My Ántonia
by Willa Cather · first published 1818
79% recommend7% neutral14% critical
Why HN recommends it
Praised as a beautiful, unsentimental portrait of harsh life on the Nebraska plains, with memorable characters; a good pick for readers who like classic American fiction and don't mind a slower pace.
Common criticism: Several find it slow and dull, especially younger readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
My Antonia, first published 1918, is one of Willa Cather's greatest works. It is the last novel in the Prairie trilogy, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark.My Antonia 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 Antonia. 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 st
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…people ridiculous things in an effort to see if they'd say yes or no. I believe the thesis boils down to "Don't be afraid to ask; people say yes more often than you think." Was an enjoyable read. 4/5 My Antonia by Willa Cather (Oxford World Classic) - Really good read and not that long of a book. 4.5/5. Apollo 8 by Jeffrey Kluger - As the title implies, it's about the Apollo 8 mission. Same guy who wrote the…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…many times over. I was not a huge fan of "Les Miserables" (Hugo) before I read it out loud with my wife about a year ago, and it really grew on me then. To Orwell's "1984" I would add "Animal Farm". "My Antonia" (Cather) has something great in it, though many probably would consider it slow. "To Kill a Mockingbird" (Lee) deserves a call-out on any list of classics, especially if you're American. If you like…
on “Ask HN: classic literature recommendations?” ↗…Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut 1984 by George Orwell To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie My Antonia by Willa Cather (1918) On the Road by Jack Kerouac The Heart is A Lonely Hunter by Carson Mccullers The Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston To…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2013” ↗…much as I love Lois McMaster Bujold (three worlds to choose from, each offering many more or less independent novels and novellas), who is also great. A few more: Sometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey. My Antonia, Willa Cather. Bluebeard, Kurt Vonnegut.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗…(not all the classics are good imo -- it's impossible for me to get into any of the Russians). I tend towards American or English classics, I suggest one of my all time favourites, it's a short one "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. I'm currently reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and enjoying it very much.
on “Ask HN: Are books worth it?” ↗"Death Comes for the Archibishop" reached the public domain in January of this year. It is excellent. Cather grew up in Nebraska, and two of the "plains novels" ("O Pioneers" and "My Ántonia") are set there. I like the first a little bit better than the second, but both are pretty good. The third plains novel ("The Song of the Lark") starts out in eastern Colorado, but the character moves around
on “The Quest for Cather” ↗I'd recommend My Ántonia by Willa Cather
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Appreciate the compliment! My favorite books are Candide, The Great Gatsby, and My Antonia. Dracula and Frankenstein are really good too.
on “Harper Lee has died” ↗It's been a long time since I read My Antonia. Loved it. If memory serves, though, wasn't the main male character quite the self-made man? Again, it's been a while. Beautiful picture of the harsh reality, and stark beauty of life on the plains. If…
on “Search for the historical Laura Ingalls Wilder (2019)” ↗Whose translation of Candide do you suggest? Read the Great Gatsby last year, was shocked at how much I liked it. Will definitely give My Antonia a read.
on “Harper Lee has died” ↗My favorites I read this year in order: - Prayer of Owen Meany, it’s the basis of the movie Simon Birch if you have seen that. The book has so much more going on though - My Antonia, wonderful characters - Jude the Obscure, the cover tells you the ending is shocking, and the cover is right! - How the Irish Saved Civilization, really fun and interesting
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗…mind. Or maybe your solution is different? Atlas Shrugged is deep enough, but the opposite of a deep truth is another deep truth. Or you're just not ready to hear that story yet; the nostalgia level in My Antonia made no sense at all to me as a modernist teenager.
on “Did Salinger Go Awry?” ↗…either in high school or college. I think the OP brought it up as a strawman because it is notoriously digressive, and has few fans these days. The books actually mentioned in the Atlantic article include My Antonia, Great Expectations, The Illiad, the Odyssey, Moby-Dick, Crime and Punishment, Pride and Prejudice.
on “The Atlantic Did Me Dirty” ↗…in college. Sure there are lots of brainrot distractions available to kids today, but it feels like the education system never takes a moment to look inward and acknowledge that The Scarlet Letter and My Antonia are dreadfully boring reads. It took me three tries to finish 1984 because the beginning is such a slog. It is strange to say kids aren't interested in reading (from the article) when a lot of the subject…
on “Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class” ↗