The golden countryside

Reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie, Willa Cather's My Antonia is a beautiful story that gives enchanting insight into early American frontier life.

For as long as I can remember, I've had a weird interest and affinity for pioneer life. I romanticize log cabins, horseback rides, and endless golden yellow wheat fields. This book is going above and beyond to scratch that itch. I'm about halfway through and thoroughly enjoying the simple yet profound descriptions of nature in the Nebraska countryside.

The book is about Antonia, a headstrong young girl from Czechoslovakia, who emigrates to the states with her family, to make a better life for themselves in the unforgiving farmland of middle America. So far she's a noble character, full of vigor and ambition. I want good things for her.

“I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy." -My Antonia

Strangely enough, the book is not narrated from Antonia's point-of-view. It's told from the perspective of Jim, a boy who moves to Black Hawk, Nebraska the same night as Antonia. He and his grandparents live on a farm near the Shimerdas, Antonia's family. Because of the narration perspective, there's a distance between the reader and the girl whom the book is named after. However, I think this separation makes sense because the story is called MY Antonia, not "Antonia."

Right now, Jim and Antonia have both moved to "town" and I love reading about the simple, small town action. I find the lives of people back then so fascinating. I'm really hoping that Jim and Antonia fall in love and have a happy life full of happiness, babies, and glowy sunsets in the country. But sadly, I don't think that is going to happen.

What kinds of stories do you always enjoy reading?