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    Some Luck: A novel
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    Some Luck: A novel
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    Some Luck: A novel
    Audiobook14 hours

    Some Luck: A novel

    Written by Jane Smiley

    Narrated by Lorelei King

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Longlisted for the 2014 National Book Award

    From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize: a powerful, engrossing new novel-the life and times of a remarkable family over three transformative decades in America. 

    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.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 7, 2014
    ISBN9780804194112
    Unavailable
    Some Luck: A novel
    Author

    Jane Smiley

    Jane Smiley is a novelist and essayist. Her novel A Thousand Acres won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992, and her novel The All True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton won the 1999 Spur Award for Best Novel of the West. She has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1987. Her novel Horse Heaven was short-listed for the Orange Prize in 2002, and her novel, Private Life, was chosen as one of the best books of 2010 by The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.

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    Reviews for Some Luck

    3.5/5

    315 ratings48 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book captivated me at first. I loved reading how an infant felt about teething pain and being bundled into a snowsuit. The family becomes enjoyable to read about. Walter & Rosanna have bought a farm and Walter's whole life is the farm. They have children, and we read about these children growing and becoming their own beings. Some continue to farm, others want to get away from it as fast as possible. While this was enjoyable to read, I felt there was really no plot to the book. It reads (knowing that there are two more books in a series) like a preface to something more, and that is all. Sad that the book didn't really have a story with an ending.
    • 4/5
      In this first of a trilogy by Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, comes the story of the Langdon family starting at 1920 when Rosanna and Walter Langdon of Denby, Iowa work their farm and their first child is about six months. Each chapter is a different year and shows different viewpoints of the various family members, Walter's Irish family, and Rosanna's German one. As Rosanna and Walter try to pass on their values to their children and do their best to keep them alive when there are always accidents on the farm and anyone can die. From Frankie, the handsome, willful firstborn, who charms his way out of things and wants more than the farm life for him; to Joe, who is born to the life of a farmer as he loves the animals and has a near magical way with the crops; Mary Elizabeth, the sweet child; the delightful Lillian; Claire, her father's favorite, and Henry, the odd duck of the family.This book follows them through the good times of the early twenties through the depression when they wonder if there'll be enough to eat on the table that year, through the war years when Frankie enlists in order to see more of the world, and perhaps sees too much. Joe gets a deferment so he can work the farms. These people are the salt of the earth and look out for each other. When harvest time comes, all the neighbors come out and help each other out. The Langdon's also look out for their next door neighbor's farm after the death of the two girls' parents, one girl whom, Joe has his eye on for many years but seems to get nowhere with her. They also look out for an Uncle who committed suicide's farm as well as the grandparent's farm.Its a wonder they have time to do anything. For a long time, Walter resists using tractors and sticks to the old method of horses, but times change and he has more work to do so he invests in a tractor. Not knowing what to do with Frankie, who is too smart for his own good, they send him to live in Chicago with Rosanna's younger sister and her husband and daughter. But they aren't much help in that they are obsessed with the Communist Party and have no time to watch over Frankie and make sure he does not get into trouble.Joe is the sweet child, who should be treasured by someone special, not necessarily the one that he wants. The two girls are special in their own ways as well. Unfortunately, not all of the children survive the book. After the war, Frankie stumbles upon a job where he sniffs out spies and communists that are against the United States.This book is about an enthralling family and how they once started out in such simple ways but quickly become complex as the world becomes more convoluted and things become less black and white as they once were. This book is a fascinating look at a family throughout the twentieth century and what they do to survive.
    • 4/5
      Well told family saga weaving and interviewing the personal stories over the years.
    • 2/5
      very long and dull. too many characters!
    • 4/5
      The first part of a trilogy following the lives of the extended Langdon family through the twentieth century. It takes a while to get going and start building empathy with the characters (especially for an urbanite like me having to relate to the struggles of a farming family). However, Jane Smiley writes beautifully about childhood and Rosanna and Walters expanding family all have distinct and fascinating personalities. While the individual lives and struggles of the family are to the forefront, the major events of American and world history are all included subtly, as they have their effects on the family.
