving notoriety as an astronomer and physicist.Enslaved as Andrew's typist for endless drafts of manuscripts meant to unseat Andrew's perceived nemesis, Albert Einstein, Margaret begins to see the cracks in Andrew's genius.She watches, from her emotionally distant perch as he spirals into dementia-like insanity, which the reader knows (from the book's prologue) will inevitably result in the pre-World War II internment of Japanese family whom Margaret has known for decades.

//Private Life//, for its magnificent characters, captivating writing, and unique setting, is a book not to be missed.Jane Smiley fans and those who enjoy modern literature will find this to be a thought-provoking, satisfying read.

Reviewed by Megan Just

Boring!
The book was sad, dreary, and ultimately boring.I finally gave up - very unusual for me.I decided I didn't have to prove my character by finishing a book when I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters.What would I have liked to have known before committing to read this book?That the characters weren't engaging.That the "action" didn't include much action.That these were the sort of people I would avoid in reality if I could.

Finally gave up
As a Smiley fan, I really tried to get through this book, but have finally given up.The writing is excellent as I've come to expect from Smiley, and very dense with facts about events in the time period, but it is also as stiff as the main character and for me, far from engaging.The tone does a good job of reinforcing Margaret's sober and stifled life.She lacks any sort of connection with her distracted husband who is more interested in himself and his theories than her.

Margaret is a rather wooden person who is out of touch with herself and her surroundings.She even knows this and wonders about others who seem to have a more interesting way of interacting with the world.Her perceptions of what happens around her are filled with a vacant acceptance and rather distant observations because she is so out of touch.It's as though she is watching her own life from afar rather than living it.

I grew bored with her lifelessness and just didn't care what happened next--she didn't seem to either.I kept reading, but eventually felt my time would be better spent with various other books on my shelf.I hate to abandon a well-written book, but this one was too slow for my taste.

I always admire Smiley's ability to fashion a believable story that is complex and multilayered--and this is no exception as I'm sure many women of that era felt caught between a liberating life and a more traditional one and were consumed with discomfort over how to cope.Still, this makes for tedious reading--about as lively as watching paint dry--and eventually I set the book aside.The ending may have held a big payoff and tied everything up nicely, but I fear I will never know.
... Read more

Product Description
A successful Iowa farmer decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest objects, she is cut out of his will. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions. An ambitious reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear cast upon a typical American community in the late twentieth century, A Thousand Acres takes on themes of truth, justice, love, and pride, and reveals the beautiful yet treacherous topography of humanity.Amazon.com Review
Aging Larry Cook announces his intention to turn over his1,000-acre farm--one of the largest in Zebulon County, Iowa--to histhree daughters, Caroline, Ginny and Rose. A man of harshsensibilities, he carves Caroline out of the deal because she has thenerve to be less than enthusiastic about her father'sgenerosity. While Larry Cook deteriorates into a pathetic drunk, hisdaughters are left to cope with the often grim realities of life on afamily farm--from battering husbands to cutthroat lenders. In thiswinner of the 1991 National BookCritics Circle Award for Fiction, Smiley captures the essence ofsuch a life with stark, painful detail. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (211)

Thanks so much!
I received this book in record time.It is in great condition.Thanks for your most excellent service.

acres of family conflict
Life is moving along swimmingly for an extended farm family in Iowa in 1979, until the patriarch, Larry Cook, decides to sign his 1000 acres over to his three daughters.Rose and Ginny both live on the land with their husbands, but Caroline is an attorney who balks at the plan and thus loses her share.It's unclear, really, why Larry suddenly decides to make this bequest, but afterward he starts behaving very strangely.Is it dementia, regret, revenge, or just orneriness? He's certainly become somewhat unmoored and hasn't gotten any nicer.Ginny and her husband Ty were formerly the slavish favored pair, but Rose's spunk has diminished Ginny's fear and bolstered her self-confidence.As Ginny begins to stop looking the other way when their father insults them and behaves like a spoiled child, Ty becomes uneasy, because Ginny is his link to the land and their livelihood.Ginny's sudden about-face is also partly inspired by Jess, a draft dodger who has recently returned from Canada, thanks to Jimmy Carter's amnesty.There's a lot of inner turmoil bubbling to the surface for all of these characters but especially for Ginny, who has suppressed her hurt and anger for so long that she has repressed key events, to the point that she questions her sister's veracity.This uncertainty, along with some not-so-friendly sisterly competition, causes Ginny to become unhinged and do some pretty radical stuff.Despite the seriousness of all this, there is one very funny scene near the beginning where a neighbor's parrot shouts some commands, such as "sit" and "roll over," sending the dogs into an obedient frenzy.My favorite sentiment, though, is at the end, when Ginny observes that the burden of having to wait and see what's going to happen has been lifted, but this anticipation is what motivates us readers to keep flipping the pages.

Not my cup of tea
I couldn't get into this book.I'm not sure if it was just timing on my part or the subject matter.Didn't keep my interest at all.

Well-written but not satisfying
I really wanted to try something by Jane Smiley.I chose A Thousand Acres not because of it's setting or plot summary -- an Iowa farm in 1979 didn't appeal to me at all -- but because so many reviewers commented that this was her best book and because it won a Pullitzer Prize.Has to be good, right?

I finished the book with mixed feelings.That Smiley is a skilled writer is without doubt.Hers is a literary style that probes the complexities of human feelings and relationships with deftness.She made the many mundane details of life on a farm engrossing, which is no small feat.

This is a book loosely based on Shakespeare's King Lear, so it is no spoiler to say that it is about a dysfunctional family and how they self-destruct.There are no happy endings here, although Smiley ends her book in a less tragic way that Shakespeare did.Shakespeare's tragedies always end with all or nearly all the characters lying dead on the stage; in A Thousand Acres, all but two of the main characters survive to the end.

The book opens with patriarch Larry Cook announcing that he wants to retire and turn his 1,000-acre farm over to his three daughters and their husbands.This seemingly harmless announcement serves as a catalyst that sets this damaged family on the path to self-destruction.From the beginning there are undercurrents running all around the characters, and through their dialog and actions.Smiley deftly peels away the layers of the relationships, bringing these undercurrents to the surface as they sweep over the cast of characters in a flood.

This book delves into topics that I normally avoid reading about; it is only due to Smiley's subtle treatment of them, never descending into sordidness, that I stuck with the book.That, and the fact that I knew it was a re-telling of a Shakespearean tale.Had I thought this was a plot she made up herself and wrote just because I would not have finished the book.But knowing that she was re-telling Shakespeare's plot in a modern setting made it more palatable to me.That being said, the language and depiction of sex in the book was at the very limit of what I will tolerate.To many if not most people it would probably be mild.However, I mention it for others who are highly-sensitive to those issues as I am.

What was most dissatisfying to me about this book were the several elements that Smiley worked into the story, made them feel like they were going to be significant to the plot, even, but then never really "answered" or "explained."This made them feel like teasers.I don't want to get specific as to what those elements were, as that would probably be a spoiler for those who haven't read the book.However, I was unhappy that some questions were left unresolved.

In the end, this is a book about senseless evil and tragedy.I was left asking why?Nobody won, nobody lost, so what was the point in it all?I felt the same way after reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle last year (which is a modern re-telling of Shakespeare's Hamlet), so now I wonder if perhaps this is a characteristic of Shakespeare's tragedies.He evokes evil just for evil's sake, and the modern authors don't seek to supply reasons for it, as that could be construed as tramping on the Bard's sacred works.?? Just a thought....

In spite of the fact that I was left feeling so dissatisfied at the end of this book, I am giving it four stars.Smiley's writing is so skilled, so good, that I can't give it any less.

Pleasantly Surprised
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.It kept my attention and I liked the twists and turns of the story.A few parts of the book were long-winded and didn't really serve a purpose (do I really need a detailed list of the items stored in the barn?"a hammer, a band saw, some c-clamps, a spare axe handle, some tarps..."yawn!).Nevertheless, I found it hard to put down, which is the true test of a book.I'm going to rent the movie to see how similar it is. ... Read more

Product Description
From Jane Smiley, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Thousand Acres: a pair of novellas chronicling difficult choices that reshape the dynamics of two very different families.

In Ordinary Love, Smiley focuses on a woman’s infidelity and the lasting, indelible effects it leaves on her children long after her departure. Good Will describes a father who realizes how his son has been affected by his decision to lead a counterculture life and move his family to a farm. As both stories unfold, Smiley gracefully raises the questions that confront all families with the characteristic style and insight that has marked all of her work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Looking at life and human nature
Jane Smiley has fun drawing families with terribly bright, glib conversations but whose deep currents contain painful experiences. This book has two novellas.

In Ordinary Love, a splintered mid-Western family is drawn together by the return of a beloved brother from two years teaching in India. Gradually the adult children reveal the horrors of their brilliant father's neglect after he high-handedly stole them out of the country; this after being foolishly informed by their mother of her infidelity. Life goes on.

Good Will might have been entitled Self Will - - a stunning picture of a control freak no doubt suffering from one of those behavioral syndromes that "experts" today would diagnose and label to excuse anti-social behavior. Unfortunately this also crops up in the young son. Smiley cleverly creates a no-win situation in which the unlikable, arrogant young daughter of a newly-arrived black academic couple becomes the target of apparent racial prejudice that crops up without familial roots ... skillful and understated writing.

Amazon has hooked me!
I really like this author. My book club suggested 1000 Acres. After reading that, I wanted more and found 4 more at Amazon. The convenience of ordering books from Amazon makes feeding my reading addiction so easy. Since being hooked by my first order...I keep returning as I am sure of quality, convenience and speedy service. Kick back with Jane Smiley and ENJOY!

Perfect Family Happiness is Not Lasting
These novellas are written with soft, rich language that evoke strong feelings and raise deep questions.

One novella is about a Vietnam Vet who lives a 'back to the land' existence.He is completely happy with his farming, bartering lifestyle, and his family.Things are too good to remain that utopian forever.

The second novella is about a family where the mother, Rachel, leaves her husband of 20 years because of an affair she has with a neighbor.It deals with desire and how our lives are shaped by it.

The theme of both novellas seems to be summed up in this quote from 'Ordinary Love'.

"...I think that I, too, have done the thing I least wanted to do, that I have given my children the
2 cruelest gifts I had to give, which are these, the experience of perfect family happiness and
the certain knowledge that it could not last." (p.92)

Jane Smile is a prolific author and her novel, Thousand Acres remains one of my all-time favorite books.Her books are very readable and have great depth.

Jane Smiley is a good storyteller
Reviewed by Alex McGilvery

Ordinary Love and Good Will is a reprint of two novellas by Jane Smiley. The book is done in a very comfortable cover and paper. I don't normally mention the cover of a book, but the first thing I noticed was the tactile enjoyment of holding this book. The inside of the book lives up to its binding.

Jane Smiley has crafted two delightful novellas about family. The first takes place over the first few days of Michael's arrival home from India (one of the narrator's twin sons). It is a gentle exploration of family and the consequences of choices, both good and bad.

The second story is about the effect on his son of a man's choice to live an alternative lifestyle. Somehow as his son goes to school in town, things start to spin out of control. Issues of racism arise, and the authorities have a different view of the narrator's life style than he does. The threads of a life that were under complete control come unraveled.

