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The Troll Garden and Selected Stories
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129 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 30, 2011
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202 people want to read
About the author
Willa Cather
876 books2,770 followersWilella Sibert Cather was born in Back Creek Valley (Gore), Virginia, in December 7, 1873.
She grew up in Virginia and Nebraska. She then attended the University of Nebraska, initially planning to become a physician, but after writing an article for the Nebraska State Journal, she became a regular contributor to this journal. Because of this, she changed her major and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.
After graduation in 1894, she worked in Pittsburgh as writer for various publications and as a school teacher for approximately 13 years, thereafter moving to New York City for the remainder of her life.
Her novels on frontier life brought her to national recognition. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, 'One of Ours' (1922), set during World War I. She travelled widely and often spent summers in New Brunswick, Canada. In later life, she experienced much negative criticism for her conservative politics and became reclusive, burning some of her letters and personal papers, including her last manuscript.
She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943. In 1944, Cather received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, an award given once a decade for an author's total accomplishments.
She died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 73 in New York City.
She grew up in Virginia and Nebraska. She then attended the University of Nebraska, initially planning to become a physician, but after writing an article for the Nebraska State Journal, she became a regular contributor to this journal. Because of this, she changed her major and graduated with a bachelor's degree in English.
After graduation in 1894, she worked in Pittsburgh as writer for various publications and as a school teacher for approximately 13 years, thereafter moving to New York City for the remainder of her life.
Her novels on frontier life brought her to national recognition. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, 'One of Ours' (1922), set during World War I. She travelled widely and often spent summers in New Brunswick, Canada. In later life, she experienced much negative criticism for her conservative politics and became reclusive, burning some of her letters and personal papers, including her last manuscript.
She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1943. In 1944, Cather received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, an award given once a decade for an author's total accomplishments.
She died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 73 in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 16, 2019
Magnífica autora que he descubierto. ¡Una apuesta segura!
February 6, 2015
This is an excellent collection of short stories by a great American writer. In the early 20th century she didn't get the credit she deserved because.......she was a woman. That is starting to change as modern readers are discovering what a treasure she was, and still is through her writing. Her short stories are stark, real life descriptions of the people and life in the American frontier. In my opinion she is the American version of Russia's Chekhov.
May 2, 2019
No sabía qué esperar de Willa Cather, totalmente desconocida para mi, y la verdad es que me ha sorprendido muy gratamente.
Hace años me costaba muchísimo leer relatos porque me parecía que al ser tan breves me dejaban con demasiados hilos colgando en las historias que me gustaban, mientras que con otras no me daba tiempo a conectar. Pero los relatos de Cather son pinceladas cotidianas, esbozos de las vidas de personajes con los que empatizas, gente realista a la que conoces por un lapso corto de tiempo pero a la que luego pierdes la pista.
Mis relatos favoritos son:
La gitanilla
El concierto de Wagner
El funeral del escultor
Hace años me costaba muchísimo leer relatos porque me parecía que al ser tan breves me dejaban con demasiados hilos colgando en las historias que me gustaban, mientras que con otras no me daba tiempo a conectar. Pero los relatos de Cather son pinceladas cotidianas, esbozos de las vidas de personajes con los que empatizas, gente realista a la que conoces por un lapso corto de tiempo pero a la que luego pierdes la pista.
Mis relatos favoritos son:
La gitanilla
El concierto de Wagner
El funeral del escultor
November 20, 2009
“The Troll Garden and Selected Stories” by Willa Cather contains some of her earliest writing. This collection includes the entirety of her 1905 collection “The Troll Garden”, along with her earliest nationally published story “On the Divide”, “Eric Hermannson’s Soul”, another very early story, “The Enchanted Bluff”, and “The Bohemian Girl”, two other early Cather stories that were published after “The Troll Garden”. The four additional stories all fall into her frontier life stories for which she is best known.