      Not as good as Smiley's masterpiece, 'A Thousand Acres', but still a powerful novel.
    • 3/5
      Saga of a family in Iowa from the 1920s through 1950s. It was a good book and what kept it from being a great book was there wasn't any character that made me feel emotionally attached to them. And, there were a LOT of characters. It was a long book but it ended abruptly.
    • 3/5
      Good, but a slow start. Not Smiley's best
    • 3/5
      Interesting cast of characters. I enjoyed the acknowledgement of each child's character being unique, and being out of a parent's control.
    • 5/5
      I am mostly a mystery and sci-fi reader, but once in a while I like to read something different. I really enjoyed Some Luck. The characters were well-drawn, and it was interesting to read about how farm life changed over the decades. I am looking forward reading the next two books in the series.
    • 4/5
      Each chapter of this book represents 1 year in the Langdon family beginning in 1920 up to 1950’s. You get to know every person in the family as they navigate the up’s and down’s of their lives. I liked the way the author let everyone be heard. She would even describe babies and toddlers thoughts on the world around them.this is the first of a trilogy and I will certainly read the next book.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this story of an Iowa farming family from 1920 to 1953. Each chapter is a year in the family's life and the story is told through the voices of the various family members - mostly the children.The plot lines are spare but we see the history of the Twentieth Century unfold as we watch the Langdon children grow up, go the college and World War II, start their own families and begin to deal with the complexities of post-war life.This is the first book in a trilogy and I'm eager to read the other two.
    • 4/5
      Read from February 14 to 22, 2015If you're looking for action or mystery or "the next Gone Girl", then don't look to this book. In Some Luck we meet the Langdon family of Iowa, they are farmers, friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. This is the first in a trilogy covering 100 years in the life of this family (and they're being published quickly, so no yearlong waiting!). In this first installment, we see glimpses into their lives beginning in 1920 when Walter and Rosanna are newlyweds starting their family through 1953 after years of children, changes, and uncharted territory (war, tractors, electricity, oh my!). If you like family sagas, then you'll love this book. If you're a fan of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, then you'll definitely want to pick this one up. While Follett introduces us to five different families across the globe, Smiley gives us a more intimate look at life during the same time period.If you like multi-generational novels, also read these: A Good American by Alex GeorgeThe Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana MathisThe Son by Philip MeyerFall of Giants by Ken Follett
    • 2/5
      Really disappointed since I love Smiley. I may try again.
    • 4/5
      I'm in two minds about this one; I really enjoyed A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, and I do love reading novels that begin with family trees so that I can gradually put characters to the names - but the story was nearly as flat as Iowa itself! Walter and Rosanna get married, live on a farm, have children, then more children, while the years are marked by freezing winters and stifling summers, punctuated by drolly announced deaths (my favourite is 'Well, [x] was dead by Monday morning'). Then the children start growing up and having grandchildren. The narrative stretches from the 1920s to the 1950s, and I swear I aged with every passing month. I did grow to know and like the many characters, from proud matriarch Rosanna to golden boy Frank and bookish Henry, but the only major event is World War Two, and even that felt like a potted history from an American war movie. A grudging four stars, because Jane Smiley has a beautiful way with words, but I think I'll pass on part two.
    • 4/5
      This is a very real-life sort of story. It begins in 1920 in rural Iowa and concludes in 1953, and covers the life of Walter Langdon and his family from the early years on his farm into his 50's when he is still on the land he has cared for. From early married life through the course of his marriage, the author, Ms. Smiley, tells of the ups and downs of life during this time period. I enjoyed the family's experiences as children were born and grew up, some moving on and others staying put. They weather the depression and the early lean years and with some luck, both good and bad, they wind up with a life that is ordinary but full and rich. This story is not a thriller or intense drama. It is about the real and common struggle of people trying their best to raise a family and make it through each day with the satisfaction of hard work. The following generations all share a bit of this rugged and individualistic spirit, and yet they live lives that are different from their parents. Perhaps this story touched me the most because I am in my fifties and although I didn't experience this time period, I can also begin to look back on my life and find satisfaction in the simple things and in having persisted through both joys and sorrows. There is beauty, but also sadness in the days of one's life and the author has done a lovely job of sharing that with the reader. I thank her for giving us this treasure.
    • 5/5
