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What can I say....I love Willa Cather. Anytime I feel like reading a STORY, a real story, I pick up a Cather book ,and this one did not disappoint. I love opera, and I always enjoy the small town characters that Cather creates. I was fascinated with the many men who loved the main character, Thea (and the different ways they adored her). My favorite character was Spanish Johnny, and least favorite was Fred Ottenberg. While this book took me a long time to get through, I savored every moment.
An old-fashioned book, centered on a single female character who is always shown to us outside herself, through the eyes of men. I want to remember how unexpected and delightful the brief Epilogue is. I want to remember that there's a whole segment of the story that takes place among Native American cliff dwellings somewhere in Colorado (not said to be Mesa Verde), and these are featured on the cover of my 1999 Vintage Paperbacks edition (which does not exist on Goodreads) and made a particular impression on me, because it is during her time in that canyon that Thea, then not quite 20 years old, gets a sense of what she could aspire to.
When we first meet Thea she's a girl, maybe 10 years old, living in a small Colorado town not very close to Denver. Our first impressions of her are from the young country doctor there. I kept thinking today about how much very good luck she had in her life, although we don't begrudge her because she also works very, very hard, and she has an absolutely steely will to succeed. Also, she never feels she is owed anything. She expects to work hard, and so she does.
Her mother, in spite of having five or six other children, insists that Thea be able to take piano lessons with an old German maestro (the term might give him too much credit). Thea gets a little bit of money that enables her to go to Chicago to study piano with a tutor, who recognizes that her voice is remarkable and introduces her to a well-connected voice teacher. Her good luck includes her not falling in with any bad or exploitative men, although she makes friends with and is much admired by a number of men — almost all of whom help her in significant ways.
It's an odd book in that it centers on Thea's talent and how much struggle — as well as luck — it requires for her to be able to use it, to eventually bring it before the kinds of audiences one would hope she will have. The final segment of the book really nails that, when she's in the final period of an ascent that might reach the pinnacle — or might not. There are no guarantees. Yet it will be through no failing of Thea's if she does not make it in the end. Her determination is epic.
I admire the book, and Thea, but I didn't always enjoy reading it. I think that's mostly because of the distance I felt from Thea — the reader is rarely inside her head, and there's a kind of formality or even stodginess to the story that muted my enthusiasm.
When we first meet Thea she's a girl, maybe 10 years old, living in a small Colorado town not very close to Denver. Our first impressions of her are from the young country doctor there. I kept thinking today about how much very good luck she had in her life, although we don't begrudge her because she also works very, very hard, and she has an absolutely steely will to succeed. Also, she never feels she is owed anything. She expects to work hard, and so she does.
Her mother, in spite of having five or six other children, insists that Thea be able to take piano lessons with an old German maestro (the term might give him too much credit). Thea gets a little bit of money that enables her to go to Chicago to study piano with a tutor, who recognizes that her voice is remarkable and introduces her to a well-connected voice teacher. Her good luck includes her not falling in with any bad or exploitative men, although she makes friends with and is much admired by a number of men — almost all of whom help her in significant ways.
It's an odd book in that it centers on Thea's talent and how much struggle — as well as luck — it requires for her to be able to use it, to eventually bring it before the kinds of audiences one would hope she will have. The final segment of the book really nails that, when she's in the final period of an ascent that might reach the pinnacle — or might not. There are no guarantees. Yet it will be through no failing of Thea's if she does not make it in the end. Her determination is epic.
I admire the book, and Thea, but I didn't always enjoy reading it. I think that's mostly because of the distance I felt from Thea — the reader is rarely inside her head, and there's a kind of formality or even stodginess to the story that muted my enthusiasm.
This is my third novel by Cather and once again, I’m in awe, completely captivated by her ability to weave a story that fills me with so many different emotions, all at once.
The Song of the Lark follows 11 year old Thea Kronborg, of a Scandinavian-American family in a little railroad town set in Colorado in the late 19th century, on her journey to stardom. She has a talent for music, playing piano and singing in the Methodist church where her father is minister, and recognizing her talent, her parents send her for music lessons. As she grows up, the book follows her on her journey through different music teachers, culminating in her career as an opera singer.
I really enjoyed this book and meeting all the different characters who shaped Thea’s life. Cather’s focus on other cultures and the struggles they faced as immigrants, felt very timely, given the current climate. Also, the struggles Thea faced and the sacrifices she made to achieve her goals were inspiring, as were her independent mindset and strong work ethic. And of course Cather’s writing is just so lyrical and beautiful. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of this author’s work.
