Arcadia

"Even the most incidental details vibrate with life Arcadia wends a harrowing path back to a fragile, lovely place you can believe in."  —  Ron Charles, The Washington Post 

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 centred 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; & Abe & Hannah's only child, Bit. While Arcadia rises & falls, Bit, too, ages & changes. He falls in love with Helle, Handy's lovely, troubled daughter. And eventually, he must face the world beyond Arcadia. 

"Richly peopled and ambitious and oh, so lovely, Lauren Groff's Arcadia is one of the most moving & satisfying novels I've read in a long time. It's not possible to write any better without showing off."   — Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls

In Arcadia, Lauren Grofff displays her literary gifts to stunning effect.