      I love a novel that can so beautifully portrait something as hard as farm life. And here Smiley does it once again! The Langdons are the most human of people. Simple workers of the land, yet complex in their views and morals. There are a few priceless moments ... but one of my favourites is in1948 when all the family gathers at the farm house for Thanksgiving and Roseanna is overwhelmed by the love she feels for them. I know this feeling personnally and am amazed at the emotional subtlety that she creates here.Can't wait to continue this trilogy into the furture.
    • 3/5
      Life on a farm has never been easy. This book proves the proverb once again. Life on a farm in southern Iowa for Walter Langdon was not easy. But, ease would not have been Walter's goal! Instead, he wanted to raise a family on the land - and that is just what he did!Smiley follows Walter's family and life from 1920 until his death in 1953 chapter by chapter, season by season, year after year. Walter marries Rosanna and together they weather the fat years of the 20s and the con-summing drought of the 30s. They raise their children on the acres of the farm - working long hours and feeling incredible pride for their accomplishments. At least most of them.I liked the format of this story. Each chapter was a new year. The chapters didn't necessarily follow the same character throughout - but they did follow the time chronologically. So we are able to watch as a family gets electricity or the first car. We experience the Depression in a very Iowa way - they didn't starve, but that is because they worked for every bite they got!One of my pet peeves with farming books is the ridiculous rose-colored glasses that some writers use when they speak of farming. Smiley doesn't do that. It can be incredibly lonely and beyond difficult - like when Rosanna delivers her own baby by herself because she is not able to get to the field for any help.It took me a while to get in to this book. I kept waiting for some big moment when luck would come in to play. The reality is that all farming is luck. All farmers know that - you have no control over the weather or the markets. You live on faith and luck and lots of work!It was interesting to read about Iowa towns that I know...and the comparison between Iowa State and University of Iowa certainly rang true for me...you will have to read it to find out what I mean!
    • 4/5
      The basic story is about a farm family in Iowa and is told in 34 chapters ranging from 1920 to 1953. This book is meant to be the first of a trilogy and I read it with that in mind. I have read Jane Smiley books and I have enjoyed her. This book was written in a simple style and really details farm life against the backdrop of history including the depression and world war 2. Because of its' style it has a tendency to not go into great depth but I accepted this because as she proceeded you saw her spend more time on certain characters. If you have not read Jane Smiley then I would recommend you try "Moo" first but if you like it then give this a try. A great way to experience history through the basic day to day struggle. I do intend to read the next book when it comes out.
    • 2/5
      This novel tells of Walter Langdon and his wife from 1920 to 1953, a chapter being devoted to each year. Walter and his wife have six children and the events pertainng to them are related. One knowledgeable about Iowa farm life sometimes cringes as the author--obviously not an Iowa farm girl, talks of clover being 'planted' with corn to keep down the weeds--in those days clover was sowed with oats, but I never heared of it being planted with corn--and there is also a reference to cultivating corn in August--with horses, yet. The author should have had an Iowa farmer proofread her novel to avoid such bloopers. The author also for no discernible reason lards her story with expilcit sexual descriptions which add nothing to the story. In fact, as the years progress the account seems pretty pointless. The passing references to historical events are seldom developed into anything meaningful. I found the book very disappointing and meaningless.
    • 4/5
      I liked the characters; I liked how the year-by-year-chapter-by-chapter construction hung together. Very clever! I alwasy wanted to keep readint to see what the next year would bring. I really look forward to the next installment! It was almost as good as 'Thousand Acres'....but not quite.
    • 5/5
      "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."So begins [Some Luck], the first book in a trilogy about the Langdon family spanning 100 years (1920-2019). The book begins as Walter and Rosanna Langdon welcome their first child, Frankie. The Langdons are an Iowa farm family, not an easy life. As their family grows, their struggles are those of the broader world - the Great Depression, World War II, the beginning of the Cold War. With only one chapter representing each year, we drop into and out of the Langdon family's lives, but as with a treasured family album, the snapshots blur together to create a rich picture of this family. Each person is distinct, approaching trials and joys in unique ways. Even when they are babies, Smiley does an excellent job of helping us see the world through each of the children's eyes. I was lucky enough to hear Jane Smiley read from this book at the Iowa City Book Festival. As she described the trilogy (which is completed - I believe the other two books will come out within the next year or so), I was struck by how ambitious this project is. This is not just an epic, capturing a century of one family's life. Instead, it is a lens, capturing a century through one family's eyes. I was sad to see this book end. I'm pretty sure that the Langdons will stay in my head until I get the chance to pick up their story in 1954.
    • 4/5