There’s a lot to admire in here— Willa Cather’s prose soars when describing the midwestern plains, prairies and their towns, and exploring what home means and how memories of and feelings on home follow people throughout there lives.
But there’s a lot in here that is tedious, and characters who are racist; Thea Kronborg, as a protagonist, is— for large portions of the novel— entirely unsympathetic. She is a singer who longs to make it big, and very much a diva— who is constantly looking down on her parents, her siblings, the other residents of her small town and the men she uses to advance herself. You can’t hold a circa 1900 character to modern standards; but even weighing what it would’ve been like for someone in Thea’s position in her time, it’s a stretch to try and find empathy with her. The many characters around her, who inexplicably fawn over her talents, are all far more interesting.
I’ve given this a whole extra star, as I read this for a book club, and discussions this novel every week as we read was a joy and absolute delight. I do still want to read Cather’s other novels, which seem to fare better.
But there’s a lot in here that is tedious, and characters who are racist; Thea Kronborg, as a protagonist, is— for large portions of the novel— entirely unsympathetic. She is a singer who longs to make it big, and very much a diva— who is constantly looking down on her parents, her siblings, the other residents of her small town and the men she uses to advance herself. You can’t hold a circa 1900 character to modern standards; but even weighing what it would’ve been like for someone in Thea’s position in her time, it’s a stretch to try and find empathy with her. The many characters around her, who inexplicably fawn over her talents, are all far more interesting.
I’ve given this a whole extra star, as I read this for a book club, and discussions this novel every week as we read was a joy and absolute delight. I do still want to read Cather’s other novels, which seem to fare better.
I really like Willa Cather's writing and loved O Pioneers! and My Antonia. Song of the Lark was good too, but I had a hard time relating to the main character, Thea.
This is my first Cather novel, and I really enjoyed it. Thea Kronborg is a complex character that, at turns, intrigued me, repelled me, and absolutely enthralled me. It is the story of a girl raised in a small Colorado town who recognizes that there is something great within her. It is also the story of the various men who love her throughout her life.
Thea does not at first know what her gift is, and spends a few years trying to discover it. She studies piano and is quite good, but then her piano teacher hears her sing and knows that she will ultimately become a great singer.
Cather paints scenery beautifully, and she does a wonderful job of describing the sometimes tortuous path of an artist finding her way. I'm sure I will read more of her work.
Thea does not at first know what her gift is, and spends a few years trying to discover it. She studies piano and is quite good, but then her piano teacher hears her sing and knows that she will ultimately become a great singer.
Cather paints scenery beautifully, and she does a wonderful job of describing the sometimes tortuous path of an artist finding her way. I'm sure I will read more of her work.
For the most part I enjoyed this gentle, turn of the century coming-of-age set in the desert town of Moonstone. It was kind of plodding and eventless and nice in a sleepy way- where I was kind of mildly rooting for Thea, the songbird, to make it out of her small town and be a great artist. However when she SPOILER becomes a great opera singer it all got very, very dull with lots of repetitive passages about what her voice contained and how she sang different opera parts in different ways and how expressive her back was?! It got kind of weird in point of fact. I did however enjoy the bit where she just goes and lies down in a prehistoric Arizona cliff village for a season; that sounded nice.
What a slog! I loved O Pioneers! and was excited to read Song of the Lark. While there were quotable sections and some lovely lines, on the whole, the book had a meandering plot line that was pretty boring and pointless. I wish I had never started the book or had given up months ago.
Willa Cather is one of my all time most favorite authors. I love her descriptive, picture painting writing that pulls you in by making it familiar. For example on pg. 12, "It was in the summer that one really lived. Then all the little overcrowded houses were opened wide, and the wind blew through them with sweet, earthy smells of garden-planting."
This was a little slow to start, but later you appreciate the amount of character development that she did. Then it grabs you and takes off until your suddenly though the 283 pages!
Last night myself and a few girl friends had a wonderful discussion about this at our book club, it touched us personally and brought us to some great conclusions about choices in life.
Beautiful!
This was a little slow to start, but later you appreciate the amount of character development that she did. Then it grabs you and takes off until your suddenly though the 283 pages!
Last night myself and a few girl friends had a wonderful discussion about this at our book club, it touched us personally and brought us to some great conclusions about choices in life.
Beautiful!
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism