Arcadia

Arcadia

<STRONG><EM>New York Times</EM> Bestseller<br><br></STRONG>"Timeless and vast... The raw beauty of Ms. Groff€s prose is one of the best things about <I>Arcadia</I>. But it is by no means this book€s only kind of splendor."<B> --Janet Maslin, <I>The New York Times</I></B><br><br>"Even the most incidental details vibrate with life ¯¿½ <I>Arcadia</I> wends a harrowing path back to a fragile, lovely place you can believe in." <B>--Ron Charles, <I>The Washington Post</I></B><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 a commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. <I>Arcadia</I> 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. <br><br>In <I>Arcadia</I>, Groff displays her literary gifts to stunning effect.<br><br>"Fascinating." <B>--<I>People</I> (****)</B><br><br>"It€s not possible to write any better without showing off."<B> --Richard Russo, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel <I>Empire Falls</I></B><br> <br>"Dazzling."<B> --<I>Vogue</I></B>