From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

O Pioneers!

Willa Cather

Start date: June 1, 2018

Finish date: June 30, 2018

Discussion: Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

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Lesser Know/Wilderness Classics

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What Members Thought

Feb 20, 2016 Christine PNW rated it it was amazing

Shelves: vintage-women

H-o-l-y s-h-i-t.

Willa Cather was the real deal.

...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2019 Claire rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: precinct-81, reading-women

For me the book did not really work. Granted, it is well written and an interesting subject. On the other hand the characters are not really coming to life. As a document of a period in time, it is an interesting book. As a classic it fell short for me on the point of depth. Too superficial? As abonus: The descriptions of nature are truly great.

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 29, 2021 Francesca rated it liked it

Not my cup of tea but, nevertheless, an enjoyable reading. Interesting characters as well.

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2018 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-classics, challenge-back-to-the-classics-2018, challenge-bingo-2018

I really liked this book, and Cather's quiet way of describing life on the Nebraska plains in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She gave her readers a sense of the isolation the pioneers experienced, yet the beauty of the land that kept them there even during the hard times. She was very adept at bringing each of her characters to life.

My one distaste for this book was how the character Alexandra Bergson assessed the situation between Frank and Marie Shabata. (view spoiler) ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 07, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, borrowed

A friend was reading this, and our conversation reminded me how much I loved Cather. So, when I happened to stumble across an available version on Overdrive, so I snagged it. I read it on paper . . . something like 40 years ago, maybe more. I loved it then. I still love it. Alexandra is one of the all time great characters. Cather (quite a bit before the term existed), was very much a feminist. Her female characters are strong, smart, and very very human. Her men are human too - but much more fl ...more

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