My Antonia
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4.2 • 573 Ratings
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Publisher Description
My Ántonia tells the stories of several immigrant families who move out to rural Nebraska to start new lives in America, with a particular focus on a Bohemian family, the Shimerdas, whose eldest daughter is named Ántonia. The book’s narrator, Jim Burden, arrives in the fictional town of Black Hawk, Nebraska, on the same train as the Shimerdas, as he goes to live with his grandparents after his parents have died. Jim develops strong feelings for Ántonia, something between a crush and a filial bond, and the reader views Ántonia’s life, including its attendant struggles and triumphs, through that lens.
Customer Reviews
Good read
Would not call this the best book ever, but a good, interesting read. Not entirely sure why the author is not Jim Burden, but beyond that the story is a good tale of friendship and childhood innocence.
My Antonia
At once clear, plain, straightforward, subtly but deeply emotional with an overwhelming sense of sentimentality that delivers hope as well as contentment, this simple book is a mighty accomplishment. It is one the great achievements of America, and a book that will have you feeling you know all these people or that you want to know them, that they are your friends and family and that you are all on the road together and will be forever. It is a book you will finish, be glad that you started and want to read again.
Reading the whole thing is to the end is worthwhile.
High School Opinion:
I had to read this for Summer, and I found the plot a bit here and there, not much to anticipate after each page turned. Pairing this book with an audiobook makes the experience a lot better.
I LOVED the ending. Everything finally ties in, with Cather making sense of all that she finely details within the middle of the book, the lives of each of them finally drawing to a successful close and the story goes full circle. The end is worth the wait!