Jane Smiley writes in an easy, quiet-paced style that allows an event to sneak up and surprise you. The characters drive the action of the story, and they are well rounded and interesting. They learn things in the course of the stories that challenge your assumptions about who this person is, and thus challenges some assumptions that you may have about yourself.

I enjoyed Jane Smiley's style of storytelling. I liked that she shows that even the best intentions have consequences that are beyond our control. I liked too that she shows her characters surviving those consequences, and looking on toward the next steps of their lives.

Armchair Interviews says: Two well-done novellas for your enjoyment.

A commentary on family values and the beauty of simplicity...
This book, as you could probably tell, is made up of two stories: Ordinary Love and Good Will, just as the title says.Although they're entirely different stories they have similar themes as well as aspects that contrast and compliment one another.That makes this "package deal" necessary to allow the author to communicate what she envisioned.

Both stories are similar in that the protagonists are content with the simple things in life.This seems to be an attempt to evoke an appreciation of the everyday things we take for granted.

Both stories also share a strong emphasis on family values.Throughout both stories the results that their family values render allows the reader to contrast the lives of the characters with that of their own.This is also a source of how the stories differ.

Ordinary Love has a protagonist that is very laid back and allows her children to become whatever they aspire to be.This often makes her seem uncaring.Ordinary Love shows the family dynamics of such values.

Good Will focuses more on the other extreme of family values.The father imposes his ways of a simple life free of money.Though he has good intent, in a modern world it's understandably met with resistance.This story tells of a family that lives such a lifestyle and the results.

Both stories are a sort of commentary on the two extremes of family values: complacence and imposition.The author's intent seemed to be to provoke readers to choose a set of family values somewhere between those extremes.

Overall both stories were quite good.I had a preference for Good Will but without Ordinary Love much of the message would be lost.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who found what I outlined above intriguing. ... Read more

Product Description
Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author Jane Smiley’s The Greenlanders is an enthralling novel in the epic tradition of the old Norse sagas.

Set in the fourteenth century in Europe’s most farflung outpost, a land of glittering fjords, blasting winds, sun-warmed meadows, and high, dark mountains, The Greenlanders is the story of one family–proud landowner Asgeir Gunnarsson; his daughter Margret, whose willful independence leads her into passionate adultery and exile; and his son Gunnar, whose quest for knowledge is at the compelling center of this unforgettable book. Jane Smiley takes us into this world of farmers, priests, and lawspeakers, of hunts and feasts and long-standing feuds, and by an act of literary magic, makes a remote time, place, and people not only real but dear to us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

Wonderful, wonderful storytelling
I read this novel shortly after it was published; at the time I was traveling for six months in Asia and had the luxury to read at length with no distractions from telephone, email or anything else, and I immersed myself in it completely.The Greenlanders is written is saga style, and as such tells its tale in spare, almost matter-of-fact prose.This is a style that will definitely not be to everyone's taste, but I loved it.If, like me, you enjoy a long story that features memorably drawn characters and the slow unfolding of events (think Dostoevsky and some of the great Russian novels), then this book is for you.Although it concerns a time and a people that are remote from us in both years and way of life, the human themes of love, jealousy and competitiveness are all there and recognizable to the modern mind, as are the simple joys and frustrations of living.Somehow Smiley leads us deep into the intimacies of their lives, and leaves us not just wanting to know what happens next, but truly caring for her characters.Smiley spins out this tale without hurrying, and paints a lasting picture of the lives, loves and tribulations of a people marooned at the edge of the known world, and troubled by a changing climate that would eventually (i.e. beyond the time period of this novel) extirpate them.

If you like easy reads and lots of action, this probably isn't for you.But I found The Greenlanders to be deeply satisfying, immensely intricate and wonderfully broad in its scope.It remains one my favorite books, and I am looking forward to reading it aloud to my wife (after we get done with our current project - Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy", which is another vast, sprawling novel, and a similarly remarkable literary achievement).

Jane Smiley at her best.
Note: this is a personal and somewhat rambling review.

The Greenlanders was one of the great reading experiences of my adult life, and I have to confess that "great" reading experiences have become few and far between the older and more jaded I get.I had heard of the book for several years prior, and I knew that at some point, the time would ripe.I find that certain books reward a structured, self conscious approach to being read, The Greenlanders being a case in point.I am not sure why, it certainly isn't rational (another example was Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose).Most books I pick up and start reading immediately, but for certain others, I feel the need to anticipate and postpone.

In this instance, I purchased a used hardback through an Amazon partner.When it arrived it was pleasingly large and heavy with a clear plastic cover protecting the jacket.The cover artwork is excellent, and the bookseller had included an additional bonus of a postcard version of the cover (or perhaps this was included by the publisher - in any case it made a great bookmark!) I set the book aside for several weeks on my bedside table to let the idea of it grow in my mind, occasionally picking it up just to enjoy the heft, and eventually, the time was right and I dove in.

When I did start to read it I was immediately captivated.It is not an easy read as some reviewers have pointed out.The prose style is that of an actual Norse or Scandinavian saga, the dialog can seem stilted, and the overall tone is stylized, spare, and stark.Smiley frequently reuses certain phrases - "there came a time" for example - reinforcing the sense that one is listening to an oral story.The characters can be difficult to keep track of.Simple events (harvests, meals) are described with the same dispassionate tone as murder. If you read quickly or skim at all, you can miss vital developments.

Despite its challenges, The Greenlanders richly rewards a reader's efforts.After the first few pages, I had sunk into it's mood, my inner ear adapting to the pacing and style of the prose, surrendering to the almost Biblical voice.I have a similar reaction to Shakespeare or Melville - difficult at first, but then as I get accustomed to the rhythm, it is as though I enter a different world.So as to not spoil the plot, I will say only that the story is truly epic in scope, covering decades and taking the character(s) from youth to old age. By the time I was finished, after several late nights of reading, I felt as though I were emerging from a dream.Images from the book remain with me, still vivid in my brain a year later.

I am generally a fan of Jane Smiley, although I must admit that I prefer her less popular books (Moo, Horse Heaven) to her blockbusters (Thousand Acres).The Greenlanders definitely falls among the former.Highly recommended.

Didn't make it.....
I am an avid reader and have read most all of Jane Smiley's books.I picked this book up at a library book sale for 50 cents...and that's a good thing, because it sure wasn't worth much more to me.I could NOT get past the similar and way too frequent names of the characters.The writing style is almost biblical...in it's lack of readability.I can surely understand someone with a Nordic background liking this book, and spending the time getting past it's pittfalls. Also....three cheers to the folks that used it as background for their trip to Greenland.As for the casual, or even serious reader......find something else and don't waste your money.

Revenge killings that go on for generations
This book is truly wonderous!The research is impecable.Jane Smiley has gotten everything right even the voice of the Norse Saga.The story takes place during the final years of Eric the Red's settlement.The Western settlement has already been abandoned and the Eastern is struggling.I had no idea of how she could possibly end the book since of course the Norse Greenland settlements disappeared.I braced myself for a real downer, but she pulled it off.I liked it that one ship got away heading to Vinland.Instead of Skraelings killing, we had the Britons.It's possible.And she never takes us to the very, very last although we know it is coming since there are no more seal hunts, no more law speakers, and the "true" religion fades away into visions and witch craft.I wonder, is this the fate of all idolated societies?The Norse culture forgives, but it never forgets.A really great read.

Depressing!
If you want to read about hardship through an entire book, this is the book for you! Murder, starvation, burnings, more murder, more starvation ect. I got through it because interpersed with all this tragedy were a few bright moments. As one reviewer said the characters were "cardboard" but if dying was all I had to think about, maybe I would turn to cardboard. Depressing! ... Read more

Product Description
From one of our most acclaimed novelists, a  David-and-Goliath biography for the digital age.

One night in the late 1930s, in a bar on the Illinois–Iowa border, John Vincent Atanasoff, a professor of physics at Iowa State University, after a frustrating day performing tedious mathematical calculations in his lab, hit on the idea that the binary number system and electronic switches, com­bined with an array of capacitors on a moving drum to serve as memory, could yield a computing machine that would make his life and the lives of other similarly burdened scientists easier. Then he went back and built the machine. It worked. The whole world changed.

Why don’t we know the name of John Atanasoff as well as we know those of Alan Turing and John von Neumann? Because he never patented the device, and because the developers of the far-better-known ENIAC almost certainly stole critical ideas from him. But in 1973 a court declared that the patent on that Sperry Rand device was invalid, opening the intellectual property gates to the computer revolution.

Jane Smiley tells the quintessentially American story of the child of immigrants John Atanasoff with technical clarity and narrative drive, making the race to develop digital computing as gripping as a real-life techno-thriller. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: THE BATTLE OF WHO REALLY INVENTED THE COMPUTER & THE REAL INTRIGUE OF WORLD WAR II"
This is the life story of John Atanasoff the man who many credit with inventing the first computer. (The ABC Computer) Though there are still disputes to this day involving who truly did invent the *FIRST* computer with some touting John Mauchly (Who is accused of stealing ideas from Atanasoff due to Atanasoff's exuberance during development.) and J. Presper Eckert with the more famous ENIAC computer, the fact remains as stated in this book that in 1973 Judge Larson ruled on a case involving Honeywell (On Atanasoff's side.) and Sperry Rand (On Mauchly and Eckert's side.) in the favor of Honeywell and according to the author: "SPERRY NEVER APPEALED THE DECISION, AND SO THEY MUST HAVE ACCEPTED IT." This eternal dispute should not influence a potential reader in making a decision on whether to read this book or not. This is a fascinating look at not only Atanasoff who was an Iowa State College professor of physics... and between 1937 and 1942 developed the concept... and with meager funds built the ABC Computer... but also other geniuses who were separated by countries and war. What I want to stress is that I found in the journey of not only Atanasoff, but of all the now famous names involved in the early quest to create/invent a computer device... that the quest was just as educationally exhilarating... as the actual creation. The individual personality tics of these geniuses are quite interesting to the average eye. The fact that Atanasoff helped his Father wire their entire home for electricity when he was ten-years-old... and *HE MASTERED THE OWNER'S MANUAL OF HIS FATHER'S NEW FORD MODEL T, AND AT ELEVEN HE WAS DRIVING IT." Accomplishments such as these, along with his constant inquisitive nature at school as well as at home signaled very early that he was capable of some very unique things. Along with John, you will learn about Von Neumann... Turing... Flowers... Aiken... Zuse... Babbage... Bush... et al... the entire who's who in the quest for a computer.

The most utterly fascinating part of this story is the need for computer intelligence and power during World War II. The need for the allies to bust the German's secret encoding system called *ENIGMA* was of utmost importance. Because of the war the race for inventing a computer in the civilian world was put on hold. The ?"computer-like"? devices that these geniuses developed named *BOMBES, BOMBAS AND COLOSSUS* literally changed the course of the war and the fact that the German's were so arrogant, that when the code busters were striking gold and saving lives, the German's didn't change their tactics because they couldn't believe anyone could accomplish what was being done by these machines. Some of this equipment was so revolutionary and *TOP-SECRET-CLASSIFIED* that the technology not only couldn't be used in other equipment... but it eventually had to be destroyed. One of the developers couldn't even list his accomplishments on a resume.

At times some of the technical explanations will not be understood by everyone. If I count the time I was involved with computers for over three years in the military as well as my civilian work, I have made my living in this industry for the last forty-one years. I have installed computers, used computers, sold computers, trained people on computers, and designed systems (systems analysis-not programming) from the punched card and tape days... to mainframes... to mini-computers... to today's microscopic systems... and yet when the author discussed diodes andother internal electronic components... I was lost. I just wanted to point out that deep technical knowledge is not a requirement to enjoy this book.

