A couple of years ago, I read the third book in the GREAT PLAINS trilogy of Willa Cather. I promised myself that I would read the whole set this year. Everything I read by Cather makes me cry. I'm not a weepy person, but Willa Cather expresses my grief over losing America's innocence and goodness. Her books showed our promise, now long gone.
The Swedish-American Bergsons live near Hanover, Nebraska. It is the early 20th century, and their father dies on the farm. He realizes that Alexandra Bergson has more business sense than his three sons and tells the boys to follow their sister's lead. When years of crop failures cause neighbors to sell their farms (which brothers Oscar and Lou want to do, too), Alexandra convinces them to mortgage their farm and buy up other farms.
Sixteen years later, the wisdom of Alexandra's decision is apparent. Ther Bergsons are relatively wealthy. The two older brothers have married and have families, while the youngest brother, Emil, is finishing college.
Willa Cather explains why new immigrants worked so hard. They loved the land despite the hard nature of the Nebraska winds and winters. The author points out that most of these immigrants were not farmers in their homeland but became farmers because that was all that was available.
This bittersweet story will stay with me for a long time. There are two romances -- Alexandra with Carl and Marie with Emil. I was thunderstruck by the pivotal point of the book.
Prairie Trilogy
** 1. O Pioneers! (1913)
2. The Song of the Lark (1915)
3. My Antonia (1918)
The Swedish-American Bergsons live near Hanover, Nebraska. It is the early 20th century, and their father dies on the farm. He realizes that Alexandra Bergson has more business sense than his three sons and tells the boys to follow their sister's lead. When years of crop failures cause neighbors to sell their farms (which brothers Oscar and Lou want to do, too), Alexandra convinces them to mortgage their farm and buy up other farms.
Sixteen years later, the wisdom of Alexandra's decision is apparent. Ther Bergsons are relatively wealthy. The two older brothers have married and have families, while the youngest brother, Emil, is finishing college.
Willa Cather explains why new immigrants worked so hard. They loved the land despite the hard nature of the Nebraska winds and winters. The author points out that most of these immigrants were not farmers in their homeland but became farmers because that was all that was available.
This bittersweet story will stay with me for a long time. There are two romances -- Alexandra with Carl and Marie with Emil. I was thunderstruck by the pivotal point of the book.
Prairie Trilogy
** 1. O Pioneers! (1913)
2. The Song of the Lark (1915)
3. My Antonia (1918)
