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Cover of My Antonia

My Antonia

by Willa Cather

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My Ántonia is a novel published in 1918 by American writer Willa Cather, considered one of her best works. It is the final book of her "prairie trilogy" of novels, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark. The novel tells the stories of an orphaned boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and the elder daughter in a family of Bohemian immigrants, Ántonia Shimerda, who are each brought as children to be pioneers in Nebraska towards the end of the 19th century. Both the pioneers who first break the prairie sod for farming, as well as of the harsh but fertile land itself, feature in this American novel. The first year in the very new place leaves strong impressions in both children, affecting them lifelong. This novel is considered Cather's first masterpiece.…

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"When I finally broke down and read My Antonia, I rued my foolishness and all our lost years. Willa and I have made up."
By the Book: Barbara Kingsolver · nytimes.com
"Growing up in the South Bronx, the story of a couple of kids my age growing up on the great prairie of Nebraska was exciting and took me to a place far away from “Fort Apache, the Bronx.” I loved the story of life in a full circle touching on love, adversity, tragedy, hope and optimism."
By the Book: Colin L. Powell · nytimes.com
"Willa Cather's "My Ántonia," because it's good to know perfection can exist in letters."
By the Book: Patton Oswalt · nytimes.com
"I remember being obsessed with My Antonia, by Willa Cather."
By the Book: Rachel Kushner · nytimes.com