This is one of my favorite classics of all time! My favorite part is when he comes back at the end as an adult and talks about how it's hard to imagine all the people he grew up with going on and having full lives without him. Stunning...
My Antonia is my favorite of her Great Plains novels. Completely agree with all your thoughts about her writing. I just read some of her short stories in April and one of them has taken top place for everything I’ve read by her so far. Lots more on my shelf ♥️
I read the O' Pioneer series last fall. I wish I'd read them sooner, loved every single book. Now Cather is one of my favorite authors. I will definitely be checking out the Library of Congress's book list.
I DNFed _My Antonia_ when very young, I doubt I could have appreciated the time element and the reflective aspects. I didn’t realize it was so short. It appeared mammoth to me back then. I may give it another shot one day.
I somehow managed to miss this video when it came out, but am so glad I just stumbled across it now! What a wonderful video, Shelly. Your comments about time are especially interesting!
Good morning! I read O Pioneers by Cather (the first in the trilogy) at about age 12 or 13, way before the concept of "beautiful prose" would have made an impact. I had read all of the Little House books and was looking for more of that. At the time, the geography of the plains was exotic and strange for someone raised in the foot of the Appalachians. I remember wondering why anybody would choose to live there. Not long after that, I read The Grapes of Wrath which further convinced me that nobody should live in the plains - lol. As a preteen and a teenager, I read a lot of "literary fiction" because the school library was my only source for books. I think I reached my quota because LF is no longer my cup of tea. What did you read as a teenager?
