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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
fast-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
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I read this as part of my project to read one book by a female author from each decade of the 20th century. This was the second installment, from the 1910s.
After the overly-sentimental Gilded Age drama of Edith Wharton’s “House of Mirth,” this book was quite literally a breath of fresh prairie air. Willa Cather’s straightforward writing style mirrored the straightforward Scandinavian mentality of Alexandra. A tragedy with a happy ending, this book is full of wonderful descriptions of the prairie and frontier life. 4.5 stars.
After the overly-sentimental Gilded Age drama of Edith Wharton’s “House of Mirth,” this book was quite literally a breath of fresh prairie air. Willa Cather’s straightforward writing style mirrored the straightforward Scandinavian mentality of Alexandra. A tragedy with a happy ending, this book is full of wonderful descriptions of the prairie and frontier life. 4.5 stars.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
This book is, objectively, very well-written. The prose is clean and descriptive, and the overall narrative is coherent. The story is depicted through delicate vignettes, with the characters being treated with great sensitivity. As interesting as this book was to read, I still didn't find myself enjoying it all that much. I normally would never read a book like this one, for the title alone, really. But it'd been given to me as a gift some time ago and had just been sitting on my shelf untouched since then, so I'd decided to take a chance on the poor thing and just read it already.
While the overall skill and quality of this book's writing is great, the underlying message of loving the land by taking control of it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.Sure, Alexandra stands out from other farmers in the story because her approach to working the land comes from understanding it rather than beating it into submission or wishing it was something it's not. But she is still, at the core of her character, a businesswoman. Her farm's yield and the vast acreage under her ownership is framed as being like a reward for her ability to ~use the land correctly~ (compared to other farmers who don't know how to properly use it).
I'm quite tired of the sentiment that land must be used in order to have value, and that value itself is based on how well it can be used to benefit whatever person has taken to "taming" it. The plot touches on interesting topics, like what the survival of a person's psyche entails when trying to make a living in either a rural area or an industrial city, and carries these ideas through well-developed and realistic characters. But despite O Pioneers! being such a well-crafted piece of literature, my personal distaste for the overall underlying premise bumps my rating for the book from a 4.5 down to 3.25 stars.
While the overall skill and quality of this book's writing is great, the underlying message of loving the land by taking control of it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.
I'm quite tired of the sentiment that land must be used in order to have value, and that value itself is based on how well it can be used to benefit whatever person has taken to "taming" it. The plot touches on interesting topics, like what the survival of a person's psyche entails when trying to make a living in either a rural area or an industrial city, and carries these ideas through well-developed and realistic characters. But despite O Pioneers! being such a well-crafted piece of literature, my personal distaste for the overall underlying premise bumps my rating for the book from a 4.5 down to 3.25 stars.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ve had this classic on my TBR for a long time. I love stories set in the frontier, and this was particularly enjoyable due to Alexandra’s character. This story is a tragedy. While the plot was compelling, it was slow going. The prose was beautiful and I could picture every scene clearly in my mind.
I love the way Cather sets the scene of the novel. I can imagine myself there and feel like I see it through Alexandra's eyes.
Not entirely what I was expecting it to be, but still a very good story. The writing is beautiful, and the story is capturing, but I am not sure if I will be reading the rest of the trilogy.