O Pioneers! by Willa CatherMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
“There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.”
I loved this tale of the rugged life of the American frontiersmen. I loved imagining the windy plains, the cornfields and the big pastures. Cather voices so much wisdom through the heroine in this story, Alexandra Bergson. It's wisdom that lands on you hard. In a way, O, Pioneers is a book about being patient and calm; it's about taking the long view of things, rather than fuss and complain and cast aspersions every which way.
It is so refreshing to consider the hardships and sacrifices others have endured while feeling very fortunate all the while.
Cather lived in Red Cloud, Nebraska and knew of what she wrote. This comes through. There is love, death, jealousy, and redemption. And the rock through it all is Alexandra Bergson, who, like the rugged land, never actually goes anywhere. She stays and she works. It's such a simple formula for success.
Some more of my favorite quotes from Alexandra:
“Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere.”
“I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do."
Two thumbs up!
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