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Barn Blind
Barn Blind
Author: Jane Smiley
Kate Karlson has everything under control: the lives of her four children, the well being of the horses she raises in the Illinois country side and the stability of her twenty year marriage to Axel Karlson. All is proceeding exactly according to plan, and the important business of the summer is upon the Karlsons. Horse shows must be prepared for...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780060140168
ISBN-10: 006014016X
Pages: 218
Rating:
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0 stars, based on 0 rating
Publisher: Harper & Row
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

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reviewed Barn Blind on + 16 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good read. Very absorbing.
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inkwell avatar reviewed Barn Blind on + 6 more book reviews
I've ridden all my life, so I enjoyed this book from a horse person's point of view, but Smiley's books are emotionally wrenching, more so after you're finished than while you're reading, at least for me. Kate, the main character, is referred to in many reviews as 'obsessed,' but because I share a lot of personality traits with her, she seems more driven to me than obsessed. She is a person who carries on no matter what and altho for most people that would be a strength, for her, it's her greatest weakness.

The relationships between the 4 children are interesting and complex, and Smiley's dialog is smooth. Her books don't have some huge plot going on, but the day-to-day-ness of them sucks you in and by the time it's over, you're wrung out. I closed this book and the previous one I read, A Thousand Acres, and just sat there, stunned.

I recommend her because she writes very well, but these aren't books to read when you need cheering up. I have a couple more on my shelf and I'm looking forward to them, but I'm taking a break before I start another.
reviewed Barn Blind on + 6 more book reviews
Another great Jane Smiley book--in this one, lots of horse show stuff. I love her prose.


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