The Song of the Lark

By Willa Cather

The second book in Willa Cather’s “prairie trilogy,” The Song of the Lark is the story of a young woman’s awakening as an artist set against the western landscape.
     Thea Kronborg grows up in a small town in Colorado, leaving to go to Chicago to follow her dreams of becoming a well-trained pianist. Instead, she discovers her own singing voice and is encouraged to pursue developing it instead. Thea travels to Dresden and New York City, singing in operas and propelling herself to greater levels of accomplishment with every step of her journey. A story of strong work ethic, independence, and growth, The Song of the Lark is a commentary on passion and discarding that which no longer serves you.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9780735253919

Willa Cather

Willa Cather (1873-1947) was an award-winning American author. As she wrote her numerous novels, Cather worked as both an editor and a high school English teacher. She gained recognition for her novels about American frontier life, particularly her Great Plains trilogy. Most of her works, including the Great Plains Trilogy, were dedicated to her suspected lover, Isabelle McClung, who Cather herself claimed to have been the biggest advocate of her work. Cather is both a Pulitzer Prize winner and has received a gold medal from the Institute of Arts and Letters for her fiction.

Reviews for The Song of the Lark

[auntmarge64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What a disappointment this book was. I've loved just about all the Cather I've read, even minor works, but this seemed endless, and after about 80% I realized I just didn't care what happened to the characters and so quit.

[snash_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Primarily an exploration of the artistic drive but also a description of a time (1890 to 1920) and places (Colorado, Arizona, Chicago, and New York City)

[jeffome · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book about the creation of a true artist, in this case, an opera singer. Lots of poignant description of Colorado small-town life during the late 1800's - early 1900's when telegrams and railroads ruled the day. We learn the price of artistry when approached as an all-consuming quest, although it is difficult to define what the quest is actually seeking. I enjoyed the setting early in the book, felt a little burdened by the constant philosophizing about perfecting ones 'art,' and felt completely over my head with all of the specific operatic references and the German song lyrics that peppered the entire book. Never really liked the main character all that much, although that was likely the point. All in all, a very mixed bag yielding my 3 stars. Interesting edition utilizing the original 1915 text, which had different uses of contractions that i had been otherwise unfamiliar with. Ok, but not great for me.

[katherinegregg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Song of the Lark is the story of the making of an artist. Thea Kronborg is transformed from a minister's daughter living in a small Colorado town to a world renowned opera singer. Cather's protagonists tend to be strong, industrious women and Thea is no exception. Once Thea recognizes that her voice (not her piano playing) is a gift and that she has the stuff that artists are made of, there is no stopping her. Thea is fortunate to have the support of several good men in her life (Ray, Dr. Archie and Frank) who encourage her and provide her with the means to pursue her dream. I did not like this book as well as O Pioneers or My Antonia but I still enjoyed it.

[zumbanista · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was disappointed in this second of Willa Cather's Prairie Trilogy. While the writing is very good, I disliked Thea, the main character. There is a richness in the description of life in Colorado and New York during those times and the characters are very well drawn. The story takes a fairly long time to unfold and I sometimes found my attention wandering and decided the story itself just didn't grip me as much as it might have. I will go on to read the third and final book in the series, My Antonia.

[rsairs_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some of the elements are familiar--the misfit child in a backwater who by dint of energy and talent rises to international fame--the changes it puts her through. Is it talent or drive or a unique combination of the two? She gets some breaks, but she seizes and uses them. As her fame rises the old town of Moonstone and its characters fade and dissipate, leaving only a few characters to see the whole story. Cather was criticized for the epilogue, but I think it was brilliant.

[tmullins-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Loved the beginning. Thea's growing up in Colorado and the adults who helped her along the way. I loved the section on Thea's time in Arizona. It was beautifully written and made me long to be in those canyons and cliff dwellings. The ending bored me. I felt I needed to know German or more about opera.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cather's book is so consistently wonderful. The development of a young girl into an acclaimed opera singer and all the people and experiences along the way combine for a fabulous, sweeping story. From a small town in Colorado, to Chicago, to New York, to Europe and back, the reader journey's through the triumphs and losses of this memorable character, Thea Kronberg. There were some moments which made me cry, and others which made me chuckle. Most of all, a bittersweet feeling permeates the book, full of the poignant relationships which keep Thea going on her life journey.

[dhogue_9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Cather and this book is very good, it just seems less unified than some of her other books. Also, I found the ending unsatisfying. I thought she was trying perhaps a bit too hard to weave in her philosophy of art.

[cmbohn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite of Cather's books, but I did enjoy this one. My favorite part was the beginning when Thea is still at home and the whole world is new. Some great characters, but it was very slow.

[saravan-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A classic of course. A lovely glimpse of life in “Moonstone,” a small town in Colorado around the beginning of the twentieth century. Since most reviewers have emphasized the artistic, operatic themes of the book, I’d like to mention her sense of place and background. Thea, the singer, develops an international career and leaves behind the conservative attitudes of her childhood. She becomes sophisticated, hardened, practical, and she is a wonderful character. Yet what I most enjoyed is that at the height of her career she finds comfort in remembering the home of her childhood, her family, and in the steadfast support from her old friend Dr. Archie. She braces herself against these memories and values. As she says to Dr. Archie, “…I always measure high buildings by that Moonstone standpipe. There are standards we can’t get away from.”

[juliette07_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ranging from Arizona cliff dwellers, Moonstone to Chicago, New York and beyond this book tells of Thea Kronborg’s voyage of discovery. She was destined to become a Wagnerian soprano and the book chronicles that journey and the characters she encounters en route. The relationship between herself and the places she travels are described and reflected upon, her work, her being and the places she inhabits are inextricably intertwined. With a forward by A.S. Byatt this Virago edition of 1982 was originally pared down in 1932 by Cather herself. Apparently it was originally two hundred thousand words long but she cut it savagely by about ten percent. The writing is often moving and at times rhapsodic (to quote Byatt). A delight to read, this rags to riches journey of self discovery also related to the artistic ambitions and self discovery of the author herself.

[mahallett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cather is an interesting storyteller. This story leaves you wondering what else will happen.

[dandelionroots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cather vocalizes the vivacity and torment of raw talent - from a very few others recognizing a non-specific light, self-realization, the quest for knowledge & refinement, discovering you have no peers (at least not in geographic proximity or possibly even contemporary), the balls-out energy required to deliver your talent to the masses, and the consciousness that still only a few truly appreciate it.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

1077 The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather (read 19 Sep 1970) I wasn't going to read any more Cather, but I read her short story, Old Rosicky, and was so moved that I decided to read all her work. This book, The Song of the Lark, was published in 1915. it is not one of her best, but it had its moments. It tells the story of Thea Kronberg, of Moonstone, Colo.. A Methodist preacher's daughter, she becomes a great opera singer. It is sort of women's fiction, but better. Yet the theme seems diffused in a way. But I am not sorry I read it.