Before you drink the Kool-Aid, there is one thing
I admit an underdog story is always appealing, and Smiley does a fantastic job of making the dry topic intriguing.But please understand, this is a highly fictionalized account.It is not "fact" that Atanasoff's machine was a computer at all!The controversy over the importance of Atanasoff's work has been debated, at length, in computer history circles for 35 years.And it has been debunked.This is not news.

(If you know enough about computers to know that they "run a program" then you are capable of understanding why historians consider the ABC more of a calculator than a computer; it had no program!Please look at a real computer history book or at least Wikipedia if you want to know more.)

The legend of Mauchly's treachery seems to grow richer with each telling.Smiley did no original research to find out about him, but instead propagated the evil intent that was ascribed him posthumously by the scorned Arthur Burks.And the author also parrots Burks' highly questionable list of fundamental computer ideas that Atanasoff had, and supposedly Mauchly stole.Binary System? Really? Leibniz might have something to say about that.When push comes to shove, there is no trace of the ABC in the ENIAC.But that would ruin the story.Apparently the author neglected to talk to anybody who actually knew Eckert or Mauchly.She did interview people from Ames, Iowa, where the Kool-Aid is manufactured.

So be forewarned.A gripping story, well-told indeed.But while it pretends to be technically savvy, it sacrifices a lot of truth in order to make a good yarn. ... Read more

Product Description
Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling novelist Jane Smiley celebrates the novel–and takes us on an exhilarating tour through one hundred of them–in this seductive and immensely rewarding literary tribute.

In her inimitable style–exuberant, candid, opinionated–Smiley explores the power of the novel, looking at its history and variety, its cultural impact, and just how it works its magic. She invites us behind the scenes of novel-writing, sharing her own habits and spilling the secrets of her craft. And she offers priceless advice to aspiring authors. As she works her way through one hundred novels–from classics such as the thousand-year-old Tale of Genji to recent fiction by Zadie Smith and Alice Munro–she infects us anew with the passion for reading that is the governing spirit of this gift to book lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Interesting but idiosyncratic
In assigning three stars to this book I may be misleading the reader.For those attuned to Jane Smiley's sensibility, this will be a five-star book; for those who are not it will be a one-star book.This is not a study of the novel as form so much as it is what the title infers--ways of looking at the novel.As such it is more personal (some would say idiosyncratic) and, as inferred above, of varying degrees of usefulness.

The book actually attempts to do several things at once: a) explore key aspects of novelistic fiction; b) offer advice on the writing of novelistic fiction; c) record personal experience with regard to the writing of specific novelistic fiction; and d) discuss 100 novels.It is thus, by turns, a scholarly book, a how-to book and a reference book.

The discussions of novelistic fiction are interesting.They are particularly interesting because they are out of the critical mainstream.This is not necessarily a bad thing, since previous scholarship canalizes discussion and, in its way, narrows the imagination.Jane Smiley's reflections, e.g., on the origins of the novel are, as a result, quite different from those of Watt, McKeon, Hunter, Doody, et al. who tell a very different story than the story told here.Most scholars will find Smiley's comments naïve and uninformed though not uninteresting and not without their uses.

The how-to sections of the book are also interesting, though they are not as systematic as one would expect in a how-to book.Aspiring novelists will enjoy Smiley's anecdotes, her encouragement and her wisdom.Nevertheless, they are still likely to need a more consciously hands-on book like Scott Meredith's.

The discussions of the 100 novels are unsystematic.They consist of reflections, not discrete, consistent bodies of information.Thus they make for an engaging `read' but they do not serve the purposes that reference books serve.The remarks are somewhat idiosyncratic and, hence, potentially valuable.At other times they are remarkably naïve.Two small examples: Smiley does not have a developed sense of genre.Thus, she discusses Wuthering Heights and Moby-Dick as novels rather than (as many would) romances.This is fairly basic stuff to the professoriate, Frye 101 if you will."Tales" are different from "short stories," for example, and lumping the two together leads to problematic conclusions.Second, Smiley has strong views which she does not hesitate to inject into her book.Strong views are fine, but they prove problematic when they distort discourse.In her discussion of Conrad, e.g., she attributes the attitudes of Conrad's narrator to Conrad himself.In the case in question we are not talking about an implied narrator, but a very carefully constructed, independent narrator, one who appears in other works of Conrad, a narrator Conrad discusses and describes as an independent creation.Confusing a narrator's experiences and views with those of the author is a very basic error, the sort of thing that one learns in English 101.I can only assume that she has been blinded by her personal views and that this is a momentary lapse.

Bottom line: never dull, often insightful, but not for all tastes and not for readers with specific needs seeking specific information.

Scattered thoughts of an author in search of her muse?Buy it anyway?
My sense is that this book is best suited to precisely no one.The literary elite can find much more sophisticated and scholarly analyses of what a novel is.College students (and indeed most readers) will get lost in the references to novels they haven't read.And would-be novelists will find this text too rambling to make much practical use of.Personally, I feel frustrated on all three counts.

First, I find that the book does not provide an adequate history or analysis of the "novel" as an object.Second, I found myself quite often gasping to make sense of references to a great many novels I haven't read.And third, as someone writing a novel, I found that for my use the book to has only a handful of nuts and just a few bolts.And finally, Smiley's paragraphs, chapters, and thoughts felt disorganized, as if written in a brainstorm, and without the advent of thorough editing.It is, in other words, a lousy read.If, that is, you tried to read it straight through.

Those things said, I might suggest that you buy this book.Why?The second half of the book contains 101 novel reviews by Smiley.Unlike the first half of the book, her reviews are well-written and fascinating.She neatly sums up a book, and gives her take on why a given novel works, falters, or fails.Whether you read her reviews of books you know or books you've yet to read, you'll enjoy these punchy 2-3 pagers.She left me hungry to read many of the novels on her list.These reviews alone are worth the price of the book.

Another reason you might buy this book is if you are an aspiring writer of fiction.The two chapters entitled "A Novel of Your Own" are--though not terribly cohesive--well worth taking a peek at.For the same reason the final chapter about her own experience writing one of her own novels helps to bring a human face to a process that is sometimes mystified and aloof.

I suggest, then, that you lower your expectations, skip the first 200 pages, and plan to read only the parts that interest you.Although I can't recommend the first 9 chapters to anyone, chapters 10, 11, and 12 provide 65 pages of interest to fiction writers.You probably won't want to read all of the last 300 pages--the book reviews--but surely you'll enjoy reading a good many of Smiley's quick and cunning takes.Buy this scattered book, and read what of it what you like.

Thirteen plus ways to look at a novel
"13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" by Jane Smiley was very informative to me as an avid reader.It provided in-depth information on how to read a novel more closely, in addition to bringing my attention to various literary items in books that I had read but missed.

The first half of the book opens your eyes to the development of a novel; including plot, point of view, and character development.However, sometimes Ms. Smiley when a little overboard in her analysis of a novel's structure.One of the main reasons I give this book four-stars instead of five-stars is that Ms. Smiley tended to repeat various items regarding certain novels, which you can ascertain are some of her favorites.

The second half of the book, which is a comprehensive summary of 101 novels she read, is exceptional and is worth the price of the book.This section has prompted me to read or re-read some of the books, even though she tends to tell you want the book's plot in her summary.Moreover, her extensive vocabulary has provided an impetus for me to add these lively words to my vocabulary.Ms. Smiley's descriptions make you want to grab the book and read it any way.

If you have ever wanted to write a book and need some guidance on the process, this is the book.In addition, if you are a reader and want to know more about how a book is written and the characteristics and symmetry of books, this is the book.I hope that Ms. Smiley does another book of this type in the future.

The beauty of inflections or the beauty of innuendoes
Very interesting. Smiley has refreshing opinions on how novels are written and how they achieve their effects -- such as the relative entertainment value of the first-person narrator vs. the omniscient narrator, etc. It's a very user-friendly, unpretentious analysis. She also offers two chapters on how to write a novel, which is pretty generous.

What non-fiction readers should know about the novel
I read mostly non-fiction and view novels as overly descriptive pieces for people who believe in storytelling as an Art with a capital A.After readingover 100 pages of this book I realize I've been sitting on a high horse of my own.My opinion of the novel was narrow and simplistic. Smiley makes a place for every sort of novel and author at her table, without negative judgment, and it makes for interesting talk.Her ideas are lively and interesting. She really opened my eyes and could have easily titled the book "Infinite Ways of Looking At the Novel".This book is going to get me back to reading more novels.I never expected to have that reaction to this book.Indeed, I probably started it looking to bolster my low opinion of novelists. ... Read more

Product Description
Greed. Envy. Sex. Property. In her subversively funny and genuinely moving new novel, Jane Smiley nails down several American obsessions with the expertise of a master carpenter.

Forthright, likable Joe Stratford is the kind of local businessman everybody trusts, for good reason. But it’s 1982, and even in Joe’s small town, values are in upheaval: not just property values, either. Enter Marcus Burns, a would-be master of the universe whose years with the IRS have taught him which rules are meant to be broken. Before long he and Joe are new best friends—and partners in an investment venture so complex that no one may ever understand it. Add to this Joe’s roller coaster affair with his mentor’s married daughter. The result is as suspenseful and entertaining as any of Jane Smiley’s fiction.

Amazon.com Review
Opening a Jane Smiley novel is like slipping into a warm bath. Here are people we know, places where we grew up. But the comforting, unassuming tone of her work allows Smiley incredible latitude as a writer, and her books are full of surprises. Good Faith, a novel about greed and self-delusion set in the economic boom of theearly 1980s, is no exception.Joe Stratford is an amiable, divorced real estate agent in an unspoiled small town called Rollins Hills.He takes it instride when a married female friend pursues a love affair with him; he ismore suspicious when a high-rolling newcomer named Marcus Burns begins toinfluence the business affairs of the men closest to Joe.Nevertheless, thepromise of easy riches draws Joe into one of Burns's real estate developmentschemes, and then, ominously, into gold trading.The steps by which a niceguy can be lured into betraying his principles are delineated so sharply inGood Faith that you wonder how Joe cannot see them.Although henever quite manages to understand what has happened to him, he's granted amoment of grace at the close of the novel, a second chance that has nothingto do with money, ambition, or the tarnished American Dream.Since we livewith the legacy of the self-serving 1980s, Smiley's novel seems as timely asif it were set in the present.Penetrating, readable fiction by one of ourbest writers and social critics. --Regina Marler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

More potential than heft
Joe is a comfortably fixed low-achiever of a real estate agent in a small NJ/NY/PA town that's beautiful and off the beaten track. His marriage has broken up, and he's just getting along being a good only son to his religious parents and surrogate son to the parents of an old girlfriend who was killed many years ago. It's the early 80s and the reader knows the savings and loan crisis is looming and a real estate bust, but poor Joe does not.

Into town rides a con man who pretty much takes everyone for a ride -- leaving Joe all but penniless. It's a little more complicated than that -- whether the con man started out as a con man or started out more or less honest, then got sucked in is never entirely clear. Joe has a couple of girlfriends along the way, but ends up single as he began.

It's a book with more potential than heft. Smiley wanted to write about greed and land and betrayal, but in the end didn't have much that was original to say.

