Arcadia

You can’t go home again

Some characters can and others can’t return to some form of utopian experiment. Why do some communities like the Amish persist and others don’t? Does seeking the good even when you don’t know it even matter? Can you lose your magic when you become an adult?

I enjoyed this book. This is the story of what inevitably goes wrong when a bunch of people get together and try to form their own society, making up the rules as they go along. It's about what always goes wrong in society...personalities coming before principles.

This is a story of how this "utopian" society shaped some of the key players in that society. Some in not such bad ways, making them aware of their place in an interrelated natural world, and others who were utterly ruined by their experiences in "freedom" and communal living. It's about family ties and the love that holds everything together.

There are some lovely scenes in Arcadia but the overall is a bit overworked and uneven. Bit as a boy is an interesting character, but the progressive jumps by decades are jarring. It was very hard to stay connected to the story.