Arcadia

Arcadia

• Signed by author
• Advance reading copy

<strong>From the bestselling author of <i>The Monsters of Templeton</i> comes a lyrical and gripping story of a great American dream.</strong></br></br> In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding what would become a commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. <i>Arcadia</i> follows this romantic, rollicking, and tragic utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday and after. </br></br> Arcadia's inhabitants include Handy, a musician and the group's charismatic leader; Astrid, a midwife; Abe, a master carpenter; Hannah, a baker and historian; and Abe and Hannah's only child, the book's protagonist, Bit, who is born soon after the commune is created. </br></br> While Arcadia rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. If he remains in love with the peaceful agrarian life in Arcadia and deeply attached to its residents--including Handy and Astrid's lithe and deeply troubled daughter, Helle--how can Bit become his own man? How will he make his way through life and the world outside of Arcadia where he must eventually live?</br></br> With <i>Arcadia</i>, her first novel since her lauded debut, <i>The Monsters of Templeton</i>, Lauren Groff establishes herself not only as one of the most gifted young fiction writers at work today but also as one of our most accomplished literary artists.