Some Luck
This historical novel follows various members of the Langdon family from 1920 until 1953. Readers first meet Walter and Rosanna Langdon, newlyweds on their farm in Iowa, and go on to learn about the lives of their five children: Frank, Joe, Lillian, Henry, and Claire, who seem at first to have little or nothing in common. The backdrop of America during these particular decades, with major national and world events occurring within them, is a crucial part of the story, as the Langdons’ lives become bigger and broader than their little farm can contain.
Smiley uses interesting techniques in perspective, giving various points of view throughout the book, including those of some of the Langdon children as babies, narrating their experiences with an infant’s understanding of the world. After all of this time spent with one family, I wanted to feel more attached to the Langdons than I did. Instead I felt as if the story bumped along, perhaps switching points of view too often for me to form any particular relationship with any of the characters. It is an interesting book, in terms of American history and the real lives of regular folk, but all in all a bit of a disappointment.
