Rating: 
Summary: I didn't want to like it, but I did!
Review: I had to read this novel for a class, and needless to say I was not looking forward to the task. Quickly, however, I became engrossed by the moving story of lost childhood bliss. Antonia takes a sad path but she remains one of the best written woman characters of all-time. Yes I'm a man, but I can admit I was touched by this novel, SO THERE!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read....
Review: Sometimes, the books we read when we are young do not stand up to the test of time. That's not the case with "My Antonia". It means more to me, and seems even better now, than when I first read it. I read the book as a young teenager and remembered loving it (though I do admit I got a bit bored by it once Jim and Antonia had grown up...) I reread the book just recently and was struck by how wonderful it really was. Cather is the only writer I know who can so successfully evoke the Midwestern American plains. She has also captured the hardships of immigrant life - or even just farm life on the plains. The growth and changes in the town and the land mirror the growth and changes of her characters. I found that this book meant more to me upon rereading it as an adult. It's a beautiful book. It transported me to the Sandhills, it allowed me to see the joys and sufferings of life in the early part of this century in an area that was still seen as wildern! ess. I was surprised by the strength the characters displayed when faced with tribulation; I did not remember being that impressed by their strength when I was younger. Now I know to some degree what strength it takes just to keep getting up in the morning when faced with difficulties at work. I can't imagine what it was like for those depending on the weather and the rains for a wheat or corn crop. Cather makes some wise statements in this book... for example, regarding marriage, she remarks through the narrator that what is life for one may not be the life for two (in reference to the farm-loving Antonia and her "city" husband). But Antonia and Cusak make it work, they survive and even are happy at the end of the book despite it all. Yet, this is not a sugar-coated, "happy" type of book - it is far more satisfying than that. I read the book first at 15, and now again at (nearly) 30. I suppose I will continue to reread it throughout my life - if! it seems more meaningful to me now given the experiences I! have had in the past 15 years, I cannot wait to see how it opens up more even later....
Rating:
Summary: An inspiring story with spectactular imagery (Superior!!!)
Review: I could not put this book down. It's a fast-moving story with such heart. Even though the characters face hardship, there is no violence, filth, or moral devastation. The imagery is absolutely wonderful. I could 'see' the prarie, the town, the farm, the people. Willa Cather is an artist in the finest sense.
Rating:
Summary: One can be happy even though life is difficult.
Review: So many books have fairy tale endings these days, and while a fairy tale is fun to read, it is also good to read about real life. For those of you searching for reality, you will definately find it in My Antonia. It is a book with a heart; a heart that aches, and wants, and hopes, just like any other heart. This is a book without sappiness, but not without sweetness. My Antonia defies the outline of most novels in that its two main characters are a man and a woman who do not fall in love. It's so refreshing to hear truth in a time when everything has a sugarcoating. This book shows that it is ok to write about life and heartache. Yet while giving us a look at hard life, Willa Cather still manages to portray the benefits of hard work and strong love. When I finished this book, I realized how many lessons I had learned about life. For instance, life may be difficult, but it's the good times that make us stronger. I realized also that, because the pace of the book is not fast or furious, it allows the reader to sit back and reflect on what the author is trying to express. I believe that Cather did an excellant job of portraying the meaning of this story. She has shown that a pure heart may often be broken, but it will always find a way to be content.
Rating:
Summary: We can find ways to be happy in a life filled with hardship.
Review: So many books have fairy tale endings these days, and while a fairy tale is fun to read, it's also good to read a book concerning real life. For those of you who are searching for reality, you will most definately find it in My Antonia. It is a book with a heart; a heart that aches, and wants, and hopes, just like any other heart. This is a book without sappiness, but not without sweetness. My Antonia defies the outline of most novels in that its two characters are a man and a woman who don't fall in love with each other. This book shows that it is ok to write about life and heartache. It shows that even if one never finds true love, happiness can be achieved. In it Willa Cather potrays the benefits of hard work and strong love. When I finished this book, I realized how many lessons I had learned about life. For instance, life may be hard but it's the hard times that make us stronger. I realized afterwards, that, because the pace of the book is not fast and furious, it allows the reader to sit back and reflect on what the author is trying to express. In this beautiful story Cather has shown that a pure heart may often be broken, but it will always find a way to be content.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible imagery of the beauty of young America
Review: Cather is exceptional in her ability to evoke images in your mind as she describes the land, the people,and the events that transpire. I could see the land, the grain, and the flowers in my mind's eye. It is also a wonderful story of a strong woman who builds a great life out of a bad situation.
