O Pioneers!
This powerful early Cather novel, a landmark of American fiction, tells the story of the young Alexandra Bergson, whose dying father leaves her in charge of the family and of the Nebraska lands they have struggled to farm. In Alexandra's lifelong fight to survive and succeed, Cather relates an important chapter in the history of the American frontier, evoking the harsh grandeur of the prairie, and comparing with keen insight the experiences of Swedish, French and Bohemian immigrants in the United States.
1000183820
O Pioneers!
This powerful early Cather novel, a landmark of American fiction, tells the story of the young Alexandra Bergson, whose dying father leaves her in charge of the family and of the Nebraska lands they have struggled to farm. In Alexandra's lifelong fight to survive and succeed, Cather relates an important chapter in the history of the American frontier, evoking the harsh grandeur of the prairie, and comparing with keen insight the experiences of Swedish, French and Bohemian immigrants in the United States.
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O Pioneers!

O Pioneers!

by Willa Cather

Narrated by Barbara McCulloh

Unabridged — 6 hours, 12 minutes

O Pioneers!

O Pioneers!

by Willa Cather

Narrated by Barbara McCulloh

Unabridged — 6 hours, 12 minutes

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Overview

This powerful early Cather novel, a landmark of American fiction, tells the story of the young Alexandra Bergson, whose dying father leaves her in charge of the family and of the Nebraska lands they have struggled to farm. In Alexandra's lifelong fight to survive and succeed, Cather relates an important chapter in the history of the American frontier, evoking the harsh grandeur of the prairie, and comparing with keen insight the experiences of Swedish, French and Bohemian immigrants in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A direct, human tale of love and struggle and attainment — American in the best sense of the word." — New York Times The New York Times —

author of A Jury of Her Peers Elaine Showalter

Just as O Pioneers! is set in the high plain between two rivers called the Nebraska Divide, it reflects the imaginative divide in Cather’s work: a belief in social rootedness and a longing for artistic freedom.”

Huffington Post

A century after her heyday, the novelist from the Nebraska frontier remains unchallenged as the literary voice of the state. In her classic O Pioneers!, she celebrates the grit and determination of a family of Swedish-American immigrants who battle the elements and isolation to keep their family farm afloat. To modern eyes, Willa Cather’s tacit acceptance of the settler movement that displaced countless Native American tribes is troubling, but the tale serves as a potent reminder that the white families of the Heartland, so often cast as ‘real Americans,’ were once immigrants themselves.”

New York Times

A direct human tale of love and struggle and attainment, a tale that is American in the best sense of the word.”

Kliatt (audio review)

Yarman’s reading is one of the best I have heard…Her tempo and modulation are especially noteworthy, adding tremendous emotional impact to the interactions and experiences of the characters.”

Western American Literature


"The first of the Cather Scholarly Editions sets a high standard of quality. . . . Text and context reveal the splendor of O Pioneers! and enrich both the experience and study of Cather’s extraordinary prose."—Western American Literature

American Literary Scholarship


"This beautifully produced book is a joy to read and demonstrates the real pleasures to be derived from meticulous attention to detail and the highest standards of scholarship."—American Literary Scholarship

Choice

This early novel is now held to be a very critical and pivotal one in the whole development of the novelist, and this new edition provides . . . a fine printing for readers.”—Choice

School Library Journal - Audio

★ 03/01/2014
Gr 8 Up—This work, written in 1913, was the first in Cather's "Great Plains" trilogy, and it was followed by The Song of the Lark and My Antonia. Strong-willed, intelligent Alexandra Bergson is the daughter of Swedish immigrants. She inherits her father's farmland instead of it being left to her brothers, Emil, Oscar, and Lou, because she has the vision and foresight to try new crops, buy additional lands, and take risks in order to reap future rewards. Cather's poetic and lyrical writing captures the Nebraska prairie and rolling hills. Using a variety of voices and capturing the dialects of the various immigrants who inhabit the novel, reader Betsy Bronson is impeccable. Her melodic voice imbues Cather's words with the sentiments of love, envy, jealousy, and peace that drive the story. This recording is delightful and leaves one with the understanding and appreciation that the land is always there for those who take time to truly see and appreciate it.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly with Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Mt. Carmel

MAY 2011 - AudioFile

This famous novel portraying the lives of Swedish immigrants in turn-of-the-century Nebraska must have sorely challenged narrator Kate Reading. She nails the various accents of her characters and delivers the vivid narrative with dulcet tones and magnificent phrasing. Still, the narration is dull, almost plodding, the result of too much detachment. Whereas the author expresses a deeply intimate knowledge and concern for her folk and their doings, Reading simply doesn’t engage. Her voice is a godlike mask, too lofty to care about the plain, hardworking farmers that populate the book. So while listeners will enjoy the beauty of her delivery, they will have to concentrate a bit harder than usual to find Willa Cather underneath. Y.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940171051907
Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date: 10/15/2007
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One
(Continues…)



Excerpted from "O Pioneers!"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Willa Cather.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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