Arcadia

Summary: In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding what would become a commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this romantic, rollicking, and tragic utopian dream from its hopeful start through its heyday and after. Arcadias inhabitants include Handy, a musician and the groups charismatic leader; Astrid, a midwife; Abe, a master carpenter; Hannah, a baker and historian; and Abe and Hannahs only child, the books protagonist, Bit, who is born soon after the commune is created. While Arcadia rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. If he remains in love with the peaceful agrarian life in Arcadia and deeply attached to its residentsincluding Handy and Astrids lithe and deeply troubled daughter, Hellhow can Bit become his own man? How will he make his way through life and the world outside of Arcadia where he must eventually live?

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