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It's really a shame that great authors of the early 20th Century have to compete with the literary styles of the 21st, but I suppose it can't be helped. It's also really a shame that my own post-feministic mindset can't appreciate the struggle that the main character Thea went through in this book. It's also a shame that I read this book soon after reading Circling the Sun -- another early 20th century story about a talented, firey woman whose ambition drives her. I think if any of these conditions had changed for me, I might have given this book a higher rating.
My own storytelling sensibilities kept wondering where the plot was. I kept asking myself if this was a rags to riches story. It was, kind of, but we never actually got a description of Thea's grand performances. And had this been a book written by a writer friend of mine, I would have marked up the margins with "too much description of the landscape!" and "can't you make Thea more likeable?" and "is there a man alive that she's met that ISN'T in love with her?" It's fortunate for Willa Cather that I wasn't born yet when she drafted this book. No doubt she would have ignored my suggestions.
I read this book because of the time period. I was hoping for more insight into life at the turn of the century, but I was disappointed in that regard too. I DID however, like Cather's description of the women and how they acted with each other, like Aunt Tillie and some of the Moonstone society ladies. I also REALLY liked the twist of Freddy's personal life. I'm glad I read it because I really don't get enough 20th century American classics in my literary diet, but I didn't like this book. It served its purpose -- keeping me entertained while I recovered from the flu.
Two stars for the book. But three to me. I could have read a predictable romance with cheesy dialogue while I was sick and I didn't. I wonder if my high school English teacher would be impressed.
My own storytelling sensibilities kept wondering where the plot was. I kept asking myself if this was a rags to riches story. It was, kind of, but we never actually got a description of Thea's grand performances. And had this been a book written by a writer friend of mine, I would have marked up the margins with "too much description of the landscape!" and "can't you make Thea more likeable?" and "is there a man alive that she's met that ISN'T in love with her?" It's fortunate for Willa Cather that I wasn't born yet when she drafted this book. No doubt she would have ignored my suggestions.
I read this book because of the time period. I was hoping for more insight into life at the turn of the century, but I was disappointed in that regard too. I DID however, like Cather's description of the women and how they acted with each other, like Aunt Tillie and some of the Moonstone society ladies. I also REALLY liked the twist of Freddy's personal life. I'm glad I read it because I really don't get enough 20th century American classics in my literary diet, but I didn't like this book. It served its purpose -- keeping me entertained while I recovered from the flu.
Two stars for the book. But three to me. I could have read a predictable romance with cheesy dialogue while I was sick and I didn't. I wonder if my high school English teacher would be impressed.
How could I ever pick a favorite book?
If I could, this is definitely a front contender.
If I could, this is definitely a front contender.
Probably my third-favorite book by Willa Cather after My Antonia and Death Comes for the Archbishop. Although considered part of her “prairie trilogy,” this book is markedly different in how, for much of the story, it strays from the plains of northeast Colorado to the big cities of Chicago and New York. There’s also a detour to the cliff dwellings of northeast Arizona. This is the very much a coming of age story, as well as the artistic development of a budding musician. And as the young protagonist matures and finds her voice, literally and figuratively, you’re not sure how sympathetic she is anymore. The writing is drop-dead gorgeous, as to be expected from Cather, with plenty of passages that I read again and again, and then again to my wife. Her writing is just that good.
I first read this years ago, and on this reread, I had flashes of familiarity, but just flashes. So it felt mostly like a brand new book.
Cather is one of those authors that sucks you right in to her world. Her use of language just pours right over you. I loved Thea--strong and determined, she's not always nice, but she's always interesting. The portrait of an artist is a fascinating one, made even more interesting after learning that Thea is based on a real early 20th century opera star, Olive Fremstad.
Should be a great discussion for book club!
Cather is one of those authors that sucks you right in to her world. Her use of language just pours right over you. I loved Thea--strong and determined, she's not always nice, but she's always interesting. The portrait of an artist is a fascinating one, made even more interesting after learning that Thea is based on a real early 20th century opera star, Olive Fremstad.
Should be a great discussion for book club!
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5- 4 Stars - need to think about this. Review to come
Although this is one of Willa Cather's longer novels, I hope length does not deter another soul from reading it. I will admit that Cather spends a good deal - perhaps too much - of her time individually illustrating each of her characters (sometimes one chapter per character). However, it should be noted that by 1915, the time of publication, Cather had established herself as a writer in her own style. *Song of the Lark* is an important landmark in that authorial development because Cather committed herself to theatrical-like character development and substantial relationships within the novel. This, for me, gives the novel life and an anchoring point within which readers can lose themselves.
