Some Luck
2016 Nominated

Some Luck

artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

1920, Denby, Iowa: Rosanna and Walter Langdon have just welcomed their firstborn son, Frank, into their family farm. He will be the oldest of five.

Each chapter in this extraordinary novel covers a single year, encompassing the sweep of history as the Langdons abide by time-honored values and pass them on to their children. With the country on the cusp of enormous social and economic change through the early 1950s, we watch as 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 we’d seen growing up now has a little girl of her own.

The first volume of an epic trilogy, Some Luck starts us on a literary adventure through cycles of birth and death, passion and betrayal that will span a century in America.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Jane
Smiley

Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and most recently, Some Luck and Early Warning, the first volumes of The Last Hundred Years trilogy. She is also the author of five works of nonfiction and a series of books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. She lives in Northern California.

Jane Smiley is the author of numerous novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and most recently, Some Luck and Early Warning, the first volumes of The Last Hundred Years trilogy. She is also the author of five works of nonfiction and a series of books for young adults. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has also received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. She lives in Northern California.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find any translators matching your search. Please try using different keywords or check back later as we regularly update our collection.

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

Beginning in 1920, through the Cold War, Smiley explores the lives, thoughts and emotions of an Iowa farm family. Smiley has the ability to make us care about the joys, sorrows, triumphs, and everyday experiences of her engaging characters as portrayed against large historical events, especially the Great Depression. The first in a projected trilogy, readers will anxiously be awaiting the next instalment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Date published
07/07/2015
Author
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf
Nominating Library

RELATED FEATURES

Video August 27 2026

2026 Dublin Literary Award Winner in Conversation

Watch 2026 Dublin Literary Award winner, Ali Smith, and author Belinda McKeon in conversation, which took place on 22nd May 2026 at the Dublin International Literature Festival
Video August 27 2026

2026 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony

Watch back the 2026 Dublin Literary Award Ceremony which took place on 21st May 2026
News May 21 2026

2026 Dublin Literary Award Winner Revealed

Discover this year's winner!
Video May 16 2026

Brigitte Giraud – Live Fast Q&A

Q&A Session with 2026 Dublin Literary Award shortlisted author Brigitte Giraud, author of Live Fast, exploring the inspirations behind her novel.

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.