Review ~ My Antonia by Willa Cather
Summary:
The story of Antonia Shimerda is told by one of her friends from childhood, Jim Burden, an orphaned boy from Virginia. Though he leaves the prairie, Jim never forgets the Bohemian girl who so profoundly influenced his life. An immigrant child of immigrant parents, Antonia’s girlhood is spent working to help her parents wrest a living from the untamed land. Though in later years she suffers betrayal and desertion, through all the hardships of her life she preserves a valor of spirit that no hardship can daunt or break. When Jim Burden sees her again after many years, he finds her “a rich mine of life”, a figure who has turned adversity into a particular kind of triumph in the true spirit of the pioneer.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of Jim Burden a little boy that lost his parents and had to move with his grandparents. At the same time, an immigrant family moved to Virginia and they became fast friends. This tale was in Jim’s point of view and all about Antonia.
It was a story of friendship and growth and experiences and deep connections. It wasn’t a love story and for that I was a little disappointed, but I thought the way Antonia and Jim kept their strong connection was good enough and fitting for the ending of this endearing story.
I loved the scenery of Virginia and Cather’s descriptive writing. It made for a very easy read and a wonderful way to place me in the story.