“On the Divide” – A story which was first published in January of 1896, and was her first story published in a national magazine, “Overland Monthly”. In this story, Canute, a man who spent the majority of his life in Sweden before coming to America to farm, is in a position where he drinks to avoid the boredom. He has his eyes set on Lena, a young woman who is more interested in having some fun than marrying Canute, though she seems to believe that eventually she will get around to getting married to him. Canute gets tired of her teasing, and takes her by force to his home, and then goes to get a priest there as well. He then forces a marriage, but then he stays outside. His refusal to enter makes her lonely, so she decides to consent, and after refusing his offers of bringing others to her, she finds him laying in the snow sobbing when she opens the door for him to enter after telling him that she would prefer him to any other.
“Eric Hermannson’s Soul” – Published originally in “Cosmopolitan” in April of 1900. In this story, Eric Hermannson enjoys his music and the attentions of women, but he starts to feel that it is going to catch up to him, thanks to the prayers of his mother who warns him of the loss of his soul. Eric then gives up on music and women when he takes seeing a rattlesnake while on a date as an ill omen. Two years later, when he meets Margaret, she is able to convince him to go to a dance, and he agrees, believing that it damns his soul. After, she tells him that she is soon to leave (which she knew all along), and that she will not return. He is then asked by his pastor whether he danced, and Eric readily admits it, though he believes it will set his soul “back a thousand years from God”.
“The Enchanted Bluff” – Published originally in “Harper’s” in April of 1909, in this story, six boys talk about adventures they would like to have, and when the story of the Enchanted Bluff is told, they agree to a pact to try to go there, and that the first one will tell the others of what they find. Much later, when they are all adults and all have taken different paths with their lives, none of them has made it, though one has passed on the spirit of the adventure to his son. One of my favorite stories in this book, it captures the childhood innocence of a bygone era beautifully.
“The Bohemian Girl” – This is the longest story in the collection and was originally published in “McClure’s” in August of 1912. In this story, Nils Ericson returns to the home of his youth. Nils is the son who went away, while his brothers have received land from their father. They fear Nils, because they are worried that he may have the second will, which his father made but has been missing. But Nils has returned to see Clara, a woman he fell in love with years before, and who his brother Olaf has married. Nils has come to realize that he loves Clara, and he wants her to run away with him.
“Flavia and Her Artists” – This story was originally published in this collection. Flavia likes to put herself at the center of society by inviting noteworthy people to her house parties, though her husband, Arthur, doesn’t fit in with them. In this case, it is a group which consists of several noteworthy people, including M. Roux, a novelist. It also includes Imogen Willard, the narrator of the story, who remembers Flavia’s husband from her childhood. M. Roux leaves much earlier than the other guests, and when an article he writes satirizes Flavia mercilessly, Imogen tries to keep it from Arthur, but he reads it and then destroys it so that Flavia will not read it. The other guests are aware of it though, and when the subject of M. Roux comes up, Imogen believes that she notices a general agreement with what he had done. Arthur does not put up with their falseness though, and does to M. Roux in front of the guests what M. Roux had done to Flavia. When many of the guests decide to leave, Flavia mistakenly believes that it is her husband who has acted improperly.
“The Sculptor’s Funeral” – This story was originally published in McClure’s Magazine in January of 1905. When Harvey Merrick’s body returns for burial to the small town in Kansas where he grew up, the locals make fun of him, even though he was a famed sculptor. Only two people appear to truly grieve the loss, his student Henry Steavens, and his old friend, Jim Laird, who finally hears enough of the other’s attacks on Harvey, and he lets them know exactly how much better Harvey was than any of them.
“’A Death in the Desert’” – This story was originally published in “Scribner’s” in January of 1903. This story centers on Everett Hilgarde, a man who is often mistaken for his brother Adriance, who is a famous composer. On a trip to Wyoming, he is surprised to see Katharine Gaylord, a singer who used to work with his brother, and who he knew and admired when he was much younger. They start to meet regularly, and he learns that she is fatally ill. He lets Adriance know of her situation, and his brother sends her a letter and his most recent composition.
