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Summary: Accessible, meaningful account of an admirable woman
Review: I liked this book. After finishing it, I was struck by (what seemed) the book's simplicity, but after thinking on it, realized it had touched me in deeper ways. I would strongly advise reading Doris Grumbach's foreward AFTER reading the book. It contains key elements of the plot, and for me, stole some of the emotion.
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Summary: A novel as flat as the prairies
Review: Sorry to beat up on what is supposed to be a classic novel, but "O Pioneers" has to be one of the most terribly dull books I've ever had the misfortune of reading. The characters never came to life for me... they, and the plot, never seemed to be more than flat words printed on chalky paper. Some may think that Cather's style is pleasantly simple and moving, but it only moves me to read another book by another author.
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Summary: The struggles of a young girl in sexist times.
Review: I think this book was really great. It described a strong woman during a time that women were not encouraged to have a mind of their own.
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Summary: Cather's work is somewhat slow, yet heartwarming.
Review: O Pioneers! is basically a book of what some call technicalities. Alexandra, who is in charge of the Bergson family, really seems to imply that she is only doing all the things for her family, but yet I see it as an escape for herself. She becomes this way when Carl says he is leaving. Alexandra does not want to be alone, therefore she tells her family about buying more land in other towns to make money, when really I believe she is looking for someone to compress her loneliness and satisfy her desires.
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Summary: A must read classic. Timeless.
Review: An incredible picture of early life in the plains. Strong likable female who saves her family's farm during blights,
blizzards and hardtimes. Heartwarming. Touching. A good cry.
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Summary: THE LAND TO WHICH WE BELONG...
Review: In this, the author's second published work, the author writes about that which she knew best, early pioneer life in Nebraska, the place to which she and her family moved in 1883 when she was a mere slip of a girl. She eventually attended the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1995, at a time when most girls did no such thing.
In this work, the author was on very sure footing. Her clear, straightforward prose lends itself capably to the story of early pioneers who went to Nebraska and set down roots, weathering the exigencies that often plagued a newcomer to a particular region. It is a surprisingly unsentimental look at pioneer life.
This thematically complex, but simply written story focuses primarily on Alexandra Bergson, the intelligent, independent, resourceful, and strong-willed daughter of pioneer, John Bergson. Upon his death he did what was then the nearly unthinkable. He left his land in the hands of his oldest child, his daughter, Alexandra, rather than in those of his sons, recognizing in his daughter those qualities that would ensure that his land would prosper under her stewardship.
This then is the story of not only Alexandra but of that land and those whose sustenance depended upon its fruitfulness. The reader follows the Bergson clan as they live their lives and interact with their neighbors. Under Alexandra's skillful management, the Bergson farm prospers. As the farm prospers, so does its environs. The area becomes a bustling center of activity with more and more settlers developing the land around that of the Bergsons.
Thematically, the book explores the vicissitudes of life, as well as its life-affirming moments. As in all lives, the characters in this book experience moments of high drama and great tragedy, as well as memorable moments of love and hate. All this is grounded within the context of pioneer life, with all its hardships and privations, as well as its occasional abundance. The author skillfully re-creates a melting pot of the many nationalities that cultivated the land known as Nebraska.
This is a book that those who like reading about pioneer life will certainly enjoy, as will those who simply like a well-written book with a tale to tell. This classic novel was also adapted for a Hallmark Hall of Fame film, starring Jessica Lange in the role of Alexandra Bergson.
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Summary: An ode to the farmers of the American West
Review: The year after the Whartonesque (and unexceptional) "Alexander's Bridge," Cather published "O Pioneers!"--the book the she was in later years to call her second first novel. Although relatively brief, it unfolds like a frontier epic, and reading it now, it's hard to believe that Cather, living in Greenwich Village at the time, doubted whether anyone would be interested in the story of struggling Nebraskan farmers. As she wrote to a friend, with "this one I hit the home pasture and found that I was Yance Sorgeson [a rich farmer] and not Henry James."
"O Pioneers," for all its understated countrified charm, is not without the ingredients of a torrid drama: familial dispute, an adulterous affair, a double murder. The novel began its life as two stories, which Cather brilliantly melded into an ambitious whole. The first features Alexandra Bergson, who assumes proprietorship of her family's farm when her father dies, leaving her with three brothers. After several lean years, she nurtures the family estate, holding on to the land when many of her neighbors give up and return East. To insure the prosperity of her three siblings, Alexandra sacrifices her own comforts and passions--but never her independence. Yet the two older brothers first respect and then resent Alexandra's astute management--and they especially begrudge the favoritism she shows to their college-educated younger brother, Emil, whom she indulges with the goal of advancing him in the world beyond.
The second narrative concerns Emil and Marie Tovesky, who are childhood friends whose companionship flowers into romance after Marie marries the ornery, bitter, and somewhat mad Frank Shabata. If Alexandra's story provides the novel with its atmosphere and theme, the Emil-Marie story supplies the action and tension. Intermingled with these two storylines are depictions of rustic events and folksy characters (especially memorable is Ivar, a shaggy-haired, barefooted, back-to-nature eccentric).
Even a century later, "O Pioneers!" packs a wallop. But, more powerfully, it's an ode to the early settlers and to their struggle to survive. "The land belongs to the future," Alexandra remarks at the end. "We come and go, but the land is always there."
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Summary: A Good Read
Review: This book is about a girl named Alexandra's struggle to support her family and take care of her deceased father's farm. It is somewhat of a love story between Alexandra's brother Emil and their neighbor Marie. I liked the hope that Alexandra had for the farm. When everyone else sold their land and advised her to, she had faith that her farm would prosper and that faith paid off. Willa Cather did a great job with the writing in this book. It was simple and not too drawn out yet it still gave good descriptions, giving a mental picture of the enviroment. If you like these types of stories, I recommend picking this book up.
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Summary: Good book - but I love this era anyway
Review: I have always been fascinated with the pioneer time period. So anything I pick up that reflects those days is always gripping for me. As far as the story itself, I must admit it took me awhile to get into it. The beginning has much background info - needed info, but I was so ready to read about the daily lives and struggles and successes of the people.
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Summary: Willa Cather is unique and brilliant
Review: The writing is simple, evocative and so emotionally direct that it can be breathtaking. I read My Antonia several years ago and was blown away by Cather's prose. I read O Pioneers through in one sitting and I hated to leave it. The characterizations ring true, our heroine Alexandra becomes real quickly as does her Nebraska world, her brothers and her friends. The emotional colors are delicately painted as we follow her through triumph and bitter loss to a simple and uncontrived "happy ending".
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