O Pioneers! (Bantam Classics)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Willa Cather's second novel is abundant with interwoven themes. In one respect Cather bears witness to the early 20th-century Pioneers. The farmer taming the wild Northern States of America, battling with the elements and an unforgiving land to create a home, family and livlihood. On another level O Pioneers! is the story of Alexandra Bergson. Due to the death of her father she becomes the head of the household and spends her time between protecting her younger brother and out in the countryside that has become hers. Overshadowed somewhat by the more popular My Antonia this early work of Cather's is a much admired example of early 20th-century American fiction. O Pioneers! is a powerful testimony to love, the land and the pioneering spirit. --Jon Smith
OBSERVER
'She is undoubtedly one of the century's greatest American writers'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
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, as 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.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
"The land wanted to be let alone, to preserve its own fierce strength, its peculiar, savage kind of beauty."
14 Oct 2006
Format:Paperback
Willa Cather's second novel draws on Cather's own experiences on the Nebraska plains, where she knew, first-hand, the harsh beauty of the land, the resilience of the farmers who tried to tame it, and the accidents of nature that could, overnight, destroy years of dreams. Here Alexandra Bergson, the bright and hard-working daughter of a farmer, inherits the responsibilities of running the family farm upon the death of her father. With two older, less business-like brothers to work the land, she turns what had been a marginally successful farm into a business profitable enough that she is able to buy land other farmers have abandoned.
Beginning in the late 1800s, when Alexandra is a teenager, and continuing until Alexandra is in her forties, the novel celebrates Alexandra's strength and dedication to her land, at the same time that it emphasizes how isolating farm life can be. Though Alexandra's farm becomes the most successful farm in the area, she has few friends and no lovers, and there is little opportunity for social life. When her earliest friend, Carl Linstrum, whose family long ago gave up their farm, suddenly returns for a visit, Alexandra and Carl find themselves "keeping company," despite the opposition of her brothers. The love of her youngest brother Emil for Marie Shabata, an unhappily married woman, is a parallel love story with additional complications. In both love stories, the accidents of fate, so common in farm life, play a key role in characters' personal lives.
Filled with gorgeous descriptions of the changing seasons, from the brutal harshness of winter to the rebirth in spring and the flourishing of summer, the novel also shows how fickle nature can be. Those who survive, physically and emotionally, are those like Alexandra who can accept and adapt to whatever life offers, instead of fighting against unpredictable disasters. To be successful, one must sublimate the desire for adventure, the urge to explore, and the human tendency to ask oneself, "What if...?" Day-to-day activities, minutely explored here, keep farmers like Alexandra rooted in the real world--imagination is a "luxury" few can afford.
One of the first realistic novels about the pioneer experience, O Pioneers conveys the values and the personal qualities needed for success on the plains, at the same time that it also reveals how quickly and unpredictably nature can change outcomes. Even love is not a haven here--sudden, unpredictable changes occur in love, too. Dramatic and powerful in its depiction of pioneer life, the novel is a paean to the resilient spirit of the early pioneers and the enduring power of nature. Mary Whipple
Beginning in the late 1800s, when Alexandra is a teenager, and continuing until Alexandra is in her forties, the novel celebrates Alexandra's strength and dedication to her land, at the same time that it emphasizes how isolating farm life can be. Though Alexandra's farm becomes the most successful farm in the area, she has few friends and no lovers, and there is little opportunity for social life. When her earliest friend, Carl Linstrum, whose family long ago gave up their farm, suddenly returns for a visit, Alexandra and Carl find themselves "keeping company," despite the opposition of her brothers. The love of her youngest brother Emil for Marie Shabata, an unhappily married woman, is a parallel love story with additional complications. In both love stories, the accidents of fate, so common in farm life, play a key role in characters' personal lives.
Filled with gorgeous descriptions of the changing seasons, from the brutal harshness of winter to the rebirth in spring and the flourishing of summer, the novel also shows how fickle nature can be. Those who survive, physically and emotionally, are those like Alexandra who can accept and adapt to whatever life offers, instead of fighting against unpredictable disasters. To be successful, one must sublimate the desire for adventure, the urge to explore, and the human tendency to ask oneself, "What if...?" Day-to-day activities, minutely explored here, keep farmers like Alexandra rooted in the real world--imagination is a "luxury" few can afford.
One of the first realistic novels about the pioneer experience, O Pioneers conveys the values and the personal qualities needed for success on the plains, at the same time that it also reveals how quickly and unpredictably nature can change outcomes. Even love is not a haven here--sudden, unpredictable changes occur in love, too. Dramatic and powerful in its depiction of pioneer life, the novel is a paean to the resilient spirit of the early pioneers and the enduring power of nature. Mary Whipple
Format:Paperback
One of my resolutions this year has been to read more American fiction. I admit I struggle with the greats like Steinbeck and Melville. I have also been rather depressed at the lack of women writers who appear in the American Classics. Someone recommended Willa Cather and I thought I would give this a try. I did worry it would be the usual worthy read with a deeply moral tale that does not sit comfortably with my modern sensibilities. I could not have been more wrong. This story of a young girl growing up in the wilds of Nebraska at the end of the 1800's, and her struggle to make her own way in a harsh world run in the main by, it has to be said, fairly stupid, reactionary men, is fantastic. It is very modern in its tone which makes it eminently readable. Alexandra, as a heroine is fascinating, strong, forward thinking and innovative. The story is compelling despite what promises on the cover to be dreary pickings, and I just ate this up in a sitting. What really lifts this book out of the ordinary for me are the beautiful descriptions of the land that Cather describes. A stunning book which does not get the attention it deserves.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
O Pioneers
This was an unexpected pleasure to read. It is relatively short and Willa Cather has a pleasant writing style and tells her story simply. Read more
Published 16 months ago
THE LAND TO WHICH WE BELONG...
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... Read more
Published on 30 July 2009 by Lawyeraau
Song of love for the land
Hard to add to what several eloquent reviewers have said before me, other than to say this is a beautiful book imbued with feeling for the land, the seasons and the rhythm of human... Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2009 by booksetc
A very special book
I dont know if I read the same book as the reviewers who so eloquently stated 'It stunk', but it doesn't feel like it. Read more
Published on 19 July 2007 by Sea
When men were men and women were more so.
The first half of this novel is curiously disjointed. Months, sometimes years elapse between each chapter, making it rather like reading fragments of a long family saga. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2003 by Peter Reeve
The characters are real to the hardships immigrants dealt w/
Willa Cather's novel, O Pioneers! is true to the tough times the American Westerners had to endure day after day. Read more
Published on 18 May 1999
it stunk
I think it was not even worth the time it took to read it. For one reason it had very little to do with any "Pioneers. Read more
Published on 4 May 1999
It stunk!
Don't read this book. It stunk from the very first page. I thought that the book was gonna be cool and about the pioneers but it was completely and utterly different. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 1999
It stunk!!! Don't take the time to read it!!!
i thought that the book would of been about some Pioners but It ended up totally different!!!!!! Like wehn Frank kills Emil and Maria!!!! Thats totally un cool!!!!!!
Published on 1 Mar 1999
The Strength of a Woman
This book is superbly written and executed. It is easy to read and goes by very quickly. The main character, Alexandra, is easily identifyable and is depicted with such clarity... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 1998
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
