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carlynclark's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
More of a retelling and analysis of Willa Cather's writing than a traditional biography. Interesting insight into how her life intersected with themes in her work.
amycrea's review
4.0
A decent introduction, but kind of biography-light. Still, the discussion of her writings was good.
mcr1955's review
4.0
3.5 star rating. I do not generally read biographies; most people's lives are just not that interesting (to me). However, I do make exceptions for artists occasionally. I appreciated that this biography of Cather was on the short side with many quotes from the now available letters. The most interesting part of the book was the first third or so about Cather's childhood and younger years. She was highly intelligent and mature beyond her age. Cather came in contact with a variety of eclectic adults in Red Cloud Nebraska who taught her all kinds of things. Her parents were very supportive of her early interest in writing, even borrowing money to pay for college. For a young woman in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, her experience was very unusual, but then she was an unusual person. The author summaries all of Cather's major works and draws some interesting connections between them. If you like biographies and/or interested in Willa Cather, you will probably enjoy this book.
lvleggett's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Like all good biographies about an artist whose work you love, this one makes me want to go back and read Cather's works. Concise and chronological, the book starts when Cather really begins writing in her 40s. Taylor puts her work in the context of her history as well as the cultural & political moment. It's a sparse account but filled with respect and appreciation for both the works and the author.