      Jane Smiley's return to rural life is a steady, knowledgeable novel whose overriding sentiment is "anything can happen on a farm". In this book, it does. The central character is Frank, son of Rosanna and Walter, themselves farm children of German heritage. Frank is so intelligent and defiant that his parents and siblings are intimidated by him, especially younger brother Joe, whom Frank torments. Running chronologically from 1920, when Rosanna and Walter marry, until the end of their union in 1953, the saga encompasses drought, wars, death, socialism, literature, horses, and, most strongly, deep family devotion.Some Luck (what a title!) contains no blinding revelations: just this haunting quote, summing up this all-encompassing tale -"Corporal, here's what I learned in the war. There's nothing more haunted than a house. Beings gather there. Every house is a planet, exerting gravitational pull. Every house is in a dark wood, every house has a wicked witch in it."
    • 5/5
      Lovely. Can't wait for the next one.
    • 5/5
      Some Luck, the first in a trilogy, chronicles the lives of the Langdon family on their Iowa farm from 1920-1953. Rosanna and Walter Langdon with their five surviving children experience many tragedies and triumphs during this turbulent period in American history. The children are diverse in personalities and interests, and each is interesting individually and as part of the entire Langdon family. This is a book I hated to put down and couldn't wait to pick up again. It is filled with ordinary every-day events and heartbreaking poignancy. I eagerly await the story of successive years in this memorable family saga.
    • 5/5
      Jane Smiley is a natural born storyteller and she writes characters that are so relatable. The Langdons are such a regular family, raising their children and farming their land in Iowa. The story starts in 1920 and everything we learn of a historical context we learn from the effect it had on the family and their community, such as the great depression, droughts when they had to fight to keep their farm going.We hear from each family member, even the young children. Frankie was such a scamp, always in trouble and his thoughts often made me smile. We follow their sorrows, their joys, their hardships and their successes. As the children get older, finding lives of their own we are shown more history, the war, the threat of communism and eventually the fears of Russian spies. The book is divided into yearly chapters, ending in 1953. I felt like I could have been reading the life story of people I know. Her writing is just so natural, flowing, her characters so complete. Generational novels can be challenging, sometimes overstuffed but Smiley gave us just enough of each character to let us know them without boring us with needless details. I will so miss this family and am glad this is the first part of a trilogy. Looking forward to catching up with their lives once again.I also appreciate that this story was linear, no going back and forth in time, just from character to character. As you can tell I loved this book.ARC from publisher.
    • 5/5
      When I hate a book, it is usually pretty easy to say why I hated it. When I love one, it just resonates with me, but I can't always ferret out why I loved it. This books falls into that latter situation.Jame Smiley is a superb author. I've know this from reading some of her earlier works, and I hoped this book wouldn't let me down. Of course, it did not.Books with a genealogy chart at the beginning, as this one has, tend to scare me off. Not so. The characters were pretty easy to keep straight, and not so many key players that I needed to refer to the chart. The characters were all their own people so no confusing one with another just because they were too alike, just a big, messy family all thrown together.I loved the beginning, the world as experienced through the senses and intellect of a baby, a toddler. I really cared about this farming family. The writing was straightforward, not florid, and quite gorgeous in its simplicity."The joke was that if he'd killed himself he would have missed the worst year of his life, and still he was glad that he hadn't killed himself.""At first you thought of people like [redacted] as runaways, and then, after a bit, you knew they were really scouts."Every chapter was a new year: 1920 - 1953, and the outside world, the wars, and depression, the events that affected the characters, were nicely woven into the story. The trials of farming in changing times rang true.This novel is supposedly the first of a trilogy, but it stands quite solidly on its own two metaphorical feet.I was given an advance readers copy of this book for review, and the quotes may have changed in the published edition.
    • 3/5
      It took me a long time to get through this book. It was interesting, sometimes tedious and every now and then, sprinkled with some very touching vignettes.
    • 4/5
      Jane Smiley has returned to farm life as the theme for Some Luck, her latest novel. Each chapter is a year in the life of Walter and Rosanna's family, beginning in 1920 and ending in 1953. There are so many characters (so many children) that not all of them can be well developed. It is sometimes sad to see the more colorful characters wash out with age and time. I don't think the annual entry works well. The novel lacks tension and the characters do not have the depth of those in A Thousand Acres.
    • 5/5
      I played the audio book over and over, and for a time cared for and felt as if I belonged in this endearing farm family. Will look for the sequel.
    • 4/5
      I actually abandoned this book for a while, but I am glad I went back to finish. A family saga encompassing farm and family life in the first half of the twentieth century. Beautifully written, characters I cared about. Will read the rest of the trilogy.