.jpg)
Early Warning by Jane Smiley (Knopf, May 2015)
The second book in Jane Smiley’s trilogy begins with the
funeral of patriarch Walter Langdon as his children gather at their family
home, a farm in Iowa. Beginning in 1953,
each chapter chronicles one year in the life of Langdon’s five children, their
spouses, children and extended families.
The children have scattered throughout the country, to California,
Washington DC, the New York metro area and beyond. The Cold War will have more effects on the
family than they suspect, the 1960’s and 1970’s will prove liberating for some
of the members of the Langdon family.
The Vietnam War will break the hearts of the family but leave a surprise
in its wake. The next generation begins
to take its place in the adult world, providing great joy as well as sadness
for the family as each Langdon child struggles to find their place in this new
world. No one tells a family saga the
way Pulitzer Prize winning Smiley can; she reaches into the heart and soul of
each of her characters, exploring their deepest recesses, rewarding readers
with a family saga for all times. A LibraryReads pick for May.
No comments:
Post a Comment