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    My Antonia
    My Antonia
    My Antonia
    Ebook316 pages5 hours

    My Antonia

    By Willa Cather

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    My Ántonia tells the stories of several immigrant families who move out to rural Nebraska to start new lives in America, with a particular focus on a Bohemian family, the Shimerdas, whose eldest daughter is named Ántonia. The book's narrator, Jim Burden, arrives in the fictional town of Black Hawk, Nebraska, on the same train as the Shimerdas, as he goes to live with his grandparents after his parents have died. Jim develops strong feelings for Ántonia, something between a crush and a filial bond, and the reader views Ántonia's life, including its attendant struggles and triumphs, through that lens.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWilder Publications, Inc.
    Release dateDec 6, 2020
    ISBN9781515447399
    Author

    Willa Cather

    A prolific, confessedly compulsive poet and playright, Maureen Duffy published her first novel, ‘That’s How It Was’, in 1962. Since then she has written many novels including ‘Love Child, Gor Saga, Londoners’ and most recently, ‘Illuminations’, (1991) and ‘Ocean’s Razor ‘ (1993).

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    Reviews for My Antonia

    4/5

    2,852 ratings68 reviews

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    • 5/5
      My Antonia is a wonderfully evocative novel of the early settlement of the Great Plains seen through the life of a well rounded, "living" character. A novel that will sweep the reader away while it lasts.
    • 5/5
      My work book club read My Antonia by Willa Cather last month. I read it 15 years ago and gave it 5 stars then. You can’t beat her depictions of life on the prairie and the mix of characters. If you grew up liking Laura Ingalls you will like this. It made me want to re-read all of Cather’s works. I remember loving Death Comes for the Archbishop when I was in high school. I’m sure it is one that will be even better now.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful description of farm life in the Midwest and relationships forged during shared hardships. I especially enjoyed the passage where the narrator and Antonia remembered her father later on in the book- very beautiful!
    • 4/5
      Very interesting book first published back in 1918 or so. It really gives you a feel for the rough life people lived back then.
    • 4/5
      Widely regarded to be one of Cather's best works, this is a truly beautiful, lyrical novel. It is almost perfect (then again Cather can do almost no wrong in my book). Should be on everyone's Must read before i die list
    • 4/5
      Classic about Nebraska in the 1800s.
    • 5/5
      Can't believe I haven't read Willa Cather before this. My Antonia is like Little House on the Prairie for grown-ups. Particularly relevant now because so many characters are recent immigrants.
    • 3/5
      I read this for an English class in college years ago. It didn't make much of an impression and I don't really remember that much about it, but enough people have recommended Cather to me since then that I should probably give it another chance.
    • 5/5
      Just a beautiful and moving story. A tribute to the human spirit. I do not care if this is not the type of book men should enjoy - I thought it was great. Very well written. How will I ever forget the story of the sleigh ride and the wolves?
    • 4/5
      Jim Burden and his grandparents move to Black Hawk (ie Middle of Nowhere) Nebraska at the same time as a family of Bohemian immigrants. Jim tells the story, but while it is autobiographical, it is as much Antonia's story as his own. Antonia is the middle child of the Bohemians. We watch them age to adulthood. There is no single plot thread, but rather each segment of the book has its own story with the same set of characters.
    • 5/5
      I had forgotten how achingly beautiful this book is. Nostalgic, yes (nothing wrong with nostalgia), but also clear-eyed. Marred by some casual, benevolent racism, as you might expect.
      So glad I reread it.
    • 5/5
      One of the best, One cold spring day I was looking for an adventure, Cather provided it for me. Cold wind swept prarie. wonderful
    • 1/5
      In my opinion My Antonia was so boring. If I wanted to go and read about the prairy then I would go and get a book about the prarie. This book was so boring I felt like it was a waist of my time.
    • 5/5
      I reread this novel after fifteen years and I was amazed how much better it became in the interval! Seriously, though, this book lacks a traditional plot; however, this book manages to be powerfully nostalgic without ever being maudlin. Perhaps a person needs to be older to appreciate it.
    • 4/5
      It was, for a classic book, perhaps the most interesting of them I have read. Unlike the others it kept me so entertained. I love her writing and this book. The story is great and I can picture the place. I love it.
    • 5/5
      What a gorgeous evocation of a very particular time and place. I am pretty disappointed in myself that I have never read Willa Cather, and I will be reading more.
    • 3/5
      Nebraska pioneer life through the eyes of a young boy Jim. He recalls his boyhood love, Antonia, who becomes the strong pioneer woman rich in family, land, livestock and a sense of peace.
    • 4/5
      Reached back for a classic i had never read. A beautifully written book, with powerful descriptions of places, people and memories. An old-fashioned good read!
    • 4/5
      Beautiful book about living on the prairie at the turn of the century. Coming of age. Old fashioned language and culture probably make this a rigorous book under the common core. Fine for sixth grade on up.
    • 3/5
      My Antonia was very boring and I would rate it a 3 out of 5. I liked learning about the prarie life but its only interesting to a certain point. I could relate this book to Laura Ingalls Wilder books but those are better and more interesting. Antonia seemed really funny and I could just picture a little girl with bright eyes ready to take on the world. I liked reading about Jim being sweet to all the girls, like Lena she was very sassy.
    • 4/5
      I grew up in Hastings, Nebraska, just a hop from Willa Cather's hometown, Red Cloud. I have been to Red Cloud. I have reclined in the tall red grass on a bright spring day. I can not believe I had not read this book- amazing, beautiful. I am going to read it every year.
    • 5/5
      A prairie classic that is great for book discussion groups.
    • 5/5
      I was so very much in love with this book when I read it in high school.
    • 3/5
      Death Comes for the Archbishop is one of my all time favorite books. Sadly this book was a disappointment. Seemingly endless plodding along....
    • 4/5
      oH My Antonia !- my 2nd read of Willa Cather - love, love loved it! Aboard a train west a young orphan Jim Berdon heading to his grandparents in Nebraska meets the young bohemian immigrant Antonia. A friendship begins which lasts a lifetime. It's hard to believe that this was written in the early 1900's. The characters were vibrant and engaging, I really was left wanting for more.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful!
    • 2/5
      i read this in high school for a class. i wasn't that impressed
    • 3/5
      Very descriptive novel about life in Nebraska for an immigrant family. Mostly takes place on the farm. A look into two people's lives, together and apart.
    • 5/5
      Lyrical writing by Cather provided an emotional connection to my ancestoral roots and deeper understanding of how I came to be the person I am.
    • 2/5
      I tried really hard to like this book, but I just couldn't. I think Willa Cather was a great writer, but the story really bored me most of the time.

    Book preview

    My Antonia - Willa Cather

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