Read: 2004Fruits of the Earth is the chronicle of Abe Spalding, a farmer possessed by "land hunger." He leaves his stony and untillable farm in Ontario to start a new farm in the prairies, leaving his wife behind until he has established himself in their new home. The story is as much of his land as it is of Abe, following the two through the years as they shape each other.
Grove masterfully captures his subject, even in his writing style. The novel is slow and plodding, as it watches the passage of years. If you need a faster pace and action, this is absolutely not the novel for you. Instead, Fruits of the Earth draws the reader in to the life of a Prairie farmer, with its struggles, tragedies, successes, and endless cycles. It's a beautiful novel, and by the end I knew more about wheat growing than I ever thought I would.
It's a Canadian classic that helps the reader experience - it only vicariously - a part of the country's history. This isn't the story of great wars or grand political gestures, but rather of the "little people" who shaped the country with their hands. As an immigrant to Canada, I feel that Fruits of the Earth helped me understand the country a little betters.
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