A GOLDEN ERA, TARNISHED BY FOOLISH CHOICES
Joe Stratford is a likable young man.After his divorce from wife Sherrie, he has returned to the town where he grew up, started a career selling real estate, and seems to have a comfortable life.People trust him; therefore his business is going well.He has a knack for the negotiation.

Enter Marcus Burns, friend of a friend--a charismatic outsider--and rather quickly, he becomes a part of several of Joe's deals.Soon Joe and his associates, along with Marcus, are a team.Their plans are big.Huge, even, and the money is rolling in.

It is the golden eighties for these men, whose lives seem charmed.Then Marcus begins introducing them to riskier ventures, and while the whirlwind existence seems endlessly profitable, little red flags begin appearing.

What events suddenly turn their lives upside down?What, if any, clues warn Joe about the inevitable crash?And what, finally, will be the outcome of this fabulous ride?Finally, what will each man learn from this life lesson?

Good Faith was a fabulous peek into an era in our history, reminding me of that time--now that we're NOT in such a moment--and granting us the privilege of hindsight as the characters make one wrong turn after the other.

Five stars are not enough for this book, which I will never forget.Like Smiley's A Thousand Acres: A Novel, this tale plumbs the depths and explores the characters, with all their strengths and weaknesses, and shines a spotlight on the human spirit.

Warning - you should be reading the book not this review
First: Good Faith is an amazing novel. One of the best I've read this year (or in many more). It makes Smiley a household name for me. I will buy (and read all her books now).
Second: One of the best ways to approach Good Faith is without knowing anything about it. The plot is so cleverly constructed you'll be deeply submerged into its core topic: trust.
Third: Maybe its too late for you. But the above review (amazon review for the hardcover) is a must avoid. It contains spoilers that you don't need to read. If you read it. Bad thing. Buy the book anyway. Shelve it. Wait until you forget the review and then submerge yourself into it.
Four: I've always have a weakness for authors that manage to lure you into loving their characters. The main thing here is not believing they are or could be real. It goes further than that. It goes into caring for them.
Five: I didn't want to finish this book. Knew I would miss this world, miss Joe, miss his plain and decent view of the world. I thought I knew where it was going and then it went there, but not exactly, with the force of a punch in the stomach.
Six: If you are reading this reviews, I hope you are doing it after reading the book, because if not, you are wasting your time. Lets go back to point three: buy the book, toss anything you are reading now aside and read it. Trust me, I speak in good faith.

Very Well Crafted
I ordinarily wouldn't be interested at all in reading anything, fiction or nonfiction, about real estate development, and in fact the idea of a novel about that subject was a turn-off for me.But having read Smiley's A Thousand Acres, and finding that novel well-written, I thought I'd give Good Faith a chance.I was pleasantly surprised.Is this a literary classic, a candidate for the 100 best books of the century or whatnot?Nah.But it's a good read by a skillful writer.

Smiley is a remarkably good craftsperson who excels at creating believable characters that interact in believable ways.That the background premise concerned real estate didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the book.I can't say I've now got a much greater interest in the subject than before, but I did learn a few things about it, and found myself interested in it as another aspect of human experience and a good matrix on which to hang a story about love, ambition, trust, and greed. For me, some measures of a good story are whether I find myself wanting to know what happens next, whether I can relate to at least one of the characters enough to consider the extent to which I might share some of his or her traits, and whether, when I've finished, I feel as though the characters were people I knew and will miss.On all of these counts, Good Faith succeeded for me.

Still oh so timely...
Not only is Good Faith a really good quick read...it's a still timely cautionary tale about the greed that's gotten us where we are today. If faber and faber still publishes books, they'd do well to reissue this one, with some blurbs that tell buyers how prescient and really smart Smiley is.I hope she's writing afollow-up starring the charismatic devil who's at the center of the plot.For sure he'll have found new scenes and triumphs in the 21st century! ... Read more

Product Description
When eighth grader Abby Lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there’s no place she’d rather be than her family’s ranch—even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. But some chores are no work at all, like grooming young Jack. At eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. As for Black George, such a good horse, it turns out he’s a natural jumper. When he and Abby clear four feet easy as pie, heads start to turn at the ring—buyers’ heads—and Abby knows Daddy won’t turn down a good offer.

Then a letter arrives from a private investigator, and suddenly Abby stands to lose not one horse but two. The letter states that Jack’s mare may have been sold to the Lovitts as stolen goods. A mystery unfolds, more surprising than Abby could ever expect. Will she lose her beloved Jack to his rightful owners?

Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley raises horses of her own, and her affection and expertise shine through in this inviting horse novel for young readers, set in 1960s California horse country and featuring characters from The Georges and the Jewels. ... Read more

Product Description
In the aftermath of the2003 Academy Awards, Max and Elena- he's an Oscar-winning writer/director-open their Holywood Hills home to a group of friends and neighbors, industy insiders and hangers-on, eager to escape the outside world and dissect the latest news, gossip, and secrets of the business. Over the next ten days, old lovers collide, new relationships form, and sparks fly, all with Smiley's signature sparkling wit and characterization.

With its breathtaking passion and sexy irreverence, Ten Days in the Hills is a glowing addition to the work of one of our most beloved novelists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (76)

If there were a zero rating, this book would earn it!
Oh, thank you, Amazon readers, for confirming my suspicion...that this book is not worth slogging through. I have been listening to the audio version. After ALMOST finishing the first disc (out of 20!), alternately squirming from TMI (how can a sex scene be so TEDIOUS???) and sighing with boredom, I gave up. What a disappointment from the woman who wrote "Private Life" and "A Thousand Acres."

Back to the library it goes, right now!

Talking Shop
A very chatty book.In Hollywood, ten people gather, almost by chance, just as the Iraq War begins.What follows is:sex, story telling, reminiscing about movies, telling movie plots, telling plots of dreams.Some of the tales are boring; others interesting.This is a real company town, everyone chats endlessly about movies and uses movies to illustrate points they are making.This despite the fact that only three of the ten characters are employed in the movie industry.They are a movie star/singer, a director and an agent.The others are a Yoga istructor, a zoo employee in NYC, an art gallery owner, a retired grandmother, a college student. an author of self=-help books and a businessman from New Jersey.One wonders if they used to talk about cars all the time in Detroit. But anyway this was fun to read and I learned some stuff (zoe means life; in 2000 a scam was in place for Jeb to hand FL to this brother, they never dreamed it would decide a national election but had Gore carried his home state of TN, it wouldn't have mattered; alone among mammels, human mammel children are only partially formed at birth and have to be nurtured in a certain way to achieve the proper brain structure and hormone production. Stuff like that, Jane Smiley is a smart cookie.

Rated L for LAME
What happened to the author of A Thousand Acres?It is hard to believe that this book came out of her pen as well.That first chapter, with its inane conversation on how to make a movie about penetrating Elena, was insufferable.What finally killed me was the very last part of Chapter 1.Max gets up, it is 8 am, and 6 guests are already IN the house, and he didn't know it.Come on!!!

There is nothing about the characters, the plot, the narrative, that makes me want to continue.Ms. Smiley, what happened?

You're not getting laid
Read the book.
Read all your reviews.
Basically, if you don't like the book, it's because you're not getting laid.
And there's probably a reason why...

Embarrassing effort
You know how you're required to go somewhere you really don't want to go, and you meet a group of people who are all fairly inane, but they think they're cool, and they talk incessantly to each other about inconsequential things in their lives they are just positive will fascinate you, but all you can do is think about possible ways to excuse yourself from their presence?Start reading this book and you'll feel that way again! ... Read more

Product Description
The luminous novella and stories in The Age of Grief explore the vicissitudes of love, friendship, and marriage with all the compassion and insight that have come to be expected from Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize—winning author of A Thousand Acres.

In “The Pleasure of Her Company,” a lonely, single woman befriends the married couple next door, hoping to learn the secret of their happiness. In “Long Distance,” a man finds himself relieved of the obligation to continue an affair that is no longer compelling to him, only to be waylaid by the guilt he feels at his easy escape. And in the incandescently wise and moving title novella, a dentist, aware that his wife has fallen in love with someone else, must comfort her when she is spurned, while maintaining the secret of his own complicated sorrow. Beautifully written, with a wry intelligence and a lively comic touch, The Age of Grief captures moments of great intimacy with grace, clarity, and indelible emotional power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

I know other people love it but...
This is a collection of 5 short stories and a novella.
I found the first 3 stories so stilted and mind-numbingly boring, that I nearly put the book down. The fourth story (Long Distance - my favourite) was interesting enough to keep me reading; the emotion in it was not as restrained, but interestingly the real emotion came from a foreigner (rather than an American) and was shocking to the person who has caused it.
The final short story was on the verge of being interesting but didn't quite go there for me. I found most of the characters to be unaware of their motives, even though they all examined what was happening in their emotional worlds and they often came to fairly large conclusions.
I was not far into the novella when I realized it had been made into a movie, "The Secret Lives of Dentists"; which I found to be one of the most painfully tedious movies I've ever sat through; I remember watching and just hoping, believing it had to get better - it had to go somewhere, it didn't. I'm not sure why I kept reading the novella when I realised it's relation to the movie but I am sort of glad I did. The novella is much better than the movie, which was not translated to the screen well and the inevitable changes lost the good qualities from the story.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Not Up to the Best of Jane Smiley's Work
This book is comprised of short stories and a novella.

I especially enjoyed the short story, 'The Pleasure of her Company'.It is about a young woman who becomes enamored of her neighbor's life and tries to be a part of the couple who move in next door to her.She finds them very distant and hard to get to know.Insidiously, she finds out that things are not as they appear (are they ever?), that an outwardly wonderful marriage is seriously fraught with problems.She loses her identity in her attempt to be a part of others' lives, gaining nothing and knowing less in the process.Nowadays, I think we might call her behavior 'stalking'.

'Lily' is a short story about a couple whose marriage is is dire straits.The visit a friend who is extremely beautiful but unable to sustain a long-lasting relationship.During the visit, their relationship faces its final demise.

Several of the other stories are good.One is about a young woman who gets her homosexual friend and lover inebriated in the hope that he'll impregnate her.In another story, a radical from the 1960's who has been on the run for two decades under a false identity, makes her first contact with her family.

The novella is about a married couple, both dentists.The story draws a lot thematically from dentistry.The woman is unfaithful.The husband refuses to confront it.

The book had some high points but overall was uninspiring.

still outstanding
With all that has come after, I hope no one forgets the quality of Smiley's early work. If you start out with her later books, returning to this one will have its rewards.

Truly Remarkable...
It's hard to explain.This book is a masterpiece.I have nothing more to add.It's a master work.Highly recommended!!!

Terrific title novella
I recommend this volume for the title novella, which has recently been made into a movie titled "The Secret Life of Dentists."Told from the point of view of a suspicious husband, it's a warm, very believable story which manages to carry some suspense until its resolution (no spoiler here).The narrator manages to be very interesting despite the humdrum surroundings.Highly recommended.

