If I thought it was difficult choosing which book to read for April’s Virago author, Elizabeth von Arnim, the one for May is going to make things even harder…
The writer in question is Willa Cather, and a quick examination of the stacks revealed that I own a significant number of her books….
However, what it also revealed was how few of her works I’ve actually read. If I’m honest, I think the only one I can be sure of is the short story “Come, Aphrodite” – which is pretty terrible when you consider how many of her books I have in the house.
I’ve picked most of these up when I happened to come across them in charity and second-hand book shops, although I did specifically search out “One of Us” for a Virago group read along – which I never actually ended up taking part in…. Typical me!
The beautiful edition of “My Antonia” came thanks to a giveaway by the lovely HeavenAli and I should be ashamed that I haven’t read it yet. But the others are so appealing as well – “Alexander’s Bridge” comes highly recommended, and “A Lost Lady” sounds fascinating.
So the question is, which to read in May? There are some lovely editions there, and some very highly regarded works and deciding will be difficult. Any suggestions, please???? 🙂
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 
May 03, 2017 @ 07:45:47
I do this sort of thing all the time – I’m sure I still have books unread that I won in giveaways too. I love Willa Cather so I envy you this wonderful choice. I only have one of her novels (and some short stories and letters) unread. My Antonia would be a great place to start I think. My favourite is probably A Lost Lady.
May 03, 2017 @ 08:40:24
A Lost Lady certainly sounds good – so difficult to choose!
May 03, 2017 @ 07:49:29
I need to read more Cather myself. Death Comes for the Archbishop is on my shelf. I love My Ántonia, but I would suggest it as a winter read. The scenes of winter on the prairie are vivid (and heartbreaking). I first read it after the Guardian ran a series where contributors wrote about their favourite winter reads and the book is lodged hard and fast in my mind in association with the season.
May 03, 2017 @ 08:40:01
Thanks Joe – that’s a good idea about it being a winter read. There are certain books that go with certain times of the year!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:01:26
That is difficult indeed. I’m trying to join but I’m lagging behind. I’m still reading Von Arnim. But since Cather’s novels are on the short side, I might make it. I was tempted by My Antonia but reading roughghost’s comment, I’d that has to wait. I’m looking forward to see which one you’ll end up reading.
May 03, 2017 @ 08:38:56
I think A Lost Lady and Alexander’s Bridge are calling quite strongly. The trouble is, they all sound so good…..
May 03, 2017 @ 08:03:20
The first Cather title I read was Alexander’s Bridge which was an easy read. I followed that with My Antonia which I found absolutely absorbing. It is a fairly lengthy novel but excellent. I hope you enjoy whichever title you choose.
May 03, 2017 @ 08:31:32
Thank you! I’m quite attracted by Alexander’s Bridge, I must confess!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:10:05
My Antonia or A Lost Lady!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:30:47
Well, A Lost Lady is looking promising!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:12:49
I’m also still reading Elizabeth von Arnim. I’ve only read “My Mortal Enemy”, a travel book called “Willa Cather in Europe”, and some short stories by Willa Cather. I’ve chosen to start with “Alexander’s Bridge” (her first novel) and “A Lost Lady” because they are comparatively short. I’m not going to attempt the Prairie Trilogy because I don’t have easy access to the second book.
May 03, 2017 @ 08:30:23
Good point – the trilogy would be a bit too much of a commitment at the moment. A Lost Lady *does* look manageable!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:32:22
By coincidence I’m reading Alexander’s Bridge at the moment & enjoying it, although I don’t think Cather herself rated it very much. Like you, I have many of her novels but I’ve read none & am trying to remedy this! A friend who adores Cather recommended My Antonia. I look forward to seeing what you choose!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:41:38
Oh, I really don’t know which one to choose! Alexander’s Bridge sounds wonderful too!!
May 03, 2017 @ 08:50:23
I’m clearly at least a month behind. I finally ordered an Elisabeth v. Arnim at my library (I wanted to reread Elizabeth and Her German Garden and it was only in the reserve stock). By the time I get to Willa Cather, I am sure it will be June or July.
May 03, 2017 @ 09:07:35
Well I wouldn’t worry about keeping up – the thing is to enjoy the books and if you get the impetus to read some classic women writers that has to be good! 🙂
May 03, 2017 @ 09:38:53
I have heard My Antonia is a great place to start. I look forward to your thoughts, whichever book you decide on
May 03, 2017 @ 12:39:21
Thanks! I’m looking forward to reading her work!
