Smiley, Jane

Narrated in the spirited voice of 20 year old Lidie Newton, the novel is an ambitious examination of a turning point in history and the riveting story of one woman's journey into uncharted regions of place and self.

Two unforgettable novellas built on lucid characterizations and elegant prose.

On her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt tries to rely on her Christian faith as she faces the possibility of giving up her beloved colt, Jack.

On her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt tries to rely on her Christian faith as she faces the possibility of giving up her beloved colt, Jack.

Seventh-grader Abby Lovitt grows up on her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, learning to train the horses her father sells and trying to reconcile her strict religious upbringing with her own ideas about life.

The story of an Iowa farmer who decides to retire in 1979 and turns over his valuable land to his three daughters.

The story of an Iowa farmer who decides to retire in 1979 and turns over his valuable land to his three daughters.

Plain, independent Lidie Harkness, impatient with the restrictions placed on women in mid-nineteenth century Illinois, jumps at the chance to marry New England abolitionist Thomas Newton and travel with him to the Kansas Territory where they embark on a dangerous quest to stop the spread of slavery.

Novelist Jane Smiley pays tribute to horses, describing her childhood love for them, discussing their behavior and the horse-human relationship, interviewing horse experts such as veterinarians, trainers, and a horse whisperer, and chronicling her own two horses' entrance to the world of racing.