The short stories that precede the novella are good but not particularly noteworthy.Unlike the most recent reviewer, I actually liked Dynamite the most.Smiley is a gifted craftsman and an interesting writer.I've managed to overcome my first reading of her -- the dreadful Duplicate Keys -- and her idiotarian op-ed current affairs writing to have real respect for her as an artist.On a side note, "Moo" has to be one of the best comic novels I have ever read."The Age of Grief" isn't quite up to that level of quality and imagination but it's a very accomplished and affecting novella.Go read it! ... Read more

Product Description
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK

"A WISE, SPIRITED NOVEL . . . [IN WHICH] SMILEY PLUMBS THE WONDROUSLY
STRANGE WORLD OF HORSE RACING." --People

"ONE OF THE PREMIER NOVELISTS OF HER GENERATION, possessed of a mastery
of craft and an uncompromising vision that grow more powerful with each
book . . . Racing's eclectic mix of classes and personalities provides
Smiley with fertile soil . . . Expertly juggling storylines, she
investigates the sexual, social, psychological, and spiritual problems
of wealthy owners, working-class bettors, trainers on the edge of
financial ruin, and, in a typically bold move, horses."
--The Washington Post

"A NOVEL OF PASSION IN EVERY SENSE . . . [SHE DOES] IT ALL WITH APLOMB .
. . WITH A DEMON NARRATIVE INTELLIGENCE."
--The Boston Sunday Globe

"WITTY, ENERGETIC . . . It's deeply satisfying to read a work of fiction
so informed about its subject and so alive to every nuance and detail .
. . [Smiley's] final chapters have a wonderful restorative quality."
--The New York Times Book Review


"RICHLY DETAILED, INGENIOUSLY CONSTRUCTED . . . YOU WILL REVEL IN JANE
SMILEY'S HORSE HEAVEN."
--San Diego Union-Tribune

Chosen by the Los Angeles Times as One of the Best Books of the YearAmazon.com Review
It takes a great deal of faith to gear a novel this horse-besotted to thegeneral public. Horse love is one of those things either you get or youdon't, and for the vast majority of the populace, horse stories tend toread like porn written for 13-year-old girls. The good news, then, is thatwhile a love of all things equine is not a prerequisite for enjoying JaneSmiley's Horse Heaven, a love of human perversity is. Racing, afterall, is at worst a dangerous, asset-devouring folly and at best ananachronism, as one of her horse trainers notes:

The Industry Leaders had made it their personal mission to bring horseracing to the attention of the general public, with the NFL as their modeland television as their medium of choice, which was fine with Farley,though his own view was that horse racing out at the track, newspaperreading, still photography, placing bets in person, and writing thank-younotes by hand were all related activities, and football, ESPN, video,on-line betting, and not writing thank-you notes at all were another set ofrelated activities.

But there are certainly worse problems a novel could have than charactersto whom you grow overattached. A plot this convoluted would beone, if only it weren't so hard to stop reading. There are elements ofmagic realism, astounding coincidences, unabashed anthropomorphism.(At one point--while Justa Bob throws himself against his stall in sorrowat leaving his owner's tiny, wordless mother behind--this reviewer cried,"Shameless!" even as she began to tear up.) Improbably, it all works.Horse Heaven is a great, joyous, big-hearted entertainment, a stakeswinner by any measure, and for both horse lovers and fans of Smiley's dry,character-based wit, a cause for celebration on par with winning the TripleCrown. --Mary Park ... Read more

Customer Reviews (120)

Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley
I got this book as a selection for our bookclub.Some excellent discriptions of the races, and the general feelings of the characters, but actually not my cup of tea.I am generally not into horse racing, so I lost interest quite early on the book.Unfortunately, the book is quite long, so I found my mind wandering while reading.I guess if this type of content holds interest for you, it is quite well written, just not for me.

It's all about the characters...
I'm a sucker for any book that introduces me to a variety of well-conceived, fleshed-out, and engaging characters.Ms. Smiley created a series of loosely intertwined stories populated by perfectly interesting characters.I want more!

Hysterically funny!
After hearing Jane Smiley speak in person, I was on a roll to read all of her books."Horse Heaven" is my all time favorite. It's hysterically funny. If you want a good hoot, written beautifully, read it!

Heaven for horse-lovers, and Jane Smiley-lovers, too
I became a Jane Smiley fan after reading 1000 acres. Since then, I have read several of her books, but when I saw Horse Heaven, I was very excited she took on the horse world as a topic. You see, I am a horse vet, and lifelong rider. My opinion might be swayed by my interest in the subject matter, but this is one of my favorite books lately. For those who don't know about horses, this book is spot-on.

A Book to Re-Read
I am now re-reading "Horse Heaven" (on audio -- so forgive any misspellings).I love this book as much this time as the first and I know I will be reading it again.It will go onto my list of books that periodically require re-reading (Castaneda, Dickens, Austen, Tolstoy are on that list).The horses are as beautifully characterized as the people around them.The last writer to give horses their full due was Jonathan Swift in his Gulliver's Travels to the land of the Houyhnhnms.The book is rife with wonderful characters, humor, satire, drama.Just A Bob is one of the great literary characters of all time but everyone in this book is surprising and moving as Smiley catches each one at some particular moment of evolution or self-realization. ... Read more

Product Description
Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, amid cow pastures and waving fields of grain, lies Moo University, a distinguished institution devoted to the art and science of agriculture.Here, among an atmosphere rife with devious plots, mischievous intrigue, lusty liaisons, and academic one-upmanship, Chairman X of the Horticulture Department harbors a secret fantasy to kill the dean; Mrs. Walker, the provost's right hand and campus information queen, knows where all the bodies are buried; Timothy Nonahan, associate professor of English, advocates eavesdropping for his creative writing assignments; and Bob Carlson, a sophomore, feeds and maintains his only friend:a hog named earl Butz.In this wonderfully written and masterfully plotted novel, Jane Smiley offers us a wickedly funny comedy that is also a darkly poignant slice of life.Amazon.com Review
The hallowed halls of Moo University, a midwestern agriculturalinstitution (aka "cow college"), are rife with devious plots, mischievous intrigue, lusty liaisons, and academic one-upsmanship.In this wonderfullywritten and masterfully plotted novel, Jane Smiley, the prizewinning authorof A Thousand Acres, offers a wickedly funny, darkly poignant comedy.A finalist for the National BookCritics Circle Award for fiction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (84)

Great read must read
Such a funny book! The characters are so complete! I could not put it down and and laughed and cried.She is a genius writer! Way to tell a story!

Milking academe
Jane Smiley's satire on political infightingin academia may leave you smiling and nodding in recognition if you come from theacademic world, particularly the academic world of large, public agricultural universities.Otherwise you may wonder whether such characters really exist and wonder what the fuss is about.

Review of the condition Moo was when I received it.
The book was in excellent condition. I have read most of it, and will put it in my library. However, I must say it is a rather strange, but good book.

A Scathing, Sarcastic Novel of University Life
This book is tongue in cheek, sarcastic, black humor.It is
perspicacious in its in vitro gaze at Moo U., a prototypical
university with its vapid, selfish, self-aggrandizing popula-
tion all creating a reality based on masterbatory intellectu-
alization.It is a solopsistic haven of harangue.The author
really gets the sense of academia as a slick and oily place.
What a grand, funny, sharp novel this is.It is peopled by
professors, deans, students and politicians.It could be the
University of Anywhere.This is a great book for anyone who
has survived a university environment long enough to shake
their heads and say, 'What the hell's happening in this
place?"

this book is at least 10 years old
This book is at least 10 years old.Why are they trying to pitch Moo as new? ... Read more

Product Description
A Pulitzer Prize winner makes her debut for young readers.

Abby Lovitt has been riding horses for as long as she can remember, but Daddy hasn't let her name a single one. He calls all their geldings George and their mares Jewel and warns her not to get attached. The horses are there on the ranch to be sold, plain and simple.

But with all the stress at school (the Big Four—Linda, Mary A., Mary N., Joan—have turned against her) and home (nothing feels right with her brother, Danny, gone), Abby can't help but seek comfort in the Georges and the Jewels, who greet her every day with soft nickers. Except for one: the horse who won't meet her gaze, the horse who bucks her off, the horse Daddy insists she ride and train. Abby knows not to cross her father, but she knows, too, that she can't get back on Ornery George. And suddenly the horses seem like no refuge at all.

From Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley comes an emotionally charged and action-filled novel for young readers, set in the vibrant landscape of 1960s California horse country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Abby is one busy seventh grader.Between school, church, and her family's ranch, there is little time for much else.

Abby can't remember much about her life before the horses that her family raise, train, and then sell.The mares are all named Jewel, and the geldings are called George.Her dad feels that if they each had individual names, it would seem like they are going to stay permanently.

Still, Abby can't help giving some of them special names.

Jack is an unexpected colt whose mother died shortly after his birth.Abby immediately feels a connection to him and wants to do all she can to ensure his survival.Then there's Ornery George, who just can't seem to be tamed.Abby's father doesn't understand her fears and wants her to show this horse who's the boss.With a stranger's help, can Abby make this horse into a gentle giant?

Each chapter in this novel features illustrations relating to horses.This was an excellent tale set in the 1960's.Anyone interested in horses and ranch life would enjoy it, and it's also appealing to others, as well.

Reviewed by:hoopsielv

Children' books
One would expect Amazon to indicate that books are meant for children. This is not so. So I bought a wrong Jane Smiley book because of the author who I admire.

Georges and the Jewels
Abby helps her father with the family business: buying and selling horses. This feels like it used to be a fairly smooth operation, but Abby's sixteen-year-old brother recently left due to differences with their father, putting all the work on Abby, who is facing down Ornery George, the first horse she's genuinely a little afraid of. Abby's dad is determined to train all of their horses to the point where "a little girl could ride them," and Ornery George is light years from this goal.

Meanwhile, a new girl has arrived in Abby's small seventh grade class, creating drama with the Big Four, a group of girls that rule seventh grade with an iron fist. Abby is a girl who can only be described as nondescript. She keeps her head down and minds her own business, keeping silent when she sees things and ignored when she tries to bring anything up. Stella, the new girl, stirs up trouble without even trying, and drags Abby into it both as a buffer and a scapegoat, all for the attentions of a boy that finds wonder in discussions about bologna sandwiches. Abby just wants to get through seventh grade, keep the one friend she's got, and get a good grade on her Catholic mission model without her born again parents finding out and having a fit.

Oh, and she also wants to figure out Ornery George, who is a long way from help. The book does a nice job with Ornery George. There aren't any quick fixes to be applied to his character, and Abby is not the sole person responsible for his training. She's a good rider, but she's inexperienced and frightened. Not to mention, Ornery George has her number. The descriptions of the training they put George through are nicely done, and I actually followed a lot of it, which means I can give this book bonus points for making sense. Like I said, no wacky sudden revelations will be found here. Ornery George is a slow but steady student, and Abby is an easy kid who is falling into the business of buying and selling horses without really realizing it.

The one qualm I have with the book is what felt like a loose end regarding what happens when Abby's parents find out about the mission models the school is having the kids build. There's a string of religion in the book that abruptly comes to a frayed end, with Abby getting worried about her father Bible thumping one of her teachers as she looks on helplessly. I didn't expect the religion aspect to come to some great enlightened ending here, but there was something about it that felt unfinished.

The rest of it, however, finishes quite nicely.