Thea, the main character, is "uncommon" by the standards of her small Colorado town. She is determined and goal-oriented, unsatisfied with being another music teacher in the long line of Moonstone instructors. Her personality was the seed that friends along the way helped grow. Of course, as is the case in many small towns in America, some citizens of Moonstone - including her own family - end up resenting Thea's talents and accomplishments. These locals operated on the misconception that Thea had forgotten her roots. Nothing could be further from the truth. Thea - like Willa Cather herself - always found comfort and inspiration in Moonstone and the people she met there. I think the very last line of the book in the epilogue sums this perception up nicely, but I will let you discover that connection on your own time.
It is clear that this book of Cather's is semi-autobiographical. Moonstone is Red Cloud, of course; but, there are steady threads of autobiographical content streaming throughout the book to its very last pages. This should be concepts to which much attention is paid.
I had the fortune of reading this book in Red Cloud, Nebraska; Cather's home starting from age nine. Six of Cather's twelve novels are based in Red Cloud because, like Thea, Cather always gained inspiration from her memory of hometown. I would encourage all those reading any Cather book to do so in Red Cloud so you can physically see and walk the streets and houses that inspired one of America's greatest writers. (see The National Willa Cather Center: https://www.willacather.org/)
Thea, the main character, is "uncommon" by the standards of her small Colorado town. She is determined and goal-oriented, unsatisfied with being another music teacher in the long line of Moonstone instructors. Her personality was the seed that friends along the way helped grow. Of course, as is the case in many small towns in America, some citizens of Moonstone - including her own family - end up resenting Thea's talents and accomplishments. These locals operated on the misconception that Thea had forgotten her roots. Nothing could be further from the truth. Thea - like Willa Cather herself - always found comfort and inspiration in Moonstone and the people she met there. I think the very last line of the book in the epilogue sums this perception up nicely, but I will let you discover that connection on your own time.
It is clear that this book of Cather's is semi-autobiographical. Moonstone is Red Cloud, of course; but, there are steady threads of autobiographical content streaming throughout the book to its very last pages. This should be concepts to which much attention is paid.
I had the fortune of reading this book in Red Cloud, Nebraska; Cather's home starting from age nine. Six of Cather's twelve novels are based in Red Cloud because, like Thea, Cather always gained inspiration from her memory of hometown. I would encourage all those reading any Cather book to do so in Red Cloud so you can physically see and walk the streets and houses that inspired one of America's greatest writers. (see The National Willa Cather Center: https://www.willacather.org/)
I can't believe it's been five years since I first read this book.
When I first read it, I was poising myself to pitch into that vast unknown of college dropoutdom. This book spoke to me and gave me courage. And some serious girl power.
I just re-read it, and was a little afraid that I would have outgrown it. Nope. It's definitely a classic--it's met me even more strongly than before, with enduring truths about being an artist and a woman and living.
The only thing I can say to its detriment is that now, having seen more of life and people, Thea seems to be able to deal with Fred's revelation a little too level-headedly. I didn't buy it.
Still. A wonderful book that strikes me right at the core. I would re-read it any time I was gearing up to make a big decision.
When I first read it, I was poising myself to pitch into that vast unknown of college dropoutdom. This book spoke to me and gave me courage. And some serious girl power.
I just re-read it, and was a little afraid that I would have outgrown it. Nope. It's definitely a classic--it's met me even more strongly than before, with enduring truths about being an artist and a woman and living.
The only thing I can say to its detriment is that now, having seen more of life and people, Thea seems to be able to deal with Fred's revelation a little too level-headedly. I didn't buy it.
Still. A wonderful book that strikes me right at the core. I would re-read it any time I was gearing up to make a big decision.
I'm not entirely sure why I like this book so much. I think part of it is because I can't completely figure out why I dislike the protagonist, Thea Kronborg, so much by the end of the novel. As a talented, intelligent girl stuck in a small town, she is a very sympathetic and likable character. I found myself cheering her on as she works hard to achieve her dream of being an artist, which she does by the end of the novel. And yet, somehow along the way I lose all of my fondness for her. Though the plot follows the conventions of the typical pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps American story, Cather subtly makes this novel something much more complex. Thea's development addresses some of the negative realities of success - the disconnect between achievement and happiness, and the tension between artistic integrity and humanity. Cather plays this tension so subtly the reader must read deeply to find it, and she does not resolve it for us at the end, leaving us with a lot to contemplate.