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My Antonia
1996
Where is it?
Fiction/Biography Profile
Characters
Jim Burden (Male), Orphan, Met Antonia on a train; Sent to live with his grandparents at the age of ten; became friends with Antonio; taught Antonio English; attended college where he greatly missed the prairie life and his friends; returns to Nebraska twenty years later
Antonia Shimerda (Female), Farmer, Bohemian, Immigrant, Married, Mother, Her family was Jim's grandparent's new neighbors; father committed suicide; moved to Denver with a railroad man who left her pregnant and unmarried; returned to Nebraska to work in the fields
Genre
Domestic
Historical
Literary
Classic
Fiction
Topics
Farm life
Orphans
Pioneer life
Neighbors
Childhood friendship
Childhood memories
Immigrants
Suicide
Social classes
Hardship
Survival
Setting
Nebraska - Midwest (U.S.)
Time Period
1800s -- 19th century
Large Cover Image
Trade Reviews
Publishers Weekly Review
This audio edition of Cather's novel and final book in the author's prairie trilogy is adequately narrated by Mondelli. Following the death of his parents, Jim Burden was sent to Black Hawk, Neb., to live with grandparents. It was in Black Hawk that he met the great and enduring love of his life, the bohemian Antonia. Years later, lawyer Jim returns to Black Hawk, where he revisits the past and witnesses how both their lives have changed. Mondelli's reading will likely fail to delight Cather fans. While his pacing, tone, and pronunciation are workmanlike, they do little to enliven the author's text. Similarly, the voices he lends the book's characters are distinct and sufficient, but nothing more. Overall, listeners will likely feel that the narrator could have done more to bring this classic novel to life. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Summary
After the death of his parents, Jim is sent to live with his grandparents on the Nebraska plains. By chance on that same train is a bright-eyed girl, Antonia, who will become his neighbor and lifelong friend. Her family has emigrated from Bohemia to start a new life farming but soon lose their money and must work hard just to survive. Through it all, Antonia retains her natural pride and free spirit.
Table of Contents
The World of Willa Cather and My Antoniap. ix
Introduction    Gordon Tapperp. xiii
My Antoniap. 1
Introductionp. 3
Book I.The Shimerdasp. 7
Book II.The Hired Girlsp. 95
Book III.Lena Lingardp. 165
Book IV.The Pioneer Woman's Storyp. 191
Book V.Cuzak's Boysp. 209
Endnotesp. 239
Comments & Questionsp. 243
For Further Readingp. 247
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