← Back to discovery

Arcadia

Lauren Groff

2012291 pagesabout 4–7 hours
2012
first published
  • 2012Thorndike Press · ENGISBN 9781410448613
  • 2012Clipper Large Print · ENGISBN 9781471200106
  • 2012Hyperion · 291 pages · ENGISBN 9781401340872
  • 2013Penguin Random House · 304 pages · ENGISBN 9780099537250
  • 2016Hachette Books · 320 pages · ENGISBN 9780316434706
  • 2012William Heinemann · 304 pagesISBN 9780434019625
  • 2012Voice · 298 pagesISBN 9781401341909

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; 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.

How it feels

When and where

How do you feel?