The Song of the Lark

Rating:
Summary: subtle and powerful
Review: Song of the Lark is about so much more than just Thea's search for fulfillment (although it is about that, also.)First of all, there is the land: always important in Cather's writing, and crucial here. Also, I did not find that it was "autobiographical"; on the contrary, this novel is quite specifically about music, and its importance to the soul. Thea's "ordinariness" which some other reviewers have remarked upon, is important in that it shows how a gift thrust upon an ordinary human transforms and transfigures her. Well worth 2 or three readings, on many levels.

Rating:
Summary: a bite in the [rear end]
Review: Starting off, I thoroughly enjoyed Cather's juicy settings at just about every beginning of each chapter. I could enhale and be able to smell the sweetness of the tamarisks she's always talking about. The introductions of the characters were also a jobe well done. However, as the novel went on, one would expect the plot to thicken, major conflicts to arise, and maybe even an event that would change the course of the book. I felt that there weren't any big roller coasters involved in this book, which made the story telling more simple and easier to follow. I immediately fell in love with Thea because she is a unique person who definitely has that attractive personality about her. The book began to get dull and the sailing was a little bit too smooth. I expected for there to be a giant surprise anytime but never got it. I finished the book a bit upset, however realizing that even though Thea is just a regualr, she too can accomplish her dreams and be content. It may not have been her ideal dream, but she came pretty close to it. I enjoyed the overall meaning that was left with me after I finished. It made me feel confident in my future, my career, my dreams.

Rating:
Summary: for the experienced cather reader
Review: The Song of the Lark is a beautifully crafted novel with quite stunning visual and emotional imagery. Cather tells the poignant story of Thea Kronborg, a musically gifted girl. Thea struggles with her quaint, unartistic upbringing and tries to become her own woman. This novel is not one of Cather's easier books to read. If you have not read her before, or have read a little of her, I would suggest reading O Pioneers! or My Antonia. Both are wonderful,lyric novels. The Song of the Lark is one to read after these.

Rating:
Summary: Willa Cather is the best! A must-read book!
Review: The Song of the Lark was the first book I have ever read by Willa Cather. However, I was not in the least bit disspointed. From her descriptive details to her colorful illustrations of characters' feelings, I fell in love with it all.

From just the first few pages, one can already see that the heroine, Thea Kronborg, is quite different from the rest of the society in her small hometown of Moonstone, Colorado. Although she is one of many children in her family, her style and personality give evidence that the path of life will take her some place exciting in the near future. Many of the towns people, including her own parents, come to respect her for her uniqueness, while there are others who come to resent her for it.

Cather does a magnificient job of describing in vivid detail each character and his/her relationship with Thea's growing personality. Her exciting journey starts with a unexpected accident. From then on, as her character continues to grow and develop, the reader begins to fully understand the woman that makes up Thea Kronborg. With her strong independence and scorn toward other singers, one is able to pinpoint where all these emotions originate. She works hard for all she gains, and I can say, she definitely deserves everything she gets.

Cather's style of writing is extremely appealing. The Song of the Lark is an addicting book; one that has exciting material on every single one of the pages. There are often little hints of foreshadowing that automatically makes the reader want to read on to find out what kind of exciting occurences will happen to Thea. In my opinion, this is a must-read book with no regrets. Although the setting of this novel takes place in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the lessons learned from this book can be greatly attributed to the happenings of everyday modern life.

Rating:
Summary: Listening to Art
Review: This book was educational and entertaining in a more subtle way than books like Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God or Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. Although I thought it to have had a slow start, it picked up and got deeper as the book went and I really enjoyed the ideas it plotted out through dialogue and narrative. This book introduces many concepts that I had never thought of and it was a nice change of pace in the way my mind works. It explores Thea as a person and analyzes the changes she has through her experiences in Moonstone and those of bigger places like Chicago. It was a very insightful novel that sparked several new thoughts that just ran wild in my mind. It is quite straightforward but still with a lot of meaning, what one might call "loaded words." I do recommend this book. Who knows, you'll learn about Thea Kronborg and those she encounters and through that, you might learn something new about yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant American book
Review: This is the first novel that I have read by Willa Cather, and so I began my reading with no specific expectations. What I found was an extraordinary American writer. Her descriptions, and her ability to sum up the lifetime of a character in just a few sentences or lines are unlike the writings of anyone else I have read. She reminds me most of Henry James, although she is easier to read..

Thea, the subject of this early Willa Cather novel is flawed, and not really a heroine at all. She is an artist; her art is music. Her family and neighbors in Moonstone Colorado barely recognize what this means; most just find her odd. Thea is a loner. She has no friends her own age. Her siblings do not like her. But, she is the subject of attention from the town doctor, a railroad worker, a drunkard piano teacher, and Mexican laborers. All recognize something special in her; all contribute to her early struggle to find her art, and herself.