“The Garden Lodge” – Caronline Noble used to be a musician, and recently entertained a famous tenor, Raymond d’Esquerre. His visit has reminded her of her days when she was a musician, and less practical. She at first is opposed to her husband wanting to tear down the garden lodge where she spent time with Raymond d’Esquerre, but after reflection and a night’s sleep, she returns to the more practical world which has become her life after music.
“The Marriage of Phaedra” – The narrator, MacMaster, sets out to write the biography of Hugh Treffinger, a painter who has just passed away. He becomes involved in the dealing with his unfinished work, “The Marriage of Phaedra”. Hugh Treffinger’s valet and assistant, James, believes that Hugh did not want it to be sold, as it was unfinished, but an art dealer from Melbourne has offered Hugh’s wife a lot of money for it.
“A Wagner Matinee” – First published in “Everybody’s Magazine” in February of 1904, this story is a wonderful story about a young man in Boston (Clark) who learns that his aunt from Nebraska is coming to visit. His aunt Georgiana lived in Boston a long time ago, and she loved music, so he arranges to take her to a concert. When she arrives, she is much changed and he is worried about how she will react to the event, as she seems to have lost all of what she once was. As the concert goes on, he notices more and more how it seems to be reaching her. A very touching story, and one of my favourites in this collection.
“Paul’s Case” – This story was first published in McClure’s Magazine in May of 1905. This story starts in Pittsburgh, and opens with Paul meeting with the Principal of his school and the teachers that had him suspended. Paul’s troubles don’t end there, as he is drawn to the performing arts, ushering at Carnegie Hall, but his father isn’t pleased with Paul’s attitude, so he puts him to work at his company, while forcing him to give up his job at Carnegie Hall. Paul steals and runs away to New York to escape the life he hates. He watches the papers for signs that they know where he is, and when he sees them he is afraid of what they will do. He is resolved in what to do, and carries out his plan. This is an interesting story, and the comparison between flowers in winter and Paul’s life is a good one.
One could argue that the first four stories in this collection don’t fit with those in “The Troll Garden”, and that is certainly true. However, at the same time, “The Troll Garden” was a short collection, and it is nice to see Willa Cather’s other early work included in a collection, and they are a better representation of the fiction for which Cather is most well known, i.e. the stories from the plains and farms of middle America. While some of the stories from “The Troll Garden” are set in those areas, the common theme which runs through those stories is artists. I would take this collection over one which just includes “The Troll Garden”, but both are very good.
“On the Divide” – A story which was first published in January of 1896, and was her first story published in a national magazine, “Overland Monthly”. In this story, Canute, a man who spent the majority of his life in Sweden before coming to America to farm, is in a position where he drinks to avoid the boredom. He has his eyes set on Lena, a young woman who is more interested in having some fun than marrying Canute, though she seems to believe that eventually she will get around to getting married to him. Canute gets tired of her teasing, and takes her by force to his home, and then goes to get a priest there as well. He then forces a marriage, but then he stays outside. His refusal to enter makes her lonely, so she decides to consent, and after refusing his offers of bringing others to her, she finds him laying in the snow sobbing when she opens the door for him to enter after telling him that she would prefer him to any other.
“Eric Hermannson’s Soul” – Published originally in “Cosmopolitan” in April of 1900. In this story, Eric Hermannson enjoys his music and the attentions of women, but he starts to feel that it is going to catch up to him, thanks to the prayers of his mother who warns him of the loss of his soul. Eric then gives up on music and women when he takes seeing a rattlesnake while on a date as an ill omen. Two years later, when he meets Margaret, she is able to convince him to go to a dance, and he agrees, believing that it damns his soul. After, she tells him that she is soon to leave (which she knew all along), and that she will not return. He is then asked by his pastor whether he danced, and Eric readily admits it, though he believes it will set his soul “back a thousand years from God”.
