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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Loved it. Beautiful description about what in my minds eye is a stunning place.
I liked O Pioneers, but it was a hard read for me at times. There were certain aspects of it that hit a little too close to home. Cather’s realism really captured what it’s like to live on a rural farm, and some of the conflicts in the novel, such as the division of land after Alexandra’s death, were a little too real. My mother’s family was very split after a death and subsequent land division, and the argument between Alexandra and her brothers was so realistically depicted that it made me uncomfortable. The same goes for how death is treated in general in rural communities. Even when it is a harrowing and shocking as Emil’s, the people don’t really give themselves time to fully process and grieve. Work still has to be done, crops and animals to be tended to who don’t understand death, and this is an attitude that I really struggle with within my community. The abrupt ending of the novel and the way things move on, but not necessarily in a happy way, again were a little too close to home. I hope I’m not coming across like I didn’t enjoy the novel; I very much enjoyed the accurate depiction of a culture that, though it’s changed drastically in some ways since Cather’s time, I grew up in and still live in.
This book was unique in that I loved it for its prose, rather than the plot itself. Cather has such a beautiful way with words, an incredible ability to create pictures in the mind. Although I can’t say I completely enjoyed the story itself, I certainly enjoyed reading it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
I absolutely loved this, as I have all of Cather's work that I have read. This is the story of the Bergson family in Nebraska in the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century. Alexandra Bergson is tasked with taking over the family farm after the death of her father, and despite the fact that other farms are failing, she innovates and ends up succeeding, despite the protestations of two of her brothers (the deplorable Lou and Oscar) and the prejudices of her neighbors. Over time, Alexandra faces happiness and sorrow, loneliness and friendship. She is one of my favorite characters that I have ever read- she's very self-aware, she doesn't consider herself extremely clever, but she has lots of belief in herself, and she knows what she wants.
And the writing is gorgeous, of course. There are few writers who match her ability to describe scenery, especially winter in the plains.
And the writing is gorgeous, of course. There are few writers who match her ability to describe scenery, especially winter in the plains.
3.5 stars - read this for my course, was quite good.
Love this book! I can't wait to discuss it with my friends in a few weeks. I hadn't read this piece since I was in middle school and am glad I got reacquainted with the characters and plot. Cather is a master of narration and description. The Nebraska landscape transports the reader to wonder and admire the plains. This dynamic region is home to generations of Nebraskans who paved the way for the booming agriculture we experience today. Read this book and check out Nebraska for yourself!
Cather’s books seem to be rare here in Ireland and she has floated at the fringes of my to-read for some years, so I was delighted to find this Virago Classics copy in a second hand bookshop in London recently. It’s a beautiful story about the land, but I was also struck at how fresh the aspects of the immigrant experience reads - how we act when “foreigners” in other lands, what we bring and keep of our identities. Although Alexandra is the main character, she took almost the whole book to really grow on me. But ultimately I really related to her deep sense of responsibility, her pragmatism, her stoic independence. Beautiful language throughout.
i read this when i was in elementary school. i saw that it was a classic when i was in the bookstore today. i remember i REALLY liked it. can't believe i read a classic at such a young age. i don't remember anything else about it. maybe i didn't quite comprehend things about it either.