It is a railroad accident that changes her life. When her friend, Ray Kennedy, dies in a railroad accident, he leaves Thea a $600 inheritance. These funds take her to Chicago to study piano. There she struggles in poverty, and is discouraged, but she also gets her first glimpse of who she is as an artist.

This is a timeless story about struggle. What does it take to be an artist? What does the artistic commitment mean? Thea does not visit her mother before her death because she had a special opportunity to sing a Wagnerian part in Germany. Her response seems selfish, and uncaring. Her sweetheart turns out to be unavailable, he is unhappily married. Thea has little personal life; people are somewhat incidental to her. Her life models that of a true artist. The normal relations that most people need to thrive, are peripheral to her life as an artist. It is that devotion to the art of singing that fills her life.

At the time of this writing, Song of the Lark is number 40,604 on Amazon.com's best selling list. As a brilliant American writer, Cather seems to have been somewhat but not completely overlooked. Perhaps this is because she was a contemporary of Hemingway, and Fitzgerald, both of whom were such public figures. Many of their works were transferred to the silver screen. Perhaps it is due to her gender. Regardless of the reason for this, she is an author worth discovering, and worth reading. I highly recommend the Song of the Lark.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant American book
Review: This is the first novel that I have read by Willa Cather, and so I began my reading with no specific expectations. What I found was an extraordinary American writer. Her descriptions, and her ability to sum up the lifetime of a character in just a few sentences or lines are unlike the writings of anyone else I have read. She reminds me most of Henry James, although she is easier to read..

Thea, the subject of this early Willa Cather novel is flawed, and not really a heroine at all. She is an artist; her art is music. Her family and neighbors in Moonstone Colorado barely recognize what this means; most just find her odd. Thea is a loner. She has no friends her own age. Her siblings do not like her. But, she is the subject of attention from the town doctor, a railroad worker, a drunkard piano teacher, and Mexican laborers. All recognize something special in her; all contribute to her early struggle to find her art, and herself.

It is a railroad accident that changes her life. When her friend, Ray Kennedy, dies in a railroad accident, he leaves Thea a $600 inheritance. These funds take her to Chicago to study piano. There she struggles in poverty, and is discouraged, but she also gets her first glimpse of who she is as an artist.

This is a timeless story about struggle. What does it take to be an artist? What does the artistic commitment mean? Thea does not visit her mother before her death because she had a special opportunity to sing a Wagnerian part in Germany. Her response seems selfish, and uncaring. Her sweetheart turns out to be unavailable, he is unhappily married. Thea has little personal life; people are somewhat incidental to her. Her life models that of a true artist. The normal relations that most people need to thrive, are peripheral to her life as an artist. It is that devotion to the art of singing that fills her life.

At the time of this writing, Song of the Lark is number 40,604 on Amazon.com's best selling list. As a brilliant American writer, Cather seems to have been somewhat but not completely overlooked. Perhaps this is because she was a contemporary of Hemingway, and Fitzgerald, both of whom were such public figures. Many of their works were transferred to the silver screen. Perhaps it is due to her gender. Regardless of the reason for this, she is an author worth discovering, and worth reading. I highly recommend the Song of the Lark.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless and Timely
Review: This novel was written in 1913, and ninety years later speaks to this aspiring writer's heart. Thea Kronberg struggles with choosing between personal relationships and persuing her passions. She follows her dream to its realization, and realizes ...well, I won't give it away. The story was slow at times, but the prose was striking. This is a quiet, relaxing bedtime read.

Rating:
Summary: The song of the lark
Review: Very few books fulfill their capacity to both present a wonderful story and completely portray the character of a certain type of person. The Song of the Lark accomplishes both of these tasks. As a classically trained singer, I can attest that the emotions Thea's music wrought from her are precise and beautifully translated into words for others to feel. Cather's insight into Thea's mind transforms The Song of the Lark into a story so intimate that few books can equal it. In addition, Thea acts so realistically! She is young and driven by her passion for music and life. The story itself, besides its merit as a great plot, presents an accurate picture of a singer's training. These three elements of the book - its emotion, its plotline, and its realism - combine to create a powerful novel.

Rating:
Summary: A very unique novel
Review: Willa Cather's book is a very unique one that sends the reader on a journey with Thea Kronborg's as she gains understanding of herself and strives towards achieving a dream. However, this book is not structured in the usual way where the reader is able to share the thoughts of the main character. Instead, it is set up so that the reader remains on the sidelines as a spectator of Thea's life, never quite becoming a part of it. Thea becomes familiar to the reader only through the observations and thoughts of those close to her. A reader should not go into this book expecting the usual plot developments and ability to see the story through the main character's eyes. Even so, this book provides a wonderfully unique account of many lessons in life and the nature of art.