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librarymouse's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Reading My Ántonia felt like reading the Little House on the Prairie books for the first time again. It was a calm, immersive experience, and I greatly enjoyed it. It didn't trivialize the hardships the early settlers faced, but it also showcased their joy and love.
Following the lives of these characters from childhood through adulthood made them all the more lovable, and I was happy that many of them found joy in ways that they hadn't been predicted to when they were young.
I fell a little bit in love with Lena Lingard. Her early characterization as the town whore, followed by an in depth look at her reality as a sweet, beautiful girl whose beauty and personality drew people in, and who just wanted to have an adulthood far different than the one she watched her parents have made her so likable. I loved that there wasn't really a rivalry between the young women in the novel, and that Jim was able to love them all in a variety of ways without the relationship being sexual or causing tension in their group. Jim was an interesting character. His marriage that was mentioned in the beginning of the book felt impulsive in a way that he doesn't seem to be in the rest of the novel. He, in all of his adventures and life stages reads as a friendly, sexually non-threatening man, and I love him, the novel, and Will Cather all the more for it.
Following the lives of these characters from childhood through adulthood made them all the more lovable, and I was happy that many of them found joy in ways that they hadn't been predicted to when they were young.
I fell a little bit in love with Lena Lingard. Her early characterization as the town whore, followed by an in depth look at her reality as a sweet, beautiful girl whose beauty and personality drew people in, and who just wanted to have an adulthood far different than the one she watched her parents have made her so likable. I loved that there wasn't really a rivalry between the young women in the novel, and that Jim was able to love them all in a variety of ways without the relationship being sexual or causing tension in their group. Jim was an interesting character. His marriage that was mentioned in the beginning of the book felt impulsive in a way that he doesn't seem to be in the rest of the novel. He, in all of his adventures and life stages reads as a friendly, sexually non-threatening man, and I love him, the novel, and Will Cather all the more for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death
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