Some Luck

Some Luck
First edition
AuthorJane Smiley
Cover artistJacket design by Kelly Blair
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Publication date
October 7, 2014
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint Hardcover
Pages416 pp (first edition, hardcover)
ISBN978-0307700315 (first edition, hardcover)

Some Luck is a 2014 novel by Jane Smiley. It is the first in a trilogy of novels about an Iowa family over the course of generations.[1] It was longlisted for the 2014 National Book Award.[2]

Summary

Beginning in 1920 on an Iowa farm, with each chapter of the novel covering a single year, the story follows the Langdon family over three decades as children are born, grow up, and go on their own adventures and facing various challenges.

Reception

The reviews have been generally favorable, with the Washington Post concluding that "Smiley delivers a straightforward, old-fashioned tale of rural family life in changing times. Her no-muss, no-fuss storytelling, if unsurprising, is also frequently subtle, wry and moving."[3] The New York Times review said that 'Some Luck' was "...very skillfully conceived, an elegant solution to the historical novelist’s problem of how to raise the big barn that is the past without relying too much on power tools or hired help."[4]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Neary, Lynn (5 October 2014). "For Her First Trilogy, Jane Smiley Returns To Iowa, 'Where The Roots Are'". NPR Books. NPR. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  2. ^ "National Book Foundation listing for Jane Smiley's Some Luck". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  3. ^ Sayers, Valerie (6 October 2014). "Washington Post Book Review of 'Some Luck,' by Jane Smiley". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  4. ^ Elie, Paul (7 November 2014). "New York Times Book Review of Jane Smiley's 'Some Luck'". New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2015.