Rating:
Summary: My Antonia: Slippery at Best
Review: "My Antonia," a powerful and beautiful novel,recalls the life of Jim Burden, a supposedly male character growing upin Nebraska. It retells the compelling story of the Shimerdas, Norweigan immigrants, with a special focus on Antonia, the girl who works in the fields like a man. But the beauty of the story and of the romanticized heroine Antonia are not the most delightful part of this book. Always nagging at the reader is a delightful ambiguity: Where does the author stands in relation to the work? Cather frames the story by writing an introduction which explains that Jim Burden brought her a manuscript and that that is what the novel basically is. But sarcasm and distance seep into the introduction and into the work, leaving the reader unclear where to stand concerning Antonia. Jim Burden, certainly, was not convincingly male. He stayed inside and washed dishes while Antonia worked in the fields with the men. Jim was decidely not a hero.
Rating:
Summary: Cather's best. Worthwhile reading for our time!
Review: How sad to see so many reader comments addressing works by contemporary writers, and so few comments, primarily scholarly, responding to Cather's writings. Please, start with My Antonia, and start today. You will be drawn in by Willa Cather's visual, and disarmingly simple, descriptions of prairie life and events that slowly unveil truly complex characters such as the protagonist Antonia Shimerda. Transport yourself...you will smell the prairie grasses, feel the summer sun, and hear the relelentless, frigid winds. Misfortune camps at Antonia's door, waiting for a chance at entry. The reader is not banged on the head with Antonia's personal triumph, but is allowed to discover her story. Willa Cather's writing is worth picking up, not just for intellectuals and scholars, but for the common thinking person who surely conquers daily challenges as fierce as those encountered by Antonia.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read!
Review: This is one of my favorite books, and has been for years. If you live in the midwest you must read it! If you live elsewhere, you still must read it to find out what you're missing! There is passion on the prairie - not just corn.
Rating:
Summary: A TIMELESS CLASSIC...
Review: I first read this book when I was in junior high school. I admit that, at the time, I did not appreciate the strengths of the book and the quality of its writing. I am quite glad that I decided to give it another chance, as I now understand why it is considered to be a classic in literature. It is simply a beautifully written book, covering many of the themes that one stumbles across in life and coalescing them into a work of extraordinary breadth. The book is the story of two young people, Jim Burden and Antonia Shimerda. They meet for the first time when Jim is ten years old and Antonia is fourteen. Recently orphaned, Jim has moved to the Great Prairie to live with his grandparents in Nebraska. Antonia, on the other hand, has been wrenched from her homeland in Bohemia, emigrating with her parents to the United States and finding herself in Nebraska. Jim and Antonia's chance encounter on a train sets the stage for the forging of a friendship and unconditional love that time will not diminish. The book relates the harshness of immigrant life through the eyes of Jim, who narrates the events contained in the book. There is a relentless stoicism about the book, which is written in spare, clear prose. With intense imagery and descriptive exactitude, late nineteenth century Nebraska comes to life. It also relates the paths that each of the characters choose to follow, as well as the vicissitudes of life that mold and shape them in ways that no one would have imagined. The focus of the book, which is also a coming of age tale, seems to be on the female characters and their strengths. Consequently, the book has a faintly feminist undercurrent to it, as all the women in it seem to be survivors, despite the hardships that they encounter. This is, without a doubt, a life affirming book, wrought with great feeling and a decided sense of time and place. Yet, despite its poignancy, the book is surprisingly unsentimental and straightforward. It is a testament to the author's literary talent that this book has emerged as a timeless classic. Bravo!
| 
