The Lay of the Land

The Lay of the Land

infobox Book |
name = The Lay of the Land
title_orig =
translator =


caption = First edition cover
author = Richard Ford
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre =
publisher = Knopf
release_date = October 2006
media_type = Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
pages = 496 pp
isbn = ISBN 0676972489
preceded_by = Independence Day
followed_by =

"The Lay of the Land" is a 2006 novel by American author Richard Ford. The novel is the third in a trilogy, which began with "The Sportswriter" (1986) and was followed several years later by "Independence Day" (1995). Both of these novels, along with "The Lay of the Land", follow a portion of the life of Frank Bascombe, a real estate agent entering his later years.

It was nominated for a 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award.

Plot

"The Lay of the Land" takes place in the fall of 2000, and Ford's character Frank Bascome is preparing for Thanksgiving at his home in Sea Clift, New Jersey. His son Paul, who is now a greeting card designer in Kansas City, Paul's girlfriend, who only has one hand, and Frank's daughter, Clarissa, who is an on-and-off lesbian, are all expected to attend. Frank has ordered a ready-made organic meal to be delivered on the holiday.

Frank's second wife, Sally, has reunited with her formerly AWOL and presumed-dead husband Wally, and they now live in the British Isles. Frank is in the last throes of a fight against prostate cancer, and Frank's first wife, Ann, has moved back to Haddam, New Jersey, after the death of her second husband.

Frank has started RealtyWise, his own company, and employs Mike Mahoney, a Tibetan who has adopted an American Republican lifestyle, except for his Zen philosophy.

Over the course of three days, Frank has a range of painful experiences with everyone he meets, including potential home buyers, the father of an old flame, his former wife, his son, and an old acquaintance whom Frank assaults in a bar. Frank's most redeeming moments as a character are in a lesbian bar where he waits for repair work on his Chevrolet Suburban, and when he gets shot in the chest by teenagers who have murdered his unlikable neighbors.

In the end, Frank and Sally are flying to the Mayo Clinic to get the final word on his prostate.

Reception

Merle Rubin of "The Christian Science Monitor" prasied the book, commenting " [the book] bristles with energy, with a natural assurance on the part of its writer."cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1114/p16s02-bogn.html|title=A realtor-cum-critic, dismayed by all he sees|date=November 14, 2006|first=Merle|last=Rubin|accessdate=2008-06-14|publisher="The Christian Science Monitor"] "The Sydney Morning Herald" reviewed the novel positively, noted that "the tone of The Lay of the Land is sombre, despite a few patches of high comedy, and its style is markedly introspective," adding that "Ford is such a fine writer that he pulls off a notable feat."cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/book-reviews/the-lay-of-the-land/2006/11/17/1163266768765.html|title=The Lay of the Land|date=November 17, 2006|first=Andrew|last=Riemer|accessdate=2008-06-14|publisher="The Sydney Morning Herald"] In a positive review, Richard Ford of "The Observer" wrote "Often in the book, you feel like you could listen to Frank observing his life for ever; very occasionally, it feels like you are," adding "There's not a line in the nearly 500 pages that you would want to lose, though."cite web|url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,1890089,00.html|title=Let's hear it for Frank|date=November 17, 2006|first=Richard|last=Fox|accessdate=2008-06-14|publisher="The Observer"] "The Wall Street Journal" complimented the book, writing "Mr. Ford's prose, however, is far from dull; virtuosic flights and crescendos animate passages that we might otherwise think we could do without."cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116198796965806500.html?mod=2_1167_1|title=Revisiting Frank Bascombe's World: an Ex-Sportswriter at 55|date=October 28, 2006|first=Tara|last=Gallagher|accessdate=2008-06-14|publisher="The Observer"]

References

External links

* [http://tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25339-2388487,00.html "The Man in the Big Car"] : a review in the [http://www.the-tls.co.uk TLS] by James Campbell, October 2006
* [http://www.metacritic.com/books/authors/fordrichard/layoftheland Metacritic] -reviews
* [http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679454687 Official publisher website]


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  • the lay of the land — Lay Lay, n. 1. That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood. Addison. [1913 Webster] A viol should have a lay of wire strings below. Bacon.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • the lay of the land — the lay (Brit. lie) of the land the way in which the features or characteristics of an area present themselves ■ figurative the current situation or state of affairs she was beginning to see the lay of the land with her in laws * * * the lay of… …   Useful english dictionary

  • (the) lay of the land — the lay of the land american phrase the lie of the land Thesaurus: general words for situations and circumstancessynonym views and landscapessynonym difficult situations and experiencessynonym Main entry …   Useful english dictionary

  • the lay of the land — ► the lie (N. Amer. lay) of the land 1) the features or characteristics of an area. 2) the current situation or state of affairs. Main Entry: ↑lie …   English terms dictionary

  • (the) lay of the land — the way a situation has been arranged or has developed. If you see them together, you don t have to be a detective to understand the lay of the land …   New idioms dictionary

  • the lie of the land — ► the lie (N. Amer. lay) of the land 1) the features or characteristics of an area. 2) the current situation or state of affairs. Main Entry: ↑lie …   English terms dictionary

  • the lay of the land — See get the lay of the land …   English idioms

  • the lay of the land — American the lie of the land …   English dictionary

  • lay of the land — the disposition of circumstances which one is considering wanted to know more about the lay of the land before investing * * * the general state or condition of affairs under consideration; the facts of a situation: We asked a few questions to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • lay of the land — also[how the land lies] {n. phr.} 1. The natural features of a piece of land, such as hills and valleys. * /The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land./ 2. The way something is arranged; the important facts… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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