May 03, 2017 @ 11:24:32
My first Cather was My Antonia, it is wonderful. I also loved O Pioneers! and One of Ours. Sapphira and the Slave Girl is interesting, as it’s set in the Antebellum South which is not her usual setting. I still haven’t read Alexander’s Bridge or Lucy Gayheart but I have read A Lost Lady and My Mortal Enemy which were not especially memorable.
May 03, 2017 @ 12:38:51
Thanks! I’m just going to have to pick one and take the plunge I think!
May 03, 2017 @ 11:26:18
Many recommend My Antonia, but my personal favorite of your group is Death Comes for the Archbishop. It is not really about death but about the Southwest and its magic for new comers to the region.
May 03, 2017 @ 12:37:57
Thanks for this – another one which sounds very intriguing!
May 03, 2017 @ 16:34:21
Another vote for Death Comes for the Archbishop. In some ways i think it’s her masterpiece. But My Antonia is a great place to start too — perhaps you’re interested in a female protagonist. However, there’s no bad book in there!
May 03, 2017 @ 20:26:57
“Death Comes…” is certainly getting lots of good press! Nice to know all the choices are good….
May 03, 2017 @ 17:46:56
I can certainly vouch for ‘My Ántonia’ which is brilliant. I have also read ‘Death Comes for the Archbishop’ which didn’t impress me much at the time. I hope you enjoy whichever one you choose.
May 03, 2017 @ 20:26:29
Thank you! I’m going to have my work cut out choosing…
May 03, 2017 @ 20:36:20
Yes, it’s going to be difficult. I think my next Cather will be The Professor’s House as I’ve read a couple of good reviews in recent years. That’s not one from your pile though.
May 03, 2017 @ 20:38:18
No, and I really shouldn’t buy any more before I read the ones I have….
May 03, 2017 @ 18:08:17
I agree with you; this will not be an easy decision. But the good news is that you are very likely to enjoy whichever book you choose. I loved the Prairie trilogy and Death Comes for the Archbishop. I read One of Ours earlier this year, and that was also great. Don’t let the size put you off! My Mortal Enemy is probably my least favorite. It’s not bad, just different. I can’t wait to see which one you pick and how you like it!
May 03, 2017 @ 20:26:03
Thank you – I’m still not sure what I’ll choose, and I suspect that, as a friend on the LT Virago Group said, I should look to my mood when I start to read Cather!
May 03, 2017 @ 18:51:38
My Antonia is the only title I have – and its the exact same edition you have and like yours is unread…..
May 03, 2017 @ 20:25:10
🙂 Not just me, then….
May 03, 2017 @ 19:36:14
I’ll be joining all the ‘My Ántonia’ lovers out there with my recommendation. ‘O Pioneers’ didn’t work quite as well for me … as for the rest, they’re all hiding in the depths of my to-be-read pile …
May 03, 2017 @ 20:24:57
Thanks! And I’m glad I’m not the only one with lots of titles lurking on the TBR….
May 03, 2017 @ 21:19:35
A Lost Lady is wonderful. I read it recently and was very impressed.
May 04, 2017 @ 08:55:10
It’s getting lots of votes – maybe this will be the one I go for!
May 03, 2017 @ 21:50:40
A Lost Lady! It’s short and beautiful, a good place to start.
May 04, 2017 @ 08:54:50
It certainly sounds lovely, and short may well be good to start with!
May 04, 2017 @ 02:33:16
Karen, what a beautiful collection of Viragos! I love all of them, but my favorites are Lucy Gayheart and A Lost Lady. Sometimes she is a craftsman, but in these two she is really exquisite.
May 04, 2017 @ 08:54:18
They are rather lovely – A Lost Lady sounds very appealing!
May 04, 2017 @ 07:33:49
I enjoyed, and reviewed, O pIoneers! on Bookword blog in February. I could do with a prompt to read something else by Willa Cather.
May 04, 2017 @ 08:53:51
Well, do join in this month – any excuse!
May 04, 2017 @ 12:36:55
My Antonia is supposed to be good but I have no personal knowlwdge as it is also on my shelf unread, lol. Looking forward to what you choose.
May 04, 2017 @ 13:29:27
🙂 So many of us seem to have unread Cathers! This will be a good month to get them read!
May 04, 2017 @ 13:17:35
A tv movie based on My Antonia came out around the time my English class was assigned books to read, and I immediately jumped on it, mainly because Neil Patrick Harris as the protagonist made me really giddy inside.
