In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding a commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this romantic utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday. Arcadia’s inhabitants include Handy, the charismatic leader; his wife, Astrid, a midwife; Abe, a master carpenter; … carpenter; Hannah, a baker and historian; and Abe and Hannah’s only child, Bit. While Arcadia rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. He falls in love with Helle, Handy’s lovely, troubled daughter. And eventually he must face the world beyond Arcadia.
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As usual Groff does not disappoint. In this book, her keen observations are turned toward a community – a failed eutopia and its members. The real reward is watching how this community shaped the main character, Bit, and how his life evolved after the commune disbands.
There is a trend, a demand in modern society, to be BOMBARDED with stimulation, whether breathless “Breaking News!!” posts, trolling social media exchanges, the noise of frenetic advertising, reality TV, sitcoms, and comic book dramas, or even popular book genres filled with shirtless protagonists (those covers on Twitter!) or shallow but …
Superb writing