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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Es handelte mir ein bisschen zu viel von schönen Kreuzstichmustern und der fruchtbaren Erde und dem Herrn Kommerzienrat (bzw. in dem Fall schwedischen Emigrantenfarmer), dessen wie du weißt einzige blondbezopfte Tochter du bist. Aber wenn man betrunken ist und dringend mehr über das harte und doch romantische Dasein der amerikanischen Pioniere erfahren möchte, vielleicht genau das richtige Buch.
I am trying to read all of Willa Cather's novels this year and so far, so good. The story of Alexandra Bergson running the farm her father left her was so interesting especially in the description of the land and weather. Cather really places you in this hard situation which required strength of many types. Physical as well as mental fortitude was required to settle the west and Alexandra possessed more of that than her brothers. She is mostly alone, although surrounded by others, but eventually she comes to a personal peace with her decisions and her life.
I reread this for Willa Cather book group and I loved it more than the previous time I read it. The first in her Great Palins trilogy, followed by The Song of the Lark and My Antonia, it shows Cather's strength as a writer and how she made the land, the economy and the people of the Great Plains worthy of our attention, even over a hundred years later.
I reread this for Willa Cather book group and I loved it more than the previous time I read it. The first in her Great Palins trilogy, followed by The Song of the Lark and My Antonia, it shows Cather's strength as a writer and how she made the land, the economy and the people of the Great Plains worthy of our attention, even over a hundred years later.
This is a book I should really go back and read. I remember loving it to pieces and reading it several times in one summer- if only I could remember what it was about...
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wasn't prepared to love this book as much as I did but what a great story. A swedish (yay!) family moved to America to try to get a new and better life in the prairie and what a beautiful story it was. Not a lot going on and a rather quiet novel but it was excellent
Review:
http://classiclit.about.com/od/unitedstates/fl/O-Pioneers-1913-by-Willa-Cather.htm
http://classiclit.about.com/od/unitedstates/fl/O-Pioneers-1913-by-Willa-Cather.htm
O Pioneers! was selected as the 'classic' read that my book group read this month. I loved the book; the writing and the characters. It is amazing to me that this book was written almost 100 years ago and and it is still a great read, you know what I mean? The language and writing seemed very modern and there was not that challenge to 'get used to' the dialogue or the vocabulary that she used. It flowed very well.That's a sign of a great classic!
All of us in the group loved the book. There is a very strong female character, actually she is the main character, and the thought among us was that this was a very feminist book for it's time. Rather unusual.
I grew up about 30 miles from Red Cloud, which is where Willa Cather grew up. She uses Red Cloud as the model for the settings in a lot of her books. I am kind of ashamed to admit that I don't remember reading any of Cather's books before now. I can't imagine that we didn't have to read any of them in school, but for the life of me, I don't remember reading any. I really need to change that.
Probably one of her most well known books is My Antonia. This title is available as a free e-book. I downloaded it last night and will be reading it soon. Gotta love the classics!
All of us in the group loved the book. There is a very strong female character, actually she is the main character, and the thought among us was that this was a very feminist book for it's time. Rather unusual.
I grew up about 30 miles from Red Cloud, which is where Willa Cather grew up. She uses Red Cloud as the model for the settings in a lot of her books. I am kind of ashamed to admit that I don't remember reading any of Cather's books before now. I can't imagine that we didn't have to read any of them in school, but for the life of me, I don't remember reading any. I really need to change that.
Probably one of her most well known books is My Antonia. This title is available as a free e-book. I downloaded it last night and will be reading it soon. Gotta love the classics!
Although I have read other works by Cather, this is the first time that I have read "O Pioneers". This slim novel certainly deserves its place in the canon of American literature. While I find "My Antonia" to be a stronger novel and "Death Comes for the Archbishop" to be Cather's masterpiece, "O Pioneers" has depth and passion galore. I think that many current readers will find Alexandra's support of Frank to be irrational and outright wrong. Many will also cheer at the freedom that Alexandra seems to have until they realize that for all her success, she still finds that she is not complete until she is at the side of a man. Lots and lots to discuss in this one! My son has to read "O Pioneers" over the summer and I look forward to discussing it with him.
Back to the Classics Challenge #11 - Abandoned classic
I'm not usually one to DNF books, but I started this at the end of 2018, got one chapter in, then promptly forgot about it at the beginning of the year when I hopped into new 2019 challenges. I had really liked the first chapter though. I love prairie settings (thanks to being raised by a mom who loved Little House on the Prairie and got me the Kirsten doll and tons of her outfits, visiting the homestead at the nature center, etc... I will always have a special place in my heart for the pioneers). The first chapter was really sweet, and the book was promising... but it end up being a little bit boring and didn't really capture my imagination fully. I think maybe the problem for me was that the book covered a long period of time for a short book, and had jumps of years between stories, so it felt more like a series of short stories, and they didn't really go deep enough for me to get a feel for the characters.
But, despite my mediocre feelings about this classic, I will still give Willa Cather another chance - maybe My Ántonia or Death Comes for the Archbishop.
I'm not usually one to DNF books, but I started this at the end of 2018, got one chapter in, then promptly forgot about it at the beginning of the year when I hopped into new 2019 challenges. I had really liked the first chapter though. I love prairie settings (thanks to being raised by a mom who loved Little House on the Prairie and got me the Kirsten doll and tons of her outfits, visiting the homestead at the nature center, etc... I will always have a special place in my heart for the pioneers). The first chapter was really sweet, and the book was promising... but it end up being a little bit boring and didn't really capture my imagination fully. I think maybe the problem for me was that the book covered a long period of time for a short book, and had jumps of years between stories, so it felt more like a series of short stories, and they didn't really go deep enough for me to get a feel for the characters.
Spoiler
Alexandra Bergson is the only daughter of a Swedish farmer in Nebraska. She has three brothers, but they don't show the same work ethic or love of the land as Alexandra, so her father entrusts the homestead to Alexandra when she dies. She pulls the farm through drought and depression, and it thrives. Her younger brother, Emil, has an affair with a neighbor woman and gets shot and killed by the distraught, drunk husband. Alexandra ends up marrying her childhood friend, Carl, when he returns to the area after he hears about Emil's death.But, despite my mediocre feelings about this classic, I will still give Willa Cather another chance - maybe My Ántonia or Death Comes for the Archbishop.
Absolutely beautiful. Can’t wait to read it again.
It is full of naturalism and compassion, love and loss, and shows how the human spirit can endure just like the land.
It is full of naturalism and compassion, love and loss, and shows how the human spirit can endure just like the land.