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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
There were certain days in her life, outwardly uneventful, which Alexandra remembered as peculiarly happy; days when she was close to the flat, fallow world about her, and felt, as it were, in her own body the joyous germination in the soil. There were days, too, which she and Emil had spent together, upon which she loved to look back. There had been such a day when they were down on the river in the dry year, looking over the land. They had made an early start one morning and had driven a long way before noon. When Emil said he was hungry, they drew back from the road, gave Brigham his oats among the bushes, and climbed up to the top of a grassy bluff to eat their lunch under the shade of some little elm trees. The river was clear there, and shallow, since there had been no rain, and it ran in ripples over the sparkling sand. Under the overhanging willows of the opposite bank there was an inlet where the water was deeper and flowed so slowly that it seemed to sleep in the sun. In this little bay a single wild duck was swimming and diving and preening her feathers, disporting herself very happily in the flickering light and shade. They sat for a long time, watching the solitary bird take its pleasure. No living thing had ever seemed to Alexandra as beautiful as that wild duck. Emil must have felt about it as she did, for afterward, when they were at home, he used sometimes to say, 'Sister, you know our duck down there —' Alexandra remembered that day as one of the happiest in her life. Years afterward she thought of the duck as still there, swimming and diving all by herself in the sunlight, a kind of enchanted bird that did not know age or change. [111–12]
Cather's Nebraska is every bit as vivid and integral a character to her work as John Steinbeck's California is in his. Considering that Steinbeck is my favorite author, it really elevates Cather, in my eyes to one of the top five in American literature.
The key to understanding O Pioneers is knowing how the land--maybe I should capitalize, The Land--works in the novel. Considering how she basically wallops the reader with this point in the last three pages, it shouldn't be hard to miss.
Without "The Land" you have a story of a spinster, Alexandra, who survives three years of drought and the death of her father to become a very, very successful farmer. Without "The Land" you have a fleeting love affair between Emil and Marie and a tragic ending.
With it, however, Alexandra's love story is complete (with Carl Linstrum). Her marriage to the land is consummated with a fateful trip to the river and back, during which she realizes she isn't going to leave, she's going to stay an make The Land prosper under her.
With it, Emil and Carl are doomed to sadness and frustration as they wander the wide world. With it, Emil's death--as his lifeblood and that of his lover pour into the soil--is a validation. It's eternal, beautiful.
I picked up this book on a trip to Nebraska, put off reading it for a month, then devoured it. Few people would list the Great Plains in their top 10 or 50 American places to visit. But the love that Cather pours into her setting is infectious. You will marvel at the place and want to see what inspires such greatness.
The key to understanding O Pioneers is knowing how the land--maybe I should capitalize, The Land--works in the novel. Considering how she basically wallops the reader with this point in the last three pages, it shouldn't be hard to miss.
Without "The Land" you have a story of a spinster, Alexandra, who survives three years of drought and the death of her father to become a very, very successful farmer. Without "The Land" you have a fleeting love affair between Emil and Marie and a tragic ending.
With it, however, Alexandra's love story is complete (with Carl Linstrum). Her marriage to the land is consummated with a fateful trip to the river and back, during which she realizes she isn't going to leave, she's going to stay an make The Land prosper under her.
With it, Emil and Carl are doomed to sadness and frustration as they wander the wide world. With it, Emil's death--as his lifeblood and that of his lover pour into the soil--is a validation. It's eternal, beautiful.
I picked up this book on a trip to Nebraska, put off reading it for a month, then devoured it. Few people would list the Great Plains in their top 10 or 50 American places to visit. But the love that Cather pours into her setting is infectious. You will marvel at the place and want to see what inspires such greatness.
Willa Cather is awesome! This is the first of her prairie trilogy. I'd previously read the third one, My Antonia. This is the story of a young woman, Alexandra, who takes over management of her father's farm in western Nebraska, in preference to her two older brothers. She makes a success of it, but is a bit less successful in her personal life, such as it is.
This could be considered a feminist book, in that there is a strong, independent, successful female character. She's also very engaging.
I suppose one reason I liked O Pioneers! and My Antonia so much is that it is basically the story of my great grandparents. They homesteaded in South Dakota, then after a couple hideous winters headed south where they settled in Kansas.
This could be considered a feminist book, in that there is a strong, independent, successful female character. She's also very engaging.
I suppose one reason I liked O Pioneers! and My Antonia so much is that it is basically the story of my great grandparents. They homesteaded in South Dakota, then after a couple hideous winters headed south where they settled in Kansas.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
Meh, at least it had a somewhat happy ending, but it didn't really grab me. Oh, and it's not that long either, so there's that too.
You know, in Nebraska they make you read Cather but I read Lost Lady and being a teenager found it fine but not earth shattering. Then I picked this up for 59 cents at goodwill to read in a Train ride to Chicago and holy sweet grass!
This is a masterpiece!
I can't remember the last time I dog eared a page in a book because the writing was so beautiful but a scene in the middle of this big farm on the Prairie story did that to me.
I can't recommend this beautifully written and heartbraking story enough!
This is a masterpiece!
I can't remember the last time I dog eared a page in a book because the writing was so beautiful but a scene in the middle of this big farm on the Prairie story did that to me.
I can't recommend this beautifully written and heartbraking story enough!
My first introduction to Willa Cather was learning that I would be teaching My Antonia as part of the curriculum in my sophomore English class. I had a lingering memory of her strong vocabulary and distinctive characters, so I was quite amenable when someone in my book club suggested we read some Willa Cather together. For a first, we opted to read two titles in one month, both O Pioneers! and My Antonia.
O Pioneers! was a beautiful and yet tragic read, with much to discuss. I would say it was my favorite of the two (which, however much people might try to group them, are not connected in a series beyond, "both taking place on the Great Plains"). Themes of persistence, loyalty, and love are present.
O Pioneers! was a beautiful and yet tragic read, with much to discuss. I would say it was my favorite of the two (which, however much people might try to group them, are not connected in a series beyond, "both taking place on the Great Plains"). Themes of persistence, loyalty, and love are present.
Sad, but beautifully writen. Cather never disappoints.
Beautiful prose in a short novel that is as spare, broad, and lovely as the Nebraska prairie Cather writes about. The book makes you feel the characters' love for the land; the lead character is none of the usual feminine heroine stereotypes--not spunky, or beautiful, or witty, just determined, hard-working, and open-minded. A lovely, lovely, book.
My mother had me read this when I was just a young girl. Perhaps ten or eleven? I still remember even at such a young age falling so deeply in love with this book and reading and rereading it until the book was well worn out and the spine bent and broken.