“The Enchanted Bluff” – Published originally in “Harper’s” in April of 1909, in this story, six boys talk about adventures they would like to have, and when the story of the Enchanted Bluff is told, they agree to a pact to try to go there, and that the first one will tell the others of what they find. Much later, when they are all adults and all have taken different paths with their lives, none of them has made it, though one has passed on the spirit of the adventure to his son. One of my favorite stories in this book, it captures the childhood innocence of a bygone era beautifully.
“The Bohemian Girl” – This is the longest story in the collection and was originally published in “McClure’s” in August of 1912. In this story, Nils Ericson returns to the home of his youth. Nils is the son who went away, while his brothers have received land from their father. They fear Nils, because they are worried that he may have the second will, which his father made but has been missing. But Nils has returned to see Clara, a woman he fell in love with years before, and who his brother Olaf has married. Nils has come to realize that he loves Clara, and he wants her to run away with him.
“Flavia and Her Artists” – This story was originally published in this collection. Flavia likes to put herself at the center of society by inviting noteworthy people to her house parties, though her husband, Arthur, doesn’t fit in with them. In this case, it is a group which consists of several noteworthy people, including M. Roux, a novelist. It also includes Imogen Willard, the narrator of the story, who remembers Flavia’s husband from her childhood. M. Roux leaves much earlier than the other guests, and when an article he writes satirizes Flavia mercilessly, Imogen tries to keep it from Arthur, but he reads it and then destroys it so that Flavia will not read it. The other guests are aware of it though, and when the subject of M. Roux comes up, Imogen believes that she notices a general agreement with what he had done. Arthur does not put up with their falseness though, and does to M. Roux in front of the guests what M. Roux had done to Flavia. When many of the guests decide to leave, Flavia mistakenly believes that it is her husband who has acted improperly.
“The Sculptor’s Funeral” – This story was originally published in McClure’s Magazine in January of 1905. When Harvey Merrick’s body returns for burial to the small town in Kansas where he grew up, the locals make fun of him, even though he was a famed sculptor. Only two people appear to truly grieve the loss, his student Henry Steavens, and his old friend, Jim Laird, who finally hears enough of the other’s attacks on Harvey, and he lets them know exactly how much better Harvey was than any of them.
“’A Death in the Desert’” – This story was originally published in “Scribner’s” in January of 1903. This story centers on Everett Hilgarde, a man who is often mistaken for his brother Adriance, who is a famous composer. On a trip to Wyoming, he is surprised to see Katharine Gaylord, a singer who used to work with his brother, and who he knew and admired when he was much younger. They start to meet regularly, and he learns that she is fatally ill. He lets Adriance know of her situation, and his brother sends her a letter and his most recent composition.
“The Garden Lodge” – Caronline Noble used to be a musician, and recently entertained a famous tenor, Raymond d’Esquerre. His visit has reminded her of her days when she was a musician, and less practical. She at first is opposed to her husband wanting to tear down the garden lodge where she spent time with Raymond d’Esquerre, but after reflection and a night’s sleep, she returns to the more practical world which has become her life after music.
“The Marriage of Phaedra” – The narrator, MacMaster, sets out to write the biography of Hugh Treffinger, a painter who has just passed away. He becomes involved in the dealing with his unfinished work, “The Marriage of Phaedra”. Hugh Treffinger’s valet and assistant, James, believes that Hugh did not want it to be sold, as it was unfinished, but an art dealer from Melbourne has offered Hugh’s wife a lot of money for it.
“A Wagner Matinee” – First published in “Everybody’s Magazine” in February of 1904, this story is a wonderful story about a young man in Boston (Clark) who learns that his aunt from Nebraska is coming to visit. His aunt Georgiana lived in Boston a long time ago, and she loved music, so he arranges to take her to a concert. When she arrives, she is much changed and he is worried about how she will react to the event, as she seems to have lost all of what she once was. As the concert goes on, he notices more and more how it seems to be reaching her. A very touching story, and one of my favourites in this collection.
