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hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
New lady crush: activated. Cather has written a beautifully compelling Kunstlerroman (coming of age of the artist, in layman's terms) that is also deeply unsentimental and blunt. I cannot recommend it enough.
Cather’s prose and her loving descriptions of nature will always do it for me
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
slow-paced
I loved Part I: Friends of Childhood and Part IV: The Ancient People, but really struggled through the rest of the book. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it and finishing it as it's part of my "read more classics" personal goal, but I'm not sure it's a book I'd recommend if you struggle reading long books or aren't a fan of bildungsroman novels.
Wasn't particularly enthralled by Cather's prose, and Thea felt somewhat monochromatic as a character. The book came recommended to me by a friend, and it was very nice to be able to talk about it with her. Spoilers below.
I loved the relationship she had with Fred when they were younger, but his being married and stringing her along "for the sake of her artistic development" really soured me towards his character. I thought they had a nice dynamic as friends, and found it very sweet when they let each other go at the end of the last chapter.
My friend told me the epilogue, where they get married, was added to the second edition, and that critics say it's unnecessary and doesn't fit Thea's personality. I think it's a lose/lose situation for Cather. At the time the novel was published, I'm sure that the lack of a marriage plot and the inherent defense of women's independence that implies was heavily criticized, and she may have felt pressed to write the marriage into the book so people would stop focusing on it and appreciate other aspects of the book. However, now that we have moved on past the "every woman's goal must be marriage" mindset, we criticize that she added the marriage plot. Women just can't win.
Wasn't particularly enthralled by Cather's prose, and Thea felt somewhat monochromatic as a character. The book came recommended to me by a friend, and it was very nice to be able to talk about it with her. Spoilers below.
My friend told me the epilogue, where they get married, was added to the second edition, and that critics say it's unnecessary and doesn't fit Thea's personality. I think it's a lose/lose situation for Cather. At the time the novel was published, I'm sure that the lack of a marriage plot and the inherent defense of women's independence that implies was heavily criticized, and she may have felt pressed to write the marriage into the book so people would stop focusing on it and appreciate other aspects of the book. However, now that we have moved on past the "every woman's goal must be marriage" mindset, we criticize that she added the marriage plot. Women just can't win.