Book Description The verdant pastures of a farm in Illinois have the placid charm of a landscape painting. But the horses that graze there have become the obsession of a woman who sees them as the fulfillment of every wish: to win， to be honored， to be the best. Her ambition is the galvanizing force in Jane Smiley's first novel， a force that will drive a wedge between her and her family， and bring them all to tragedy. Written with the grace and quiet beauty of her Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel， A Thousand Acres， Barn Blind is a spellbinding story on the classic American themes of work， love， and duty， and the excesses we commit to achieve success."Chilling . . . Jane Smiley handles with skill and understanding the mercurial molasses of adolescence， and the inchoate， cumbersome love that family members feel for one another." -- The New York Times From the Inside Flap The verdant pastures of a farm in Illinois have the placid charm of a landscape painting. But the horses that graze there have become the obsession of a woman who sees them as the fulfillment of every wish: to win， to be honored， to be the best. Her ambition is the galvanizing force in Jane Smiley's first novel， a force that will drive a wedge between her and her family， and bring them all to tragedy. Written with the grace and quiet beauty of her Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel， A Thousand Acres， Barn Blind is a spellbinding story on the classic American themes of work， love， and duty， and the excesses we commit to achieve success."Chilling . . . Jane Smiley handles with skill and understanding the mercurial molasses of adolescence， and the inchoate， cumbersome love that family members feel for one another." -- The New York Times