Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.
Today’s feature is a book from an author I have enjoyed: Jane Smiley. Some Luck is a family saga and part of a trilogy. Subsequent books: Early Warning and Golden Age.
Intro: (1920)
Walter Langdon hadn’t walked out to check the fence along the creek for a couple of months—now that the cows were up by the barn for easier milking in the winter, he’d been putting off fence mending—so he hadn’t seen the pair of owls nesting in the big elm. The tree was half dead; every so often Walter thought of cutting it for firewood, but he would have to get help taking it down, because it must be eighty feet tall or more and four feet in diameter. And it wouldn’t be the best firewood, hardly worth the trouble. Right then, he saw one of the owls fly out of a big cavity maybe ten to twelve feet up, either a big female or a very big male—at any rate, the biggest horned owl Walter had ever seen—and he paused and stood for a minute, still in the afternoon breeze, listening, but there was nothing. He saw why in a moment. The owl floated out for maybe twenty yards, dropped toward the snowy pasture. Then came a high screaming, and the owl rose again, this time with a full-grown rabbit in its talons, writhing, going limp, probably deadened by fear. Walter shook himself.
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Teaser: On the front porch, sitting up (he had just learned to sit up) on a folded blanket, Frank Langdon, aged five months, was playing with a spoon. He was holding it in his right hand by the tarnished silver bowl, and when he brought it toward his face, his eyes would cross, which made Rosanna, his mother, laugh as she shelled peas. (p. 5).
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Blurb: On their farm in Denby, Iowa, Rosanna and Walter Langdon abide by time-honored values that they pass on to their five wildly different children: from Frank, the handsome, willful first born, and Joe, whose love of animals and the land sustains him, to Claire, who earns a special place in her father’s heart.
Each chapter in Some Luck covers a single year, beginning in 1920, as American soldiers like Walter return home from World War I, and going up through the early 1950s, with the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change. As the Langdons branch out from Iowa to both coasts of America, the personal and the historical merge seamlessly: one moment electricity is just beginning to power the farm, and the next a son is volunteering to fight the Nazis; later still, a girl you’d seen growing up now has a little girl of her own, and you discover that your laughter and your admiration for all these lives are mixing with tears.
Some Luck delivers on everything we look for in a work of fiction. Taking us through cycles of births and deaths, passions and betrayals, among characters we come to know inside and out, it is a tour de force that stands wholly on its own. But it is also the first part of a dazzling epic trilogy—a literary adventure that will span a century in America: an astonishing feat of storytelling by a beloved writer at the height of her powers.
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I have loved some of this author’s novels, especially A Thousand Acres, another novel that features Iowa and farm life, zeroing in on those family issues that sometimes threaten the core of a family.
I have had this book for a while, and I’m not sure why I haven’t read it yet—perhaps I am afraid I won’t love it as much as A Thousand Acres—but now I am ready to dive into it. Soon.
What do you think of the excerpts? Would you keep reading?
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I love the opening–what a big tree! The picture in my head as I read became clearer with each word. I enjoyed the teaser too. Such a happy moment. 🙂
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Yes, definitely! I loved the descriptions….thanks for stopping by, Wendy.
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I am still waiting for this one to come from the library. Every one wants to read it. Enjoy.
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Thanks, Margot, hope you enjoy it, too!
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I’d have to be in the mood for a trilogy spanning generations, but this does sound good.
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I will take them one at a time…not buying the others until I’ve finished the first one. Thanks for stopping by, Harvee.
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What a terrific opening. I love how this author writes — enjoy Laurel.
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Thanks, Diane, I am looking forward to this one!
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I loved A Thousand Acres, too! Borrowed this one from the library when it was released and only read the first chapter before it had to be returned. Have been wondering if I should check it out again. Will be curious to hear what you think.
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Thanks, JoAnn….I even have the movie A Thousand Acres…haven’t watched it in a while. Should watch it prior to beginning this book, to bring me into the setting.
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I feel the same way that you do…I did read another book of hers that I didn’t love as much…but.you never know!
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That’s what I decided….when I downloaded this one, Patty. I hope it blows me away, just like A Thousand Acres did. I should watch those expectations, however…LOL.
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The opening didn’t grab me, but I am planning to read this one at some point and continue through the trilogy. Enjoy!
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Thanks for stopping by, Catherine…I am hoping to enjoy it once I get into it.
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I would read on! I love a good trilogy and this one sounds like a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for visiting, Judy, and I am eager to find out about the family and the story.
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I like this opening and the blurb, too. Jane Smiley is one of those writers whose work I’ve never read, but I may have to change that! I would keep reading!
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I hope you do, Monica….she has definitely won some prizes. Thanks for stopping by.
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Hope you are enjoying that book, sounds nice. 🙂
Stormi
My teaser
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Thanks, Stormi, hope to get to it later this week. Enjoy yours!
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Great teaser! I could picture the the little one sitting there 🙂
Thanks for stopping by my teaser!
Colletta
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Me, too, Colletta…thanks for stopping by!
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I was kind of worried that the owl was going to swoop down and take the baby after the intro. Hope you enjoy it. Here’s Mine
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Yes, the scenario with the owl was a little bit scary for me. Thanks for visiting, Paulita.
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This sounds like the kind of book I adore — family drama, spanning decades, deep character study. I’ll read this one for sure (and probably read the whole series).
Thank you for stopping by my blog today.
Sandy @ TEXAS TWANG
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Definitely a favorite kind of story for me, too. Looking forward to it, Sandy, and thanks for stopping by.
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It sounds good to me!
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Thanks, Kathy, I am really looking forward to it.
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What a cute teaser, Laurel-Rain! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Have a terrific Tuesday and happy reading.
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Thanks, Lexxie, glad you could stop by.
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Wow, this sounds like a really good book! Thanks for sharing, and have a great day! Cheers!
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Thanks, Lisa-Marie…enjoy your week, too.
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Such strong writing. This sounds amazing!
Here’s my TT – http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/08/04/teaser-tuesdays-124-my-life-as-a-white-trash-zombie/
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Thanks, Laura, and I agree. Enjoy your pick.
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Sounds like a really nice story, enjoy!
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Thanks, Mary Ann, glad you could stop by.
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That’s a cute, lovely scene.
mine: https://storytreasury.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/teaser-tuesday-ink-and-bone
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Yes, I can visualize it, Sonia….that’s what I enjoy about this author.
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Not sure if this would be my kind of book most of the time but I loved the teaser as I have moments like that with my two young children.
here is my teaser: http://www.girl-who-reads.com/2015/08/short-stories-for-light-summer-reading.html
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Yes, I like when a story takes me to places I have been in my own life. Thanks for visiting, Elisabeth.
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Your excerpts seem very authentic to life – just go for it 😉
Mine’s Shannon Winslow’s new release for Jane #AusteninAugust with Giveaways –
HappY TT!
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Thanks for stopping by, Sharon, and enjoy your book.
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Love your teaser. This author is new to me. I will to check this one out. Here is my TT
http://totallyaddictedtoreading.blogspot.com/2015/08/teaser-tuesday-21.html
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Thanks, Nadz…glad you could stop by!
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