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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Un libro discreto. Una storia che non cattura mai davvero ma che allo stesso tempo è piacevole da leggere. Ha un buon ritmo, anche se i salti temporali (anche piuttosto lunghi) spezzettano un po’ la storia.
La cosa che mi è piaciuta di più è stata sicuramente la capacità di questo libro di portarmi in un tempo e in un luogo diversi, trasmettendo l’amore e la riverenza che l’autrice prova nei confronti della terra e della natura. La trama in sé l’ho trovata un po’ frammentata, si percepisce secondo me che sono due racconti slegati intrecciati insieme a posteriori. La protagonista mi è abbastanza piaciuta e ho trovato tenero il finale, sebbene dolceamaro.
Un buon libro per un viaggio libresco degli USA, ma non molto di più.
La cosa che mi è piaciuta di più è stata sicuramente la capacità di questo libro di portarmi in un tempo e in un luogo diversi, trasmettendo l’amore e la riverenza che l’autrice prova nei confronti della terra e della natura. La trama in sé l’ho trovata un po’ frammentata, si percepisce secondo me che sono due racconti slegati intrecciati insieme a posteriori. La protagonista mi è abbastanza piaciuta e ho trovato tenero il finale, sebbene dolceamaro.
Un buon libro per un viaggio libresco degli USA, ma non molto di più.
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
As someone who has lived in Nebraska for almost my whole life, I somehow never read anything by Cather. Which is too bad, because O Pioneers! was a treat to read and experience what life may have been like for folks in my family just a few generations back.
Beyond the enjoyment of the historical nature of the book and setting, the characters are really what makes the book wonderful. Alexandra and the others are full of life, which makes the struggle and the loss of all the characters hit harder. It's hard not to empathize and understand the motives of all the characters, especially when knowing the harshness of the land doesn't help.
Overall, I'm glad I read this one and am thankful for the connection to my own personal history it has.
Beyond the enjoyment of the historical nature of the book and setting, the characters are really what makes the book wonderful. Alexandra and the others are full of life, which makes the struggle and the loss of all the characters hit harder. It's hard not to empathize and understand the motives of all the characters, especially when knowing the harshness of the land doesn't help.
Overall, I'm glad I read this one and am thankful for the connection to my own personal history it has.
emotional
reflective
medium-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
Willa Cather's style and subject matter reminded me so much of watching "Little House on the Prairie" with my family as a much younger boy.
I never had to read this book in high school, but my sister did, and it's her book that I've got. She drew a flip book on the pages.
Cather's descriptions of the land are beautiful but not too flowery. Her words show just how much Alexandra loves and is connected to her land.
I didn't know much about the novel going in, so I was surprised to find that it's really an excellent feminist novel: a woman (no more than a girl, really) inherits her father's farm, because he recognizes that she is the one who can make it a success. Then she does, because she uses non-traditional methods; after all, a woman running a farm is unusual enough, why not keep the unconventional theme going?
She becomes very successful and her stupid brothers resent her, and they are very worried that she is going to throw over her fortune for a man, instead of giving everything to them. They forgot that they would still be out chopping rocks or something if it hadn't been for her. And, because she is FABULOUS, she cuts them out of her life. Yay! A woman who doesn't bother trying to be nice all the time!
Alexandra sees the potential in her younger brother, Emil, to become something better than a farmer. In this way, she is like a typical immigrant parent, wanting more for the children than she had herself.
I really liked the protagonist, though the secondary characters were sometimes annoying. The book's not all hearts and flowers; there's some tragedy, but not any more than would happen in real life.
I think it's great to see a novel in which the woman accomplishes everything she wants to, and THEN gets married; it's a nice change from the normal schedule of events.
Cather's descriptions of the land are beautiful but not too flowery. Her words show just how much Alexandra loves and is connected to her land.
I didn't know much about the novel going in, so I was surprised to find that it's really an excellent feminist novel: a woman (no more than a girl, really) inherits her father's farm, because he recognizes that she is the one who can make it a success. Then she does, because she uses non-traditional methods; after all, a woman running a farm is unusual enough, why not keep the unconventional theme going?
She becomes very successful and her stupid brothers resent her, and they are very worried that she is going to throw over her fortune for a man, instead of giving everything to them. They forgot that they would still be out chopping rocks or something if it hadn't been for her. And, because she is FABULOUS, she cuts them out of her life. Yay! A woman who doesn't bother trying to be nice all the time!
Alexandra sees the potential in her younger brother, Emil, to become something better than a farmer. In this way, she is like a typical immigrant parent, wanting more for the children than she had herself.
I really liked the protagonist, though the secondary characters were sometimes annoying. The book's not all hearts and flowers; there's some tragedy, but not any more than would happen in real life.
I think it's great to see a novel in which the woman accomplishes everything she wants to, and THEN gets married; it's a nice change from the normal schedule of events.
One of those books that was really enriched by a book club discussion. O the Patriarchy!
I loved [b:My Antonia|17150|My Antonia|Willa Cather|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166804501s/17150.jpg|575450] so I was really looking forward to reading another book by [a:Willa Cather|881203|Willa Cather|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198877246p2/881203.jpg] but I disappointed with this one. Although much shorter and easier to read than My Antonia it was also much less satisfying. The story often felt formulaic and the characters I cared most about seemed to be left by the wayside without their stories being resolved. Only the lovely vignettes showing the spirit of the Norwegian, Bohemian and French pioneers peppered throughout the book saved it from two stars.
I loved this so much I read it in one day. It's my first Willa Cather and I'd put off reading it for a long time because my edition is a big, awkward book that contains the whole trilogy. I'm glad I didn't put it off any longer!
I love the characters, especially Alexandra and Marie. They're all real people in my mind. I love how Cather brings alive the Nebraska prairie. Her beautiful, evocative prose takes you right there. And the story is crafted perfectly. A fantastic book.
I love the characters, especially Alexandra and Marie. They're all real people in my mind. I love how Cather brings alive the Nebraska prairie. Her beautiful, evocative prose takes you right there. And the story is crafted perfectly. A fantastic book.
O, what a wonderful book! The characters, the story, the descriptive landscape. I may have found a companion for my friend, John Steinbeck. This is a great story of a generation of immigrants in Nebraska. An incredible read that had all the perfect elements that I enjoy in a story. If our book ratings match, then this is one you don't want to miss!
I expected a tome when I went looking for this on the library shelves; I did not expect something so small, so slim. The story was full and the writing was gorgeous.