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clemmies's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Willa Cather continues to surprise me with her romantic styling, its clearly well founded on some ideological ground, from reading A Lost Lady, at least. Criticisms of her views on race and class are various, however her descriptions of the Blum boys throughout this novel indicate a conscious lack of knowledge that this novel partially contends with. Cather focuses on early feminist critiques and of the family unit, as well as model decorum under capital rule, however the personal and romantic tones of rhe novel allow room for one to interpret Cather's ideas as fundamentally, perspectively, incomplete on the matter.
Captain Forrester and his iconic sundial largely represent a "tragic" loss of tradition into degredation that Niel certainly laments, however the titular Marian Forrester is clearly not on the same page. Niel is, of course, the narrator and his story revolves around the gorgeous white woman that filles his life with color -- like many young american artist intellectuals -- and as such the novel ends when he "grows" past Marian's tempestuousness. The silences on the part of the titular character speak volumes -- Niel and the story by proxy does not permit Marian to have the agency to go on her own way, simply tieing her to Captain Forrester and Niel's perception of womanly duties, rather than her own ideals of adventure or love.
The eventual escape Marian commits to isnt the real end of A Lost Lady, as Niel percieves her as still lost. Whether or not Marian found happiness in California is for naught; for all the novel is concerned women can never find a "proper" place in a young mans mind. Class and race certainly play a part in this gender discussion, as the Blum boys and Ivy Peters show how race prevents some from gaining any "proper" place, in the mind or in reality, and Marian's eventual use of Ivy Peters' capitalistic ruses worsesns the state of the town for the boys living off meager means. She (ostensibly) gains agency in California, but in the process causes more structural violence in her wake. The boys dropping off flowers for Mrs. Forrester is a... worrying sign in terms of how Cather personally viewed Black people, as the negritude in personal descriptors is palpable; however, the story is structured around the author clearly showing how, despite her knowledge of gender relations and hegemonic masculinity, she still does not have the end-say on how gender relations shake out, in the real world. There's more work, pertaining to class and race, to be done.
Didnt talk about her writing style much here but just gosh the pages just flow by. A Lost Lady is a swift and a fun read, with a lot to contemplate. I hope to see development in how Cather writes different characters dialogue, as the language can get stale, however descriptors and character thoughts are oozing with immersion and variance.
Captain Forrester and his iconic sundial largely represent a "tragic" loss of tradition into degredation that Niel certainly laments, however the titular Marian Forrester is clearly not on the same page. Niel is, of course, the narrator and his story revolves around the gorgeous white woman that filles his life with color -- like many young american artist intellectuals -- and as such the novel ends when he "grows" past Marian's tempestuousness. The silences on the part of the titular character speak volumes -- Niel and the story by proxy does not permit Marian to have the agency to go on her own way, simply tieing her to Captain Forrester and Niel's perception of womanly duties, rather than her own ideals of adventure or love.
The eventual escape Marian commits to isnt the real end of A Lost Lady, as Niel percieves her as still lost. Whether or not Marian found happiness in California is for naught; for all the novel is concerned women can never find a "proper" place in a young mans mind. Class and race certainly play a part in this gender discussion, as the Blum boys and Ivy Peters show how race prevents some from gaining any "proper" place, in the mind or in reality, and Marian's eventual use of Ivy Peters' capitalistic ruses worsesns the state of the town for the boys living off meager means. She (ostensibly) gains agency in California, but in the process causes more structural violence in her wake. The boys dropping off flowers for Mrs. Forrester is a... worrying sign in terms of how Cather personally viewed Black people, as the negritude in personal descriptors is palpable; however, the story is structured around the author clearly showing how, despite her knowledge of gender relations and hegemonic masculinity, she still does not have the end-say on how gender relations shake out, in the real world. There's more work, pertaining to class and race, to be done.
Didnt talk about her writing style much here but just gosh the pages just flow by. A Lost Lady is a swift and a fun read, with a lot to contemplate. I hope to see development in how Cather writes different characters dialogue, as the language can get stale, however descriptors and character thoughts are oozing with immersion and variance.
jsdrown's review against another edition
5.0
Don’t judge Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady by its cover. The novel is a short 148-page trek through the decline of the American Western Frontier. It’s packed with violence, subtle drama, and death. Be warned. In the first 15(!) pages Willa Cather writes a realistic sequence of animal mutilation that made me squirm.
ime0509's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
katie_skean's review against another edition
Read for book club. What prose! Some of it is shocking. Afterward, I read that F. Scott Fitzgerald loved it so much, he realized too late that he had modeled Daisy in the Great Gatsby after Marian, and he wrote Willa Cather an apology letter for any unintentional plagiarism. I was gratified to read this, because Marian had reminded me of Daisy quite a lot! It is a short book-- it's not considered one of her best, but it's considered good, so read it if you're curious.
alannathellama's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out fine but didn’t live up to any of its potential. The characters were so dramatic for no reason. Like almost nothing actually happened to justify it.