Terrific book, particularly (but not only) for young horse-lovers
Fabulous story of a hard-scrabble stable in California, in the 1960s, where all the horses are named either George or Jewel.Seventh-grader Abby is the narrator, and what a great voice! She's the daughter of strict Christian parents, and a down-to-earth and no-nonsense young horsewoman.Along with exercising the horses, raising an orphaned foal and staying out of the way of "Ornery George," Abby deals with the "Big Four" (the "in group" of girls at school) and various other issues and adventures.THE GEORGES AND THE JEWELS had one of the most even-handed portrayals of religion in any book I have read recently.While showing the constriction of Abby's family's faith, it doesn't belittle it, nor hold it up as a good example.The pencil illustrations at the start of each chapter add tremendously to the reading experience.I will be recommending this book, and sharing it with others!

Disappointed
I purchased this book for my grandchildren who love horses; unfortunately there was too much family dysfunction and radical religious rhetoric to risk giving it to innocent children.
In the past I have made mistakes buying books, but never have I been so outraged by the content. The constant reference to some homemade religion where, "the men" did the preaching, "there was no minister."
The little girl could not tell her parents about a school activity of building "mission" replicas at school as an assignment on learning how California was settled because of the "wrongful history of the Catholic Church."
The eldest son had been "kicked out" of the home, and his mother has to sneak around to see him. Most of the family time was spent tiptoeing around a father who was, "righteously angry or resolute in his determination or dedicated to rectifying evil."
Also racial profiling and discrimination, "Did this boy who has a Mexican name and therefore is probably Roman Catholic witness to you while you were working together? " And the final straw for me was this remark;"The thing is, the Roman Catholic Church is a great and powerful enemy. Our great and powerful enemy. It has done many things over the centuries to our people and to its own people that are not easy to speak about."
I wish so much that I could return this book and get my money back. It is so sad that religious prejudice was part of this book, I saw no way in which it enhanced the story of the horse training, which was also done at times,behind the fathers back. Definitely not a book for children. ... Read more

Product Description
In this brilliant novel, Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author Jane Smiley delves into the domestic drama of the Robison family. While seventy-seven-year-old Ike Robison is dying in his bedroom upstairs, his wife defends the citadel of their marriage against an ill-considered, albeit loving, invasion by their three middle-aged daughters and their twenty-three-year-old granddaughter. Amply fulfilling the expectations raised by Smiley's other celebrated works, At Paradise Gate is a compelling, gracefully wrought portrait of intergenerational strife and family survival. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

at paradise gate
Anna Robison and her three daughters: artistic Helen, practical Claire and the youngest, tomboyish Susanna, plus her granddaughter Claire love to reminisce about their past.They
gather in Anna's house, where their father Ike is dying.Anna, who refuses to consider a live-in nurse, must tend Ike herself.As she goes about her every day tasks of preparing food and doing housework, she recalls her often rocky marriage and motherhood.Smiley has a keen eye for detail for these
homely tasks and the day-to-day aspects of dealing with an invalid shine through keenly.

Ponderous and pretentious
It's rare that I finish a book and conclude that the author is a person I probably wouldn't like very much, but that's exactly what I experienced with "At Paradise Gate." When the characters in this humorless tale speak, they utter paragraphs at a time -- long, weighty diatribes of the sort that no one actually says (but which novelists apparently like to write). The narrator drops some real gems, too, like this one: "Unsorted images crowded Anna's mind ... herself at her best, alone, looking, smelling, hearing, all her thoughts concentrated on the quality of light or air." Now, what could this possibly mean? To me, it means "no more books by Jane Smiley."

On the upside, the story offers good, solid three-dimensional characters. Unfortunately, they're not exactly likable, and their views on marriage and family are so dated as to be at times offensive, at times unintentionally funny. But not funny enough to justify picking up this foul fossil of a novel.

(3.5 stars) Complexities of family life
Jane Smiley is at her literary best when dealing with intergenerational family issues. Three daughters and a granddaughter gather at their parent's home, concerned with Ike Robison's declining health, solicitous of their mother, Anna. After 36seminal hours, we find that the daughters could not be more different, yet complementary in ways only close families recognize.

Each of the daughters view their parents from a personal perspective, especially their mother, Anna, projecting their own disillusionment onto her. Meanwhile Anna, mostly silent, muses about the grown daughters who surround her, wondering how they all came to live so close, gather so readily like a flock of restless birds, when she had meant to teach them to fly. Two daughters already widowed, one divorced, the women have all outlived the men, save Ike, and have lost their balance.

When granddaughter Christine comes home to visit, as well, she brings her own distractions. Twenty-three and newly married, Christine is full of the natural exhuberance of youth. The three daughters shift their attention back and forth, from Ike's worsening health to Christine's surprising announcement.

Occasionally a small voice from upstairs calls to Anna, "Mother! Mother!". Ike wishes only his wife to tend to his few needs. Moving between the two realities, Anna finds time for reflection upon her fifty-some years of marriage. In Anna's ruminations, there is a quiet revelation of her life through the years, as a young girl, as a married woman, years spent washing, cooking, cleaning. Years of service given without a thought to feelings or needs, or to the vagaries of married love. Looking back, her memories are as sharp as thorns and as sweet as new-shelled peas.

The power of the family dynamic seems at first to rest with the daughters, each pushing for her own resolution. They form temporary alliances, based on sibling rivalry, change perspective, shift yet again. Anna finds them engaged in their own busy pursuits; even the granddaughter falls into a deep afternoon slumber. Ultimately, it is Anna who holds our focus in this well crafted novel, her thoughts, her dreams. Never mundane or banal, the dialog is as sharp as the plot.

difficult characters, unlovable, but real
Jane Smiley managed to write a novel with unlikable characters that i enjoyed.That takes some skill!

The older you get, the more assertive you become, the more you know what to say or how to behave yourself in a tough situation.Right? Not really, if one is to look at Anna.She is just as insecure at 72 as she was in her youth.If one is to hope for invaluable wisdom as a payoff for lack of energy, strength, health, looks, etc., we are all screwed.This was my secret hope, and i am now very disappointed. Anna has been feeling weak as long as she can remember, first with her mother, then with her husband and his family, now with her daughters and even her granddaughter.What i find most pathetic is her inability to resolve her resentments towards her husband when she should have.She did not deal with whatever he did to her at its right time, and now that he is sick and almost an invalid is not the time to bring things up, yet Anna can't help herself. As a character, she infuriates me.If you don't do the right thing at the right time (in this case, deal with your husband), then let it go.Don't store it up and let it fester for decades. The rest of the family is sad and well portrayed.Ike is a sick man angry at the world for whatever obscure reason.Helen is pretentious.Claire is envious.Susanna is on the same path Anna is right now.Christine is the perfect example of why marriage and reproduction should not be allowed for anyone under 30.What's with her sense of entitlement and arrogance?At one point, her own mother calls her a 'dope'.Well put!

My two objections are Dolores, who is referred to time and time again and is never developed as a character (by comparison, Abel is very well described and understood), and Christine's final decision.It doesn't make sense, after spending half the book defending her arguments to now change her mind so quickly.

In this novel, which takes place in 36 hours, we get to know a family with generational problems and character problems.The imperfections of these characters make them real, and although none of them is lovable, they form a beautiful book.The detail and thoroughness that Jane Smiley goes through is remarkable.

The surprises of a mother's love.
In the midst of life's uncertainties, one has always been sure of a mother's love. It's one of life's givens, or is it? The startling perspective of the aging, female narrator in this superbly written novel is certain to give you new insights on the dynamics of family relationships, particularly the intricacies of mother-daughter and sibling relationships. Like a rich and original tapestry, the novel weaves the past, present and future of its characters into a beautiful blend of sadness and joy, always affirming the value of life, but life that is never predictable or obvious. Reading At Paradise Gate reminds us that while the gate may be in view, our feet remain firmly planted on earth ... Read more

Product Description
“Every horse story is a love story,” writes Jane Smiley, who has loved horses for most of her life and owned and bred them for a good part of it. To love something is to observe it with more than usual attention, and that is precisely what Smiley does in this irresistibly smart, witty, and engaging chronicle of her obsession.

In particular she follows a sexy filly named Waterwheel and a grey named Wowie (he “tells” a horse communicator that he wants it changed from Hornblower) as they begin careers at the racetrack. Filled with humor and suspense, and with discourses on equine intelligence, affection, and character, A Year at the Races is a winner. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Hypocrite!
Yes the book is all sweet and mealy mouthed and pink-happy ended, but why did then the sexy filly Waterwheel, that the author actually owned in real life turn up at an auction and sell for 1000 $, with a broken sesamoid bone and in foal? So much for care, love and responsibility! It is only luck, and none of Smiley's doing that Waterwheel ended up in a nice green pasture and not in somebody's dinner plate. Hypocrite! The book is nice and entertaining, but horse lovers should never buy it.

who knew?
I certainly didn't know that horses have sensory awareness all along their flanks which help to position them in space.Also their hooves give them feedback.This sensitivity lets them run so fast so close together.Just one of the bits of information I'd never run across in this entertaining and wonderfully written book.If you are interested in horses you'll want to read this.

Is it immoral to sell horses, then?
Jane Smiley sold a racehorse broodmare at California's premier auction house for thoroughbred racehorses. She did not "dump" the mare at an auction where she could have gone to slaughter.

Selling horses is a normal part of owning horses, especially racehorses. Auctions are the primary method of selling racing bloodstock. Writing a book about one's experiences owning racehorses does not obligate Smiley to keep every horse she has ever owned forever. People are actually suggesting that it would have been better to kill the mare than send through the ring at Barretts???!!!!

These reviews are absurd, and these reviewers need to get a life.

Horse Lover?
The first book I have read of Smiley's, I was not impressed. It felt disjointed, awkward, and rather silly at times. She humanizes her horses to the point where it feels absurd. I fell in love with her horses, but I was less impressed with the author.
After reading the book, I learned that Waterwheel, one of the horses featured in the book, was dumped at auction (Barrett's January mixed sale) lame and pregnant, and sold for the near rock bottom price of $1000. After bringing her owner in so much money through this book, she couldn't afford to keep her retired? Sorry, but I refuse to buy books written by a hypocrite, and I will never read a Smiley book ever again.

No excuse...
For dumping your racehorse at an auction because she wasn't good enough for you.

I read the book a few years ago. I wasn't terrible, but a little too touchy-feely for me (and I'm the type of person who spoils her horses), but rest assured I will never buy another book from an author that "disposes" of any unwanted horse at an auction. What does she think will happen to a broken down mare (she'll never be sound enough for work) that has a record of 2 unplaced starts and less than 5k in earnings? To Ms. Smiley: Show a bit of responsibility and either keep the mare or euthanize her. Use some of that book money. Don't risk her ending up at the killers. ... Read more

Product Description
Alice Ellis is a Midwestern refugee living in Manhattan. Still recovering from a painful divorce, she depends on the companionship and camaraderie of tightly knit circle of friends. At the center of this circle is a rock band struggling to navigate New York’s erratic music scene, and an apartment/practice space with approximately fifty key-holders. One sunny day, Alice enters the apartment and finds two of the band members shot dead. As the double-murder sends waves of shock through their lives, this group of friends begins to unravel, and dangerous secrets are revealed one by one. When Alice begins to notice things amiss in her own apartment, the tension breaks out as it occurs to her that she is not the only person with a key, and she may not get a chance to change the locks.

Jane Smiley applies her distinctive rendering of time, place, and the enigmatic intricacies of personal relationships to the twists and turns of suspense.The result is a brilliant literary thriller that will keep readers guessing up to its final, shocking conclusion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Good Character Novel
Duplicate Keys is the story of a group of friends that moved from Minnesota to New York together. The main character, Alice, walks in one morning to find two of her friends shot to death. The police think someone used a duplicate key to get into the apartment. The problem is, keys to the apartment were handed out to a lot of people and no one is sure exactly who may have keys.

