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O Pioneers: by willa cather oh pioneers o'pioneers pioneer Hardcover book
Set on the Nebraska prairie where Willa Cather (1873-1947) grew up, this powerful early novel tells the story of the young Alexandra Bergson, whose dying father leaves her in charge of the family and of the lands they have struggled to farm. In Alexandra's long flight to survive and succeed, O Pioneers! relates an important chapter in the history of the American frontier.
160 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1913
About the author
Willa Cather
1,069 books2,988 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 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 21, 2014
The last time I read anything by Willa Cather was more than five years ago. I said that Death Comes to the Archbishop was a quiet book. I did not think that O Pioneers was quiet, but I do think that it is a slow paced book. For me, that slow pace was wonderful.
Cather published this novel in 1913. It is hard for me to believe that the book is only 100 years old. The world that Alexandra Bergeson lives in seems much much older, I felt like I traveled back to a place that was centuries old. There has been so much change in the world since Cather wrote.
This novel made me think about two things in particular. One was the fact that I would have been totally unprepared for the life of an immigrant in the early 1900's. I just can't imagine putting myself on the prairies.
Secondly, I was very taken aback by Alexandra Bergeson's reactions to Marie Shabata, another female character. Without giving away the plot, I can't imagine feeling as Alexandra does about another woman. I don't know if this is the change in times or just my personal reaction, but I was not expecting this reaction. Maybe I will talk my book group into reading this book so that I can discuss this with someone.
I found my way to this novel because I was looking for an audiobook and I know Cather is an author with whom I should be more familiar.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to experience a very different world than ours, to readers who like books that make them think about the human condition and how we get to be who we are and to anyone who has not read Willa Cather.
Cather published this novel in 1913. It is hard for me to believe that the book is only 100 years old. The world that Alexandra Bergeson lives in seems much much older, I felt like I traveled back to a place that was centuries old. There has been so much change in the world since Cather wrote.
This novel made me think about two things in particular. One was the fact that I would have been totally unprepared for the life of an immigrant in the early 1900's. I just can't imagine putting myself on the prairies.
Secondly, I was very taken aback by Alexandra Bergeson's reactions to Marie Shabata, another female character. Without giving away the plot, I can't imagine feeling as Alexandra does about another woman. I don't know if this is the change in times or just my personal reaction, but I was not expecting this reaction. Maybe I will talk my book group into reading this book so that I can discuss this with someone.
I found my way to this novel because I was looking for an audiobook and I know Cather is an author with whom I should be more familiar.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to experience a very different world than ours, to readers who like books that make them think about the human condition and how we get to be who we are and to anyone who has not read Willa Cather.
June 26, 2022
This was a second read for me. The first was many, many years ago. This one was my book club selection for June. This book should be read while studying the life, and times, of its author. It is a masterpiece as was Willa Cather….she still is.
June 9, 2022
Another classic novel. It's manifestly more simplistic and direct a tale than what Cather managed in
My Antonia
--the crux of the novel is a pretty predictable love-triangle ending in murder--but the way in which Cather takes us through those plot turns were, to me, always thoughtful and kind of beautiful, even when they were predictable. And though she told her story of survivors on the plains of Nebraska in a way which didn't produce as compelling a character as Antonia (though how much difference is there between her and O Pioneers's Alexandra Bergon, really?), parts of it struck me even more forcefully, mostly when Cather used one character or another to lay out ideas which are so much a part of my own thinking (old Ivar being downright Tocquevillian in his observations about American intolerance; Carl articulating urban alienation and anonymity decades so insightfully I wonder if Cather had read Georg Simmel). Anyway, another Cather novel down; I should shoot for one more before the summer is over.
January 12, 2023
Really glad to return to this novel after many years. Cather's descriptions of the prairie continue to evoke a love of place that connects with my love of walking in rural settings. And reading the novel now after more understanding of settler colonialism gave me new ways of thinking about Cather's work.
September 19, 2026
O’No.
“Literary classics” just aren’t for the simple minded (such as myself - lol)
“Literary classics” just aren’t for the simple minded (such as myself - lol)
September 1, 2026
This novel is an American 'classic', whatever that means. Perhaps because it was written by a woman early in the last century. Perhaps because it tries to show the conflict between the pastoral and modernity. But the characters are thinly drawn and the prose pedestrian, and beyond its historical significance I'm not sure anyone suffers from not having read it.
