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A review by brandonpytel
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
5.0
A survival tale reminiscent of the "gumption" of Gone with the Wind. A little Steinbeckian with the taming of the wild lands, our lead character is Alexandra, a determined hard-nosed worker who was willed low-country plains by her passing father. Despite incompetent brothers and a constant pressure to move back to the cities east, Alexandra maintains her promise to develop the land and ultimately cultivates it into something worthwhile.
O Pioneers is a true tale of loyalty, the American work ethic, and an immigrants struggle to make it in a foreign land. A condensed story (only about 180 pages), but one that stayed with me, especially Alexandra's character. So much is put on her shoulders, and she forgoes the pleasures of many natural human vices to conquer and make profitable her new land.
And with this survival tale are two love stories naturally interwoven without being too overpowering. Alexandra's brother, Emil, and his fatal flaw: his love for a married woman, Maria; and the return of Carl Lindstrum, a childhood friend who catches the eye of Alexandra. Can't say enough about this book. It was great.
O Pioneers is a true tale of loyalty, the American work ethic, and an immigrants struggle to make it in a foreign land. A condensed story (only about 180 pages), but one that stayed with me, especially Alexandra's character. So much is put on her shoulders, and she forgoes the pleasures of many natural human vices to conquer and make profitable her new land.
And with this survival tale are two love stories naturally interwoven without being too overpowering. Alexandra's brother, Emil, and his fatal flaw: his love for a married woman, Maria; and the return of Carl Lindstrum, a childhood friend who catches the eye of Alexandra. Can't say enough about this book. It was great.