I'm a huge fan of character novels and that's what this one is. The characterization in this book is excellent. The whodunit part of the story is interesting and there are some really chilling scenes, but how the murder affects the group of friends is the true center of the story. If you're looking for a good mystery/thriller, I wouldn't recommend this book, but if you like a good character novel or psychological story, I would definitely recommend reading this one.

well, I liked it
Alice, an orderly librarian, is drawn into a murder mystery when her friend, a temperamental musician named Craig shot dead in his apartment. Their group of friends, who came to New York City together to make a life for themselves and for two, hit it big in the music businessare in turns suspicious and supportive of their companions.A detective begins to examine the case, probing further and further into their lives, and it begins to seem to Alice that one of her friends may be the murderer. Smiley excels at describing intimate details of every day life and has an ear for dialogue.The result is a book more leisurely than your average murder mystery, but still worth reading. Indeed the murder seemed to be more tacked on to the story, then having been the hub around which it revolved.

Not her best but Smiley's always good
I wouldn't rate this as highly as some of her other books but it did make a more than adequate companion on an transatlantic flight!

One comment must be made about the review by "SC" of November 5, 2004. It's fine, SC, if you don't agree with Smiley's opinion piece/political analysis of the red state/blue state divide **PUBLISHED IN SLATE.com, NOT THIS BOOK!** but criticizing THIS book for a political opinion published elsewhere is ridiculous. It is completely inappropriate of SC to leave this sort of negative and completely irrelevant comment about Smiley's OTHER WRITINGS when SC is supposed to be reviewing THIS BOOK!

For example, In my opinion (and in my dad's, as well!) William F. Buckley has contemptible political opinions. Nevertheless, my dad loved his books and would never mix his dislike of Buckley's politics with his criticism or praise of Buckley's fiction. SC's review has no place here - it is contrary to the intent of the rating program.

Back to the book itself - definitely take it on a long trip. It's more like a Nora Roberts book than a Smiley one but there are times when Nora Roberts is just what the doctor ordered. This book was great company in the wee hours over the North Atlantic - I'd definitely recommend it.

Not Smiley's usual but still an excellent murder mystery
Jane Smiley writes about families and relationships, not murder mysteries, so it's a feather in her cap for versatility that she acquits herself more than decently on this atypical novel of hers. The murders have already taken place before we begin, so the rest of the novel has us backtracking through a minefield of relationships that once bound the friends together. Quite clearly, the network has collapsed beneath the growing rot that nobody seemed to care to notice until the inevitable happened. The friendship, if you could call it that, was undermined by a combination of sexual betrayal, professional jealousies and other dependencies and left to find its own bloody equilibrium. The narrator Alice Ellis' voice isn't an unequivocal one. It's hard to nail her personality down or even decide whether she's likeable or not. She's bitter, insecure, vulnerable, defiant and bitchy all at the same time. But then again, we are reminded that Smiley is always more interested in the people than the plot and so it shouldn't be too surprising that we get an edgy character for a heroine and some excellent characterisation to boot.

Some readers have complained about the identity of the murderer being predictable. I don't. If there's an awkward and unsatisfactory element in the story, it's in the romantic subplot. Henry may be the secret lover who lives across the street but he doesn't belong. He should have been saved for Smiley's next book about Alice. Smiley may have set out to write a different novel but she couldn't help but leave large traces of her familiar genre behind. Still, "Duplicate Keys" is a hugely enjoyable novel. Recommended.

AT LEAST MAKE THEM BELIEVABLE
I've read numerous books lately where there just doesn't seem to be any editing happening. No matter the illustrious past works of an author, someone should view these unnecessarily long-winded books before they reach the public. Or maybe they figure we want our money's worth, so they'll just leave in all those extraneous words.
The story could have been more suspenseful. It just dragged on and on. The main character Alice was the most changeable I've encountered in memory. I never could get a fix on her. One minute she was docile and wimpy, the next assertive and bitchy. Finding your murdered friends might well disconcert a person, but, come on, would their basic nature change every few paragraphs? Life's just too short to spend reading a 300+ page novel when I've seen better made-for-TV movies on Lifetime. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Still crazy after all these years
Horse Crazy. Little girls and big horses.

Apparently I am one of many middle-aged women who has not gotten over her first love. In this compilation of short essays, we get to the heart of our attraction. Why We Ride, edited by Verna Dreisbach, evokes childhood memories and presents vivid descriptions of the bond and unique communication with a horse that forms a relationship like no other. Maybe this bond exists because women of my generation grew up with Dale Evans, Fury, and National Velvet, but this book proves that plenty of women writers are willing to share stories about being horse crazy.

Like a gentle trot, the pace of the book easily shifts the reader from one story to another. If one tale isn't your particular style, a new one appears around the next bend. Perhaps a common thread among them all is that the authors tell of a deep, "authentic relationship without verbal communication." All authors share lessons learned from their experiences with these animals. And although this may not sound like a compliment, several authors' realism took me back to the acrid smell of horse barns emitting aromas of urine and manure. For a horse-lover this is a good thing!

My own life's lessons reawakened while I read experiences of mucking stalls and braiding manes and tails. From "A Horse of a Different Color" by Penny Porter that touched my heart as it told about raising Appaloosas, to Linda Ballou's story of riding in the mist on an Irish hunter while jumping rock walls and logs (just like National Velvet), these voices kept my rapt attention. Some, like Emily Alexander Strong's essay, had a memoir quality as Strong reflected on how she learned to face real world problems through what she learned from horseback riding.

A young reader (girls especially) might enjoy some of the stories in this book. However, most stories reflect a retrospective view of life, intertwined with details about horses that might not keep the interest of a younger reader. This book appealed to me not only because of the topic of the essays, but because each woman's voice communicated strength and vulnerability, sharing reflections on how changes occurred within herself as a result of her connection with her horse.

by Martha Meacham
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in Their Lives
My favorite was "BEAR".Every story in this book has a couple of themes that are uplifting:The humans all start out with an intention to train/rescue a horse only to be in the end trained/rescued BY the horse.The horses sentience is discovered in these stories.Love for the beings in our lives whether human or other species is a magnificent female condition.

Profound love and respect made my heart open up to feel the wonder of the creatures that I have had a fear of for most of my life.

In these times of stressful change I found this book helping me to cope with my everyday troubles.

The amount of love, focus and effort we put into our relationships is reflected back to us in like kind.

Excellent book ladies!

Jill Estensen

Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in Their Lives

Boring and sad
This book was Okay - kind of wishy washy stories - mostly written by older frustrated bored baby boomer women reminising about their youthful days when they could actually ride a horse without life getting in the way.

heart warming
As a horse lover myself I enjoyed sharing these women's love for their horses.Short and sweet stories, an easy read.

animals teach us so much....
Was not expecting to be so moved.Love horses, grew up with horses, never thought of what they could represent.St. Vincent-Vogl's was especially touching - a poignant story showing how horses can represent so much more -in life lessons, fulfilling needs, and our relationships (both human-animal and human-human).Highly recommend to even non-horse lovers - the insights and revelations are applicable to all. ... Read more

Product Description
This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years – from ‘The Remains of the Day’ to ‘White Teeth’. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Jinxed
I want to re-title this book, Jinxed, as that's how I feel each time I read it.I threw this book across the room after finishing it, but after a few days realize perhaps Jane was trying to tell us how important a mother is in our lives.I grew up on a farm, my mother had a grave illness, but survived and lived as a disabled person all her life.My father brought her home from hospital and he and extended family (but mostly my dad) dedicated theirselves to making a normal successful life for us.I want to write an answer to Jane's novel that tells the story of how adversity can bring out the best --not the worst -- in people.

Good for teachers and students
I teach this novel at a local college, and this book has given me a lot of new angles to take, for which I'm grateful. It's particularly good on the ecological aspects of the novel. The author packs a lot of material into a short space. And I recommend it to my students with the proviso that they don't copy it for their essays. ... Read more

Product Description
Over an extraordinary twenty-year career, Jane Smiley has written all kinds of novels: mystery, comedy, historical fiction, epic. “Is there anything Jane Smiley cannot do?” raves Time magazine. But in the wake of 9/11, Smiley faltered in her hitherto unflagging impulse to write and decided to approach novels from a different angle: she read one hundred of them, from classics such as the thousand-year-old Tale of Genji to recent fiction by Zadie Smith, Nicholson Baker, and Alice Munro.

Smiley explores–as no novelist has before her–the unparalleled intimacy of reading, why a novel succeeds (or doesn’t), and how the novel has changed over time. She describes a novelist as “right on the cusp between someone who knows everything and someone who knows nothing,” yet whose “job and ambition is to develop a theory of how it feels to be alive.”

In her inimitable style–exuberant, candid, opinionated–Smiley invites us behind the scenes of novel-writing, sharing her own habits and spilling the secrets of her craft. She walks us step-by-step through the publication of her most recent novel, Good Faith, and, in two vital chapters on how to write “a novel of your own,” offers priceless advice to aspiring authors. 

Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel may amount to a peculiar form of autobiography. We see Smiley reading in bed with a chocolate bar; mulling over plot twists while cooking dinner for her family; even, at the age of twelve, devouring Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which she later realized were among her earliest literary models for plot and character.

And in an exhilarating conclusion, Smiley considers individually the one hundred books she read, from Don Quixote to Lolita to Atonement, presenting her own insights and often controversial opinions. In its scope and gleeful eclecticism, her reading list is one of the most compelling–and surprising–ever assembled.

Engaging, wise, sometimes irreverent, Thirteen Ways is essential reading for anyone who has ever escaped into the pages of a novel or, for that matter, wanted to write one. In Smiley’s own words, ones she found herself turning to over the course of her journey: “Read this. I bet you’ll like it.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Revisiting an old friend
I bought Smiley's book when it first came out and now, four years later, I find I still return to the pages and reread the essays on writing whenever I'm in need of a little conversation on the writing process. Each time more pencil marks are added, particular passages are emphasized yet again. Smiley's essays are thoughtful and present views seldom discussed in other books on writing. I particularly enjoy the chapters titled Psychology and the Novel and Morality and the Novel. My copy sits on self reserved for my most frequented books on writing. Obviously, I highly recommend this book.

It will rekindle your enthusiasm for reading
So many books. So little time.

Jane Smiley's "Thirteen ways of Looking at the Novel" won't help you to deal with the sheer volume of new books that are published nowadays. In fact, weighing in at close to 600 pages, it may actually slow progress towards whatever numerical goal you may have set for 2008. Nonetheless, I urge you, I implore you, to get this book and to take the time to read it. Why? Because if you do, you will never read a novel the same way again. I have read no other book that comes close to this one in terms of enriching my overall reading experience.

The structure of the book is straightforward. The first twelve chapters, spanning 270 pages, or just under half the book, have titles like The Origins of the Novel, The Psychology of the Novel, Morality and the Novel, The Art of the Novel, The Novel and History. Each reads like a terrific tutorial by the professor of literature you wish you had had in college. Though these chapters are never less than fascinating, for my money it's the next four chapters which make this book so brilliant. They are titled The Circle of the Novel, A Novel of Your Own (I), A Novel of Your Own (II), `Good Faith: A Case History . Basically, Smiley uses the 100 pages or so spanned by these chapters to given an inspired tutorial, of unsurpassed brilliance, on how to write a novel. If I had my way, it would be required reading for all of the Rick Moodys, the Heidi Julavits, the Dave Eggers, the Deborah Eisenbergs, any of those too-smart-for-their-own good writers at work today who continue to foist off their whip-smart, empty-hearted, look-at-me-how-smart-am-I, metafictional experiments on the unsuspecting reader, passing it off as `literary fiction'.