Niel was fine at times, but he kept emphasizing how different he was from everyone else. He also felt so entitled to something (not really a relationship necessarily, but something) with Marian and it was so weird because he was a kid and she was a grown woman. I think it’s to make the point that women are forced to act in a certain, singular way to stay in the fickle good graces of men who will never see the error in their unrealistic expectations, creating a cycle that only leads to problems for everyone. However, the way it was done was so much more grating than it needed to be.
I also did not give a fuck about Marian at all. She was so rich, and even when she gets poorer, she’s still so entitled. I just did not feel anything towards her, even though I am very sure we were supposed to. She’s also just soooo elitist in general, especially towards women. Again, I’m sure this is to make a point, but it mostly just felt like Cather couldn’t stop writing “pick me” character types.
The biggest thing I detested was the way that class differences were portrayed. It is likely because of Niel’s bias, but all the lower class characters were portrayed as so unimportant and less worthy than the other characters. They were often demonized in a way. The novel glorifies the old, rich railroad man and demonizes the lower classes for resenting the rich, who live completely different lives, full of splendor right next to them while they struggle. It just reeks of strange conservative ideals and hypocrisies. I’m not entirely sure what Cather’s intention was with this, but if it did mean something other than what I picked up, I do not think it was done in the right way. Once I started noticing it, I couldn’t stop and it grated me to no end.
The ending: so boring, and the emotions didn’t seem deserved and it didn’t seem like the conclusion even mattered at all, but maybe I was just too pissed off by that point in the book.
Other than that, I didn't hate the writing style, I just wish she wrote about something else.
Niel was fine at times, but he kept emphasizing how different he was from everyone else. He also felt so entitled to something (not really a relationship necessarily, but something) with Marian and it was so weird because he was a kid and she was a grown woman. I think it’s to make the point that women are forced to act in a certain, singular way to stay in the fickle good graces of men who will never see the error in their unrealistic expectations, creating a cycle that only leads to problems for everyone. However, the way it was done was so much more grating than it needed to be.
I also did not give a fuck about Marian at all. She was so rich, and even when she gets poorer, she’s still so entitled. I just did not feel anything towards her, even though I am very sure we were supposed to. She’s also just soooo elitist in general, especially towards women. Again, I’m sure this is to make a point, but it mostly just felt like Cather couldn’t stop writing “pick me” character types.
The biggest thing I detested was the way that class differences were portrayed. It is likely because of Niel’s bias, but all the lower class characters were portrayed as so unimportant and less worthy than the other characters. They were often demonized in a way. The novel glorifies the old, rich railroad man and demonizes the lower classes for resenting the rich, who live completely different lives, full of splendor right next to them while they struggle. It just reeks of strange conservative ideals and hypocrisies. I’m not entirely sure what Cather’s intention was with this, but if it did mean something other than what I picked up, I do not think it was done in the right way. Once I started noticing it, I couldn’t stop and it grated me to no end.
The ending: so boring, and the emotions didn’t seem deserved and it didn’t seem like the conclusion even mattered at all, but maybe I was just too pissed off by that point in the book.
Other than that, I didn't hate the writing style, I just wish she wrote about something else.
lindapatin's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katiel321's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
karinlib's review against another edition
5.0
Cather's writing is sublime. Years ago, I read [b:The Professor's House|48203|The Professor's House|Willa Cather|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328729214l/48203._SY75_.jpg|342924], and loved it. Now, am not sure which one I like better.
Marian Forrester is a women that wants to live, and live at all cost. She has the ability to catch the attention of every man and young boy she meets in Sweet Water Nebraska. Neil Herbert is one of those young boys, who becomes devoted to her, and he is the one that becomes the narrator.
In a sense this is a story of a "lost woman", but it is also the story of the loss of a generation of pioneers who sought a new life in the West.
Marian Forrester is a women that wants to live, and live at all cost. She has the ability to catch the attention of every man and young boy she meets in Sweet Water Nebraska. Neil Herbert is one of those young boys, who becomes devoted to her, and he is the one that becomes the narrator.
In a sense this is a story of a "lost woman", but it is also the story of the loss of a generation of pioneers who sought a new life in the West.
ipanzica's review against another edition
3.0
I think that this was a poignant story about grief and judging others. Since Marian was a bit closed off with some of her neighbors in the past, these same neighbors took advantage of Marian's grief when her husband died. Under the guise of helping Marian while she was grieving, her neighbors used this as an opportunity to bring down someone who they thought was too proud. These neighbors were going through Marian's house, closets, and drawers while insulting everything and trash-talking Marian for grieving in a way they deemed wrong. This was not only a huge invasion of her privacy but extremely rude. They judged her when she stayed in her room too long, she wasn't organized, she cried too much, she drank alcohol instead of selling it and other smaller things that they thought were wrong. Marian most likely picked up on them for only being there for only selfish reasons and didn't feel comfortable with them in her house since she hid from them by locking herself in her room most of the day. So I really liked how when Mirian was able to leave the small town, then after that, she was finally able to start feeling happier and put her life back together. While there were other themes in the story, Mirian's grief and her neighbor's judgment were the parts that resonated the strongest with me.