“Paul’s Case” – This story was first published in McClure’s Magazine in May of 1905. This story starts in Pittsburgh, and opens with Paul meeting with the Principal of his school and the teachers that had him suspended. Paul’s troubles don’t end there, as he is drawn to the performing arts, ushering at Carnegie Hall, but his father isn’t pleased with Paul’s attitude, so he puts him to work at his company, while forcing him to give up his job at Carnegie Hall. Paul steals and runs away to New York to escape the life he hates. He watches the papers for signs that they know where he is, and when he sees them he is afraid of what they will do. He is resolved in what to do, and carries out his plan. This is an interesting story, and the comparison between flowers in winter and Paul’s life is a good one.
One could argue that the first four stories in this collection don’t fit with those in “The Troll Garden”, and that is certainly true. However, at the same time, “The Troll Garden” was a short collection, and it is nice to see Willa Cather’s other early work included in a collection, and they are a better representation of the fiction for which Cather is most well known, i.e. the stories from the plains and farms of middle America. While some of the stories from “The Troll Garden” are set in those areas, the common theme which runs through those stories is artists. I would take this collection over one which just includes “The Troll Garden”, but both are very good.
July 26, 2021
Willa is so good. It's nice to be reading some of her stuff. Honestly, The Troll Garden was probably my least favorite. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the others. Each story just left me wanting more of each. The last chunk of books I've read have been mediocre at best. It just added to Willa to make her even better.
July 18, 2021
"We must not look at Goblin men,
We must not buy their fruits;
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?"
GOBLIN MARKET.
Why this is called the Troll Garden I have no idea.
Published in 1905, this is Cather's first published work. It's been years (decades) since I've read the Great Plains Trilogy but once I started reading about cornfields, Norweigans, music, hard work and hard times, it all came back.
So yes, these are short stories but these are hard going. I used the dictionary on my Kindle quite a bit here. I looked online for criticism because I knew I was missing most of the points Cather was trying to make. Art vs. manual labor, east coast vs. midwest, breakdown of family relationships and trains making an appearance every few pages. (To paraphase Freud's criticism, maybe a train in literature is just a train.)
Yes! Another freebie on Kindle. This edition has short stories that are also found Youth and the Bright Medusa
Last year I read One of Ours which I found much easier going.
We must not buy their fruits;
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?"
GOBLIN MARKET.
Why this is called the Troll Garden I have no idea.
Published in 1905, this is Cather's first published work. It's been years (decades) since I've read the Great Plains Trilogy but once I started reading about cornfields, Norweigans, music, hard work and hard times, it all came back.
So yes, these are short stories but these are hard going. I used the dictionary on my Kindle quite a bit here. I looked online for criticism because I knew I was missing most of the points Cather was trying to make. Art vs. manual labor, east coast vs. midwest, breakdown of family relationships and trains making an appearance every few pages. (To paraphase Freud's criticism, maybe a train in literature is just a train.)
Yes! Another freebie on Kindle. This edition has short stories that are also found Youth and the Bright Medusa
Last year I read One of Ours which I found much easier going.
January 1, 2020
No es un libro que recomendaría. Quizá sea mejor leer los relatos por separado, con tiempo para asimilarlos, pues al leerlos juntos, al tiempo, da la sensación de estar leyendo la misma historia con los mismos personajes una y otra vez. Y ninguno de ellos me parece demasiado bueno ni interesante. Sin más.
En cuanto a la edición, tiene muchas menos erratas que otros libros que he leído de la misma editorial, pero aún así hay errores y se nota que el libro no ha pasado por una corrección, lo cual no me invita demasiado a seguir leyendo libros de esta editorial. (Además, las hojas se empezaron a despegar al leer.)