In the last half of the book, Smiley analyzes 101 of her favorite novels, ranging from `The Tale of Genji' and `The Decameron' to `White Teeth' and `Atonement', bringing to bear the ideas laid out in the first half of the book. This is done with such wit, intelligence, and sympathy that the effect is to make you want to re-read those books you were already familiar with, and to rush out and get the books she discusses that you haven't already read.

In short, this is one of those rare books that is genuinely uplifting, and will rekindle your enthusiasm for reading. I can give it no higher recommendation.

Brilliant, idiosyncratic.
This book is excellent and will repay close reading, but I am of two minds. On one hand, Smiley has examined the development and significance of the novel as only a practicing novelist of depth and talent could. On the strength of her treatment I've resolved to try her novels. Any description I might give of her discussion would not do it justice.

On the other hand, she clearly has a political axe to grind and this comes out most one-sidedly in her descriptions of novels. First, her history of the novel begins with Murasaki Shikibu's "Tale of Genji," leaps to Bocaccio's "Decameron" as a precursor to the novel in its western form, and then holds a steady course through Cervantes, Defoe, Austen, Dickens, and James into the twentieth century. Perhaps because she has identified as a major concern of the novel the question of "what a woman is for" (her words), Smiley ignores Twain, Hemingway, and modern novelists whose work is not animated by that question. She does not claim completeness for her 100 novels and writes more than once that she is not trying to compile a `Best 100' list, but she does claim a certain disinterestedness that is belied by her choices. She (usually) likes European novelists (nothing wrong with that) and woman novelists (ditto) who pursue her favorite question. Novelists who have nothing to say on the question either leave her cold or don't make the list at all. Hence, she claims not to be able to remember her experience of "Moby Dick" and Joyce's "Ulysses" strikes her as a lot of art devoted to a not very interesting premise. About her contemporaries Pynchon, Delillo, and Wolfe she has nothing to say at all.

Second, the idea that failure to read novels caused the badness of our politicians is nonsense. Lincoln wasn't a great reader of novels, nor was Washington. I don't deny that people well-read in good novels might as a result develop empathy but Smiley seems not to believe there are other routes to the same destination. Furthermore, plenty of very good leaders, not to mention good people in general, claim that daily contact with the Bible helps them to love their neighbors as themselves. GWB's treatment of Iraq doesn't strike Smiley as loving enough (one might say "Christian enough"): fine, but this is not grounds for blaming the Bible and Bush's poor education. Where should we believe Mother Theresa or Dietrich Boenhoeffer learned their love of humanity?

Third, J.S.'s history of the novel, though accurate as far as it goes, doesn't make sense given her concerns. She includes "The Tale of Genji," which had zero influence on the novel's early development in the West, but excludes medieval saints' lives, which I expect influenced the "Decameron" and are sources for the reader's experience of interior truth she believes is a defining characteristic of the novel. She will claim she had to start somewhere but why not consider the source of the novel's interiority, since she places so much emphasis on that quality? The primary source of western interiority is the idea that the soul has to answer to God in conscience. This fearful relationship between self and deity was illustrated in hundreds of saints lives. A frequent element in the stories of female saints is the refusal to do the socially expected thing--marry a man--in favor of maintaining chastity. Tales like this dramatize the sense of self against other that grew as Christianity spread. This crisis deepened during the Protestant Reformation and it should not surprise us that the novel's development began as Luther and Calvin were claiming that the soul's isolation was even more absolute than Christians had previously believed.

Finally, had she looked she would have found several long, plotted, prose works that predate "The Tale of Genji" by several centuries: the novel has perfectly fine ancient roots in the Greek romance and other long prose works of antiquity, such as Apuleius' "Metamorphosis" and Petronius' "Satyricon."

So, brilliant and idiosyncratic, just as I believe Smiley wanted it. Buy the book.

Such promise, such disappointment
I read the first few chapters and thought this was not a bad book. The author often has to stretch to tie her point to her examples but was keeping my interest.And then it happened! What so many of today's "accomplished" writers can't avoid.
A completely useless and bombastic attack on the Bush administration stuck in the middle of the book.Whatever your political views, these pages are confused and embarassing.A nice 3-4 star book of criticism and advice destroyed because our author could not contain her hatred and bile.My reading group (2 conservatives, 2 moderates and 3 liberals) voted 7-0 to stop discussing this book after hitting this passage.Leave political commentary to the hundreds of hacks across the spectrum.

A couldn't-put-it-down book of criticism!
I guess it is well known that Smiley is a witty, intelligent, and congenial writer but this book nevertheless surprised me. I didn't want it to end! I found myself hoarding the pages of the penultimate essay the same way I do with the closing chapters of a novel I am enjoying. I will now have to re-read to figure out how she accomplished this (can it be simply a matter of voice?), but in the meantime want to recommend it to all comers. Just delightful. ... Read more

Product Description
Infused with sharp insight, honesty, and emotion, At Paradise Gate is a treat for both the heart and the intellect. In this poignant story, best-selling author Jane Smiley pens a graceful portrait of an ordinary midwestern family confronting the mysteries of death and regeneration. While her 77-year-old husband lies upstairs, dying, Anna Robison spends her depleting energy defending their home. Their three middle-aged daughters and 23-year-old granddaughter have invaded, radiating vigor and good intentions. But the younger women temper their help with squabbling, ill-considered advice, and an abundant supply of their own problems. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley brilliantly captures the simple pleasures and troubles common to everyday life. With her dramatic performance, narrator Suzanne Toren highlights the satisfying family ties and the underlying domestic tensions. You won't want to miss another spell-binding title by Jane Smiley: A Thousand Acres ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

at paradise gate
Anna Robison and her three daughters: artistic Helen, practical Claire and the youngest, tomboyish Susanna, plus her granddaughter Claire love to reminisce about their past.They
gather in Anna's house, where their father Ike is dying.Anna, who refuses to consider a live-in nurse, must tend Ike herself.As she goes about her every day tasks of preparing food and doing housework, she recalls her often rocky marriage and motherhood.Smiley has a keen eye for detail for these
homely tasks and the day-to-day aspects of dealing with an invalid shine through keenly.

Ponderous and pretentious
It's rare that I finish a book and conclude that the author is a person I probably wouldn't like very much, but that's exactly what I experienced with "At Paradise Gate." When the characters in this humorless tale speak, they utter paragraphs at a time -- long, weighty diatribes of the sort that no one actually says (but which novelists apparently like to write). The narrator drops some real gems, too, like this one: "Unsorted images crowded Anna's mind ... herself at her best, alone, looking, smelling, hearing, all her thoughts concentrated on the quality of light or air." Now, what could this possibly mean? To me, it means "no more books by Jane Smiley."

On the upside, the story offers good, solid three-dimensional characters. Unfortunately, they're not exactly likable, and their views on marriage and family are so dated as to be at times offensive, at times unintentionally funny. But not funny enough to justify picking up this foul fossil of a novel.

(3.5 stars) Complexities of family life
Jane Smiley is at her literary best when dealing with intergenerational family issues. Three daughters and a granddaughter gather at their parent's home, concerned with Ike Robison's declining health, solicitous of their mother, Anna. After 36seminal hours, we find that the daughters could not be more different, yet complementary in ways only close families recognize.

Each of the daughters view their parents from a personal perspective, especially their mother, Anna, projecting their own disillusionment onto her. Meanwhile Anna, mostly silent, muses about the grown daughters who surround her, wondering how they all came to live so close, gather so readily like a flock of restless birds, when she had meant to teach them to fly. Two daughters already widowed, one divorced, the women have all outlived the men, save Ike, and have lost their balance.

When granddaughter Christine comes home to visit, as well, she brings her own distractions. Twenty-three and newly married, Christine is full of the natural exhuberance of youth. The three daughters shift their attention back and forth, from Ike's worsening health to Christine's surprising announcement.

Occasionally a small voice from upstairs calls to Anna, "Mother! Mother!". Ike wishes only his wife to tend to his few needs. Moving between the two realities, Anna finds time for reflection upon her fifty-some years of marriage. In Anna's ruminations, there is a quiet revelation of her life through the years, as a young girl, as a married woman, years spent washing, cooking, cleaning. Years of service given without a thought to feelings or needs, or to the vagaries of married love. Looking back, her memories are as sharp as thorns and as sweet as new-shelled peas.

The power of the family dynamic seems at first to rest with the daughters, each pushing for her own resolution. They form temporary alliances, based on sibling rivalry, change perspective, shift yet again. Anna finds them engaged in their own busy pursuits; even the granddaughter falls into a deep afternoon slumber. Ultimately, it is Anna who holds our focus in this well crafted novel, her thoughts, her dreams. Never mundane or banal, the dialog is as sharp as the plot.

difficult characters, unlovable, but real
Jane Smiley managed to write a novel with unlikable characters that i enjoyed.That takes some skill!

The older you get, the more assertive you become, the more you know what to say or how to behave yourself in a tough situation.Right? Not really, if one is to look at Anna.She is just as insecure at 72 as she was in her youth.If one is to hope for invaluable wisdom as a payoff for lack of energy, strength, health, looks, etc., we are all screwed.This was my secret hope, and i am now very disappointed. Anna has been feeling weak as long as she can remember, first with her mother, then with her husband and his family, now with her daughters and even her granddaughter.What i find most pathetic is her inability to resolve her resentments towards her husband when she should have.She did not deal with whatever he did to her at its right time, and now that he is sick and almost an invalid is not the time to bring things up, yet Anna can't help herself. As a character, she infuriates me.If you don't do the right thing at the right time (in this case, deal with your husband), then let it go.Don't store it up and let it fester for decades. The rest of the family is sad and well portrayed.Ike is a sick man angry at the world for whatever obscure reason.Helen is pretentious.Claire is envious.Susanna is on the same path Anna is right now.Christine is the perfect example of why marriage and reproduction should not be allowed for anyone under 30.What's with her sense of entitlement and arrogance?At one point, her own mother calls her a 'dope'.Well put!

My two objections are Dolores, who is referred to time and time again and is never developed as a character (by comparison, Abel is very well described and understood), and Christine's final decision.It doesn't make sense, after spending half the book defending her arguments to now change her mind so quickly.

In this novel, which takes place in 36 hours, we get to know a family with generational problems and character problems.The imperfections of these characters make them real, and although none of them is lovable, they form a beautiful book.The detail and thoroughness that Jane Smiley goes through is remarkable.

The surprises of a mother's love.
In the midst of life's uncertainties, one has always been sure of a mother's love. It's one of life's givens, or is it? The startling perspective of the aging, female narrator in this superbly written novel is certain to give you new insights on the dynamics of family relationships, particularly the intricacies of mother-daughter and sibling relationships. Like a rich and original tapestry, the novel weaves the past, present and future of its characters into a beautiful blend of sadness and joy, always affirming the value of life, but life that is never predictable or obvious. Reading At Paradise Gate reminds us that while the gate may be in view, our feet remain firmly planted on earth ... Read more