We begin with Walter, the
25 year-old father and owner of the farm.
His wife Rosanna is about to give birth to their first child, Frank, and
he is ruminating on all of the things that farmers think about: which crops to
plant this year, how many animals are there to take care of and can I really
afford to farm all of this land? As the years move forward, Smiley introduces us
to all of the Langdon children: Frank, Joe, Mary Elizabeth, Lillian, Henry and
Claire and their unique personalities.
We see Walter struggle with changing technologies (horses vs. tractors)
and Rosanna has her own challenges with loss and religion.
Each of the Langdon
children is different than the last, and we hear a lot from the point of view
of Frank, the handsomest and, arguably, the most cunning Langdon child. When the US gets involved in World War II, he
joins the army and becomes a sniper while his sensitive younger brother Joe
stays home on a II-A deferment and takes care of the family farm. Lillian falls in love with a handsome
stranger and Henry devours books as fast as he can get his hands on them. The reader is quickly absorbed into the world
that Smiley creates and is soon laughing and crying along with the family.