May 04, 2017 @ 13:28:54
Well, anything that gets you reading has to be good! 🙂
May 04, 2017 @ 14:47:08
I have read all of Cather’s novels except Archbishop and Sapphira. Alexander’s Bridge is early, and shows her trying to find her own voice and not merely echo Henry James, but it is enjoyable and short. I liked Antonia, but it is wrenchingly sad at times, which is true of many of her novels. You dont have Song of the Lark or Shadows on the Rock, both of which I love. A Lost Lady is also extremely sad in parts especially if you have had some experience of life and looking back knowing how much is left unsaid. The same is true of Lucy, sometimes I just had to step away, knowing what was coming but unable to put out a hand and say, wait, dont do that. Shadows on the Rock is an historical novel about life in Early Quebec and is probably the least sad of the lot. I liked Lark a lot because its about the growth and development of an opera singer from the Prairie to the great opera houses of Europe, and the sacrifices she made along the way. I have tried Archbishop a few times but have not bonded, perhaps due to the lack of strong female characters. One of Ours is good especially with the theme of the young Americans going to fight the Great War as only recently America entered the War in early April 1917 and it contains a description of the horrors of the Flue epidemic that killed so many military and civilians. It is also one of the very few works that contain any reference to the epidemic (along with William Maxwell’s They Came Like Sparrows and Katherine Anne Porter’s Pale Horse Pale Rider). Sorry to have nattered along so much but your question just hit a nerve! Good luck making your choice.
May 04, 2017 @ 15:48:40
Please do natter away! And thanks for the recommendations – she really does seem to have produced a wonderfully varied selection of books. I shall just have to go with my emotions and gut feeling at the time!
May 05, 2017 @ 21:33:20
Song of the Lark is my favourite, too, but it was also my first and sometimes I can’t tell if that’s part of the appeal, the sense of discovery. Others here have already recommended or commented on the others I’ve read. Myself, I’m eyeing Shadows on the Rock, because of its Quebec setting but now I am especially keen as Gina has mentoned it as being her other favourite (with Lark). Good luck with your deliberations and with whichever one you choose!
May 06, 2017 @ 13:45:29
Thank you! She does seem to be widely appreciated so I guess that whatever I choose may well turn out to be good!
May 04, 2017 @ 14:48:27
Sorry for the typo, of course its “Flu”.
May 04, 2017 @ 15:47:26
:))
May 06, 2017 @ 12:43:22
My favourites are One of Ours & Death Comes for the Archbishop but I also loved O Pioneers! & Song of the Lark. Your Viragos are beautiful. I have a mix of editions – VMC, OUP, Vintage. I also loved her Letters which I read a few years ago. Must get back to Cather & the novels I still haven’t read.
May 06, 2017 @ 13:41:41
It’s a pretty stack of books, isn’t it? But so hard to choose….
May 07, 2017 @ 05:38:11
Good luck with your choice. I don’t think you can go too far wrong with Cather. I think I’ll read Sapphira after looking at the other comments here. I’m finding it hard to settle on a book at the moment although I’ve started several. Maybe I should just start something else entirely?
May 07, 2017 @ 17:13:35
No, I must admit they all sound wonderful so whichever one I choose I think will be fine! And yes – if none of the books you’re reading are wording for you, I’d definitely suggest abandoning them and going for something new! 🙂
May 06, 2017 @ 14:52:23
I’m late to the discussion and you’ve had loads of suggestions but I’d certainly go for A Lost Lady. I adore that novel. My second favourite is The Professor’s House…. just in case you want to add another to your collection! 🙂
May 06, 2017 @ 18:47:47
Thanks! I’m quite drawn to A Lost Lady, and I’ll try to read one from the pile rather than picking up another, however tempting…..
May 08, 2017 @ 15:23:48
I think you’d like Alexander’s Bridge. I’m going to try for The Professor’s House but might have to borrow Ali’s copy!
May 08, 2017 @ 15:57:20
I must admit, that’s one I was particularly interested in the sound of…. 🙂
May 09, 2017 @ 14:14:51
http://cather.unl.edu/
The Willa Cather Archive (link above) is a great resource for those interested in her life and works. Some novels are presented on line as well as is the Woodress biography.
May 09, 2017 @ 15:54:31
Thanks for the link – I shall go and investigate! 🙂
May 31, 2017 @ 06:30:56
May 31, 2017 @ 06:30:56
My Ántonia by Willa Cather #bookreviews | BookerTalk
Jun 03, 2017 @ 15:35:59