Life on a farm in Iowa from 1920 to 1953 wouldn’t seem like a great topic for the first of three novels, but Jane Smiley proves that memorable characters, a deep understanding and appreciation for the rhythms and values of the farming life, meticulous research and great writing can make for an exceptional novel and raises my anticipation for the other books in the trilogy, Early Warning and Golden Age.

Walter and Rosanna Langdon begin farming in the early 1920s on a farm not too far from his family’s farm. Life on the farm is hard. Plowing,planting and harvesting are done with the help of horses. Livestock is kept so there is milk, and butter, eggs and meat. Their garden provides vegetables, and what they can’t eat is canned so that they have them for the winter. Going to town is a luxury and is done only once a week to take in eggs and butter to sell to raise cash for the things they cannot make themselves. Although some people in the cities have electricity, in rural Iowa, kerosene lanterns are used for light. But Walter and Rosanna are happy and work hard and begin to make a go of the farm. Soon they have children, Frank, the aloof golden boy is first and then Joe, the quiet plodder and Rosanna has her hands full trying to keep the children safe from all the dangers on the farm. Later after a tragic loss, Lillian, Henry and then  her father’s favorite, Claire are born.

This sweeping story follows the effects of the dust bowl and the change in weather that brought dry years with little rain or snow, leaving crops withered in the fields and drying up wells which forced farmers to abandon their land. This is followed relentlessly by the stock market crash and the Great Depression, leaving everyone vulnerable and impoverished.  As World War II looms, they begin to see the first glimmers of hope that the long hard years of want are over, even as a new threat emerges, this one from overseas. Smiley uses this arc of history as the backdrop to her story of the Langdon family, helping us see through their experiences the actual effects of these historical events.

Smiley captures the cadences and thinking of the farmer and the farming community, where weather is a constant concern and topic of conversation, Where thrift, and cleanliness are seen as essential to survival, and danger and loss are always present. This is not a bucolic vision of  life on the farm but rather an honest and unflinching look at the harsh realities generations of farmers have faced with courage, honesty and resilience, making me grateful for my relatives and ancestors who faced equally challenging odds that allowed me to be alive today!

Brenda’s Rating ****(4 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Keith, Ken, Sharon and Marian

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.