En cuanto a la edición, tiene muchas menos erratas que otros libros que he leído de la misma editorial, pero aún así hay errores y se nota que el libro no ha pasado por una corrección, lo cual no me invita demasiado a seguir leyendo libros de esta editorial. (Además, las hojas se empezaron a despegar al leer.)
January 8, 2016
Great collection of stories, on to read more of her books
December 12, 2017
The writing wasn't bad, but I got bored and forgot to go back and finish. I was also bugged that every story ended with a cliffhanger. It didn't add suspense or mystery, they just felt unfinished.
October 11, 2021
After completing all of Cather’s novels, I am working my way through her short fiction. If you are familiar with her longer works, her early short stories are a bit surprising. While “the West” as a place and character is certainly there in her writing, it’s not as central, and many stories focus on characters still tied to the East and the societal expectations of big cities vs. the newer Western communities.
The version I read included additional stories, my favorite being probably The Bohemian Girl. Classic Cather. She builds nuanced and detailed character studies in a short span.
If I had read this in my youth, I might have thought Flavia and her Artists more of a Wharton story than Cather. But after working through all of Cather’s fiction, I can see her unique perspective here. A Death in the Desert and The Sculptor’s Funeral both work on a common Cather short story theme - the untimely death of a promising talent in their prime - from somewhat different angles. Sculptor’s Funeral in particular showed that cynicism that comes out occasionally and brutally in her writing.
Another observation: while Cather’s interest in music shows up occasionally in her novels (Lucy Gayheart and in my favorite, The Song of the Lark), her preoccupation with opera is much more noticeable here.
This is also probably her strongest collection - everything released later seems to have a duplicate story or something lifted from a novel (like Tom Outland’s Story). This is all strong short fiction on its own.
The version I read included additional stories, my favorite being probably The Bohemian Girl. Classic Cather. She builds nuanced and detailed character studies in a short span.
If I had read this in my youth, I might have thought Flavia and her Artists more of a Wharton story than Cather. But after working through all of Cather’s fiction, I can see her unique perspective here. A Death in the Desert and The Sculptor’s Funeral both work on a common Cather short story theme - the untimely death of a promising talent in their prime - from somewhat different angles. Sculptor’s Funeral in particular showed that cynicism that comes out occasionally and brutally in her writing.
Another observation: while Cather’s interest in music shows up occasionally in her novels (Lucy Gayheart and in my favorite, The Song of the Lark), her preoccupation with opera is much more noticeable here.
This is also probably her strongest collection - everything released later seems to have a duplicate story or something lifted from a novel (like Tom Outland’s Story). This is all strong short fiction on its own.
March 26, 2021
Nice collection of short stories by Cather. She's great at describing people, packing tons of of detail and pathos into a line or two. It's not something writers do much anymore, so it's cool to read someone who mastered it.
Most of the stories center on the opportunities missed by artistic folk living in bleak frontier towns where things like love and music are seen as hopelessly frivolous compared to the dire need to add a few acres to your farm or marry someone who can.
It's clear Cather didn't care much for her time in Nebraska, as nearly every one of her main characters long for something always beyond the last row of corn on the horizon. It's not shallow rural-bashing though, she describes the people and places beautifully, and always makes clear most of the inhabitants shut away their dreams or never had them in the first place for good reason--usually survival.
It's an interesting look back at the late 19th century, moreso because the divided worldviews she describes still exist and create conflict today.
Most of the stories center on the opportunities missed by artistic folk living in bleak frontier towns where things like love and music are seen as hopelessly frivolous compared to the dire need to add a few acres to your farm or marry someone who can.
It's clear Cather didn't care much for her time in Nebraska, as nearly every one of her main characters long for something always beyond the last row of corn on the horizon. It's not shallow rural-bashing though, she describes the people and places beautifully, and always makes clear most of the inhabitants shut away their dreams or never had them in the first place for good reason--usually survival.
