Rating: 
Summary: HS Students, Does your life have a plot?
Review: Despite being written in 1918, My Antonia is timeless. After reading the reviews posted here, I am both encouraged and discouraged by the current crop of teens. I read comments from honor students using the wrong homonyms, poor punctuation and grammer, too narrow minded to understand; while other teens (aware that this was not their first choice - no action - little sex - no plot) could appreciate My Antonia as an illustration of a time and place no longer in existence.My Antonia is a book of lost childhood dreams, but also of indomitable spirit. I am hopeful that English teachers are pointing out the validity of its illustrations, not only of landscapes, but of goals common to man despite his ethnicity, and of the fact that society's expectations are not always realized. Society saw Lena and Tiny as successes, and commercially they were, but the true success belonged to My Antonia. As one gets older a poignant feeling of childhood develops, often attached to a particular person. My Antonia spotlights this phenomena - a condition that may remain illusive until teenage has passed. I gave the book three stars as a read (since it was not a 'can't put it down, gotta carry it to the john' kind of book), however for My Antonia's lanscapes and portrait of an era, it was definitely a 5 star book.
Rating: 
Summary: A tale of overcoming differences.
Review: "I remembered what the conductor said about her eyes. They were big and warm and full of light like the sun shining on brown pools in the wood." Antonia was a Bohemian immigrant girl who moved to Nebraska in 1880. The story My Antonia is told by the character, Jim, who moved to his grandparents' prairie home on the same train as Antonia's family. The author, Willa Cather, wrote this story based on her childhood. The characters are fictional but are patterned after Cather's family and friends. She paints the story like a canvas, in stages you uncover the plot. The story is told like a memory. Some things are forgotten or hard to see, but some are vivid and filled with details. In My Antonia, the first chapter covers Jim and Antonia's trials and experiences in a year. Here Cather uses her own experiences to emphasize the attitudes of people toward immigrants. She allows you to see both of their sides. This can relate to all human kind and our overall feelings towards people who are different. This book is for people who are interested in seeing beautiful scenes in a story and strong messages lying in the plot. The author, Willa Cather, uses descriptive and intellectual writing to make you see the point of view in the story. My Antonia is a great book for the sad and awakening trip it takes you through.
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: I am a high school student who read this book as an assignment for my history class. Like many teenagers, I procrastinated and read it over Thanksgiving break. I must say it was way more wonderful and awesome than I ever thought it would be. I simply could not put it down. I spent an entire day just reading and reading. Cather does such an excellent job of describing everything so that the reader can see exactly where the characters are and how they are feeling. I was astonished by this, I don't think I've ever read anything that was this enjoyable to me.
Rating:
Summary: Heart touching!
Review: As a student, I read this book as an assignment. What a great book! My Antonia relays excellent messages to the youth of today. The relationship between Jimmy and Antonia throughout the book is awesome. The words that Cather writes to express Jimmy's feelings towards Antonia is just incredible. The words Cather writes are so simple and yet so meaningful and heart-touching.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, excellent
Review: it is really painful to read such a bad review as one stated by one person who claims to be a student. this book has to be read withb feeling, and just because the next generation is living so fast that does not mean feelings are let out of life. i hope that later in life he or she take the book again and see it in a new life, like an old friend you have not seen in a long time. this book is wonderful and it made me cry. LUIS Mendez
Rating:
Summary: A cornerstone of 19th/ early 20th century American lit
Review: Like many others, I was introduced to this book in high school. I loved it then, and 14 years and many road trips through desolate parts of the U.S. later, it has acquired even more resonance. I would urge high school students who find this on their reading lists to not be dissuaded by the semiliterate rants posted below. No, it's not Stephen King and it's not Goosebumps; it's a well-crafted, multifaceted novel which has been read and loved for nearly a century for good reason.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: My Sophmore English teacher is a bit eccentric, and decided it would be in our best intrests if we read this novel. I am glad that she decided so. I have read many books because of English teachers; some were good, some weren't, this was exccellent.
Rating:
Summary: A book for people who like details.
Review: I am in seventh grade, and love to read. I picked this book for our reading program. I found some parts of it very interesting, and funny. Other parts were very long, and way to detailed. Every once and a while I would find myself going to sleep from boredom. Other than that, the book was great, and I loved the history. This book would be good for anyone, just be prepared.
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining and refreshing
Review: I came across this book as an assignment from my English Instructor. The first time I bought this book, I am thinking of returning it to the bookstore as soon as I am finished with it, because for me it helps me to improve my English grade. However, soon after I got past through the first section, it captured my attention and hey, it's not so bad after all. Made a good break from all the stupid law novels I read.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: I had to chose either between My Antonia or Huckleberry Finn for my summer reading of the 11th grade AP English class, and since I had already read Huck Finn I went with My Antonia. It wasn't as bad as I dreaded it to be; I was hooked from the prologue, wondering what made Antonia so special to Jim. I became immersed in Jim's narration and the entire story; I sympathized with the Russian immigrants, gritted my teeth at Mrs. Shimerda's actions, and felt my heart wench for Mr. Shimerda. I will admit that the final few chapers were somewhat boring, but the final paragraph redeemed itself. My Antonia made me feel, and whenever a book does that you know it's a good one.
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