A Thousand Acres | Characters & Character Analysis

A Thousand Acres Characters

Larry Cook

Larry is a wealthy respected Iowa farmer, son of Edith and John Cook, the father of Ginny, Rose and Caroline. After his wife's death, he purchases the adjacent Ericson farm—making his farm about one thousand acres—and begins sexually abusing his elder daughters. After ceding his farm to those daughters, he sues, with the assistance of his youngest daughter, to get it back, feigning senility and proclaiming himself abused. After the lawsuit is dismissed, he has a heart attack, pushing a grocery store cart down a cereal aisle, and dies.

Ginny Cook Smith

Ginny is the eldest daughter, the narrator—in her mid 30s when she remembers the period between her mother's death (when she was 14) and her marriage (when she was 19). She has had five miscarriages, the most recent 6 months before the novel begins. After the law suit is dismissed, Ginny leaves the farm and her husband, drives north to Minnesota,...
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