It's an interesting look back at the late 19th century, moreso because the divided worldviews she describes still exist and create conflict today.
September 18, 2024
Lo gracioso es que no hay ningún relato que se titule "El duende del jardín".
- En la divisoria: ★★★★
- El alma de Eric Hermannson: ★★★★★
- El peñasco encantado: ★★★
- La gitanilla: ★★★★
- Flavia y sus artistas: ★★★
- El funeral del escultor: ★★★★
- Muerte en el desierto: ★★
- La cabaña del jardín: ★★
- El matrimonio de Fedra: ★★
- El concierto de Wagner: ★★★★
- El caso de Paul. Un estudio del temperamento: ★★★★
- En la divisoria: ★★★★
- El alma de Eric Hermannson: ★★★★★
- El peñasco encantado: ★★★
- La gitanilla: ★★★★
- Flavia y sus artistas: ★★★
- El funeral del escultor: ★★★★
- Muerte en el desierto: ★★
- La cabaña del jardín: ★★
- El matrimonio de Fedra: ★★
- El concierto de Wagner: ★★★★
- El caso de Paul. Un estudio del temperamento: ★★★★
December 15, 2023
Brilliant writer, such detail and depth of character development
October 30, 2024
happy to have read this but my favorite shorter works by Cather are to be found elsewhere.
Currently reading
August 28, 20258/14/2025 - "On the Divide" (1896)
8/20/2025 - "Eric Hermannson's Soul" (1900)
8/20/2025 - "Eric Hermannson's Soul" (1900)
February 4, 2023
The Troll Garden and Selected Stories by Willa Sibert Cather – I really enjoy Will Cather’s writing style, so I tried out some of her short stories! These are also good! Happy Reading!
August 19, 2016
" It came up like a galleon in full sail; an enormous, barbaric thing, red as an angry heathen god."
" The western shore was low and level, with cornfields that stretched to the skyline, and all along the water's edge were little sandy coves and beaches where slim cottonwoods and willow saplings flickered."
I bought this book for The Enchanted Bluff, which I read as a Library of America Selection of the Week on Facebook.
It's a snapshot, a portrait of a time and place after the frontier but before suburbs and strip malls, before two world wars when boys could spend a night under the stars dreaming of far away places and legends and the future.
" The western shore was low and level, with cornfields that stretched to the skyline, and all along the water's edge were little sandy coves and beaches where slim cottonwoods and willow saplings flickered."
I bought this book for The Enchanted Bluff, which I read as a Library of America Selection of the Week on Facebook.
It's a snapshot, a portrait of a time and place after the frontier but before suburbs and strip malls, before two world wars when boys could spend a night under the stars dreaming of far away places and legends and the future.
March 22, 2019
Collection of early Cather short stories. I thought the characters were well defined and complex given the short length. A common theme throughout many of them was the idea of “not fitting in”, especially for artistic / musical types. Most stories featured the Midwest environment of her childhood but the last story took place in Pittsburgh and New York.
Read
February 14, 2016I loved the word-smithing, as always, but thought some stories in this volume were better than others. I didn't care for The Troll Garden or the Marriage of Phaedra, but I did like The Bohemian Girl and a few others.
April 6, 2016
Rich prose
Pleasantly surprised at the rich descriptions of time, place, and persons. Art and artists play a large part in these stories. Some of the story arcs fell flat but a very enjoyable read.
Pleasantly surprised at the rich descriptions of time, place, and persons. Art and artists play a large part in these stories. Some of the story arcs fell flat but a very enjoyable read.
January 26, 2014
If you like Willa Cather, read this. It explores many of the same themes and questions as her later work and shows the seeds beginning planted.
November 22, 2015
My first book of short stories and I enjoyed it. Each story pulled me in and I love the time period about which she wrote.
May 31, 2019
Una joya. Relatos interesantes, cotidianos.
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