June 7, 2014
so very taught--very much in keeping with the scandinavian peoples that populate this book. the introduction of the location where a pivotal scene in the books takes place, a white mulberry tree, is immediately followed by, "'you must have a seat, alexandra. the grass would stain you dress..." this is a wonderfully subtle and multilayered allusion to the story of pyramus and thisbe from ovid's metamorphoses (cf. notes in univ. of nebraska edition). the story goes something like this: the two lovers, pyramus and thisbe, have agreed to meet under a mulberry tree--thisbe, the woman, shows up first and encounters a hungry lioness. she escapes the lion, but leaves her veil, which is chewed up by the lion, who stains it with blood. pyramus, of course, arrives later to find the veil, takes it for the remains of his lover, and offs himself. thisbe comes back and offs herself as well, thus staining the mulberry fruit red forever. how fitting, then, that the pivotal action of cather's story should take place beneath a mulberry tree, and furthermore how fitting that maria should offer alexandra and admonition against staining her dress...
"had his wife been home, he would have turned and gone back to her meekly enough."
"i think he's got himself in such a tangle that for a long time his love has been bitterer than his hate."
the entire book is suffused with a kind of restraint--enmeshed in cather's austere vision of the enclosure that is the open plains, but not fettered. this paradox is summed up by the byron lines quoted near the end, excusing the overt prison imagery: "and the whole earth would henceforth be / a wider prison unto me." cather will permit herself the occasional pastoral utterance: "on every side the brown waves of the earth rolled away to meet the sky", but that is about it as far as verbal pyrotechnics are concerned. of course, like the plains themselves, such a subdued narrative strategy means that the occasional sparkle of wit or paean to the earth stands out like some newfangled-university-kid-contraption grain silo. cather beat hemingway to the austere american prose punch by a solid couple decades or so.
which is particularly interesting in light of the fact that this modern literary technique is put into the service of the most frosty puritan morality. or maybe the minimalist technique isn't so modern--the text of the bible, as monolithic as it is, is hardly known for its excessive verbal flourish. it's no wonder that ms. undset kept a picture of cather on her desk; the latter had similar themes to the former, but with a kind of masterful compression never equaled (though this is not necessarily for the worse) by undset.
that said, cather does not have a good ear for dialect. the swallowed and rounded interdentals (that/dat), the baby-talk (fweeze) definitely let some air out from cather's otherwise compressed narrative voice, and some characters, such as alexandra's hired help, seem to fade into the background. moreover, the butterflies which follow the stained mulberries "not telling the whole story" is a bit hackneyed--sometimes, cather's wide-eyed pioneer-dreamer pre-wwi innocence comes off as a bit naive. but this is a tale of the kind of earnestness in the face of adversity that can only be made manifest in the somewhat naive pioneer spirit.
it's a shame cather never wrote an apocalyptic novel--but in some ways, this is one, and of a uniquely redemptive sort as well.
"had his wife been home, he would have turned and gone back to her meekly enough."
"i think he's got himself in such a tangle that for a long time his love has been bitterer than his hate."
the entire book is suffused with a kind of restraint--enmeshed in cather's austere vision of the enclosure that is the open plains, but not fettered. this paradox is summed up by the byron lines quoted near the end, excusing the overt prison imagery: "and the whole earth would henceforth be / a wider prison unto me." cather will permit herself the occasional pastoral utterance: "on every side the brown waves of the earth rolled away to meet the sky", but that is about it as far as verbal pyrotechnics are concerned. of course, like the plains themselves, such a subdued narrative strategy means that the occasional sparkle of wit or paean to the earth stands out like some newfangled-university-kid-contraption grain silo. cather beat hemingway to the austere american prose punch by a solid couple decades or so.
which is particularly interesting in light of the fact that this modern literary technique is put into the service of the most frosty puritan morality. or maybe the minimalist technique isn't so modern--the text of the bible, as monolithic as it is, is hardly known for its excessive verbal flourish. it's no wonder that ms. undset kept a picture of cather on her desk; the latter had similar themes to the former, but with a kind of masterful compression never equaled (though this is not necessarily for the worse) by undset.
that said, cather does not have a good ear for dialect. the swallowed and rounded interdentals (that/dat), the baby-talk (fweeze) definitely let some air out from cather's otherwise compressed narrative voice, and some characters, such as alexandra's hired help, seem to fade into the background. moreover, the butterflies which follow the stained mulberries "not telling the whole story" is a bit hackneyed--sometimes, cather's wide-eyed pioneer-dreamer pre-wwi innocence comes off as a bit naive. but this is a tale of the kind of earnestness in the face of adversity that can only be made manifest in the somewhat naive pioneer spirit.
it's a shame cather never wrote an apocalyptic novel--but in some ways, this is one, and of a uniquely redemptive sort as well.
December 11, 2025
I'd often heard of Willa Cather, but coming of age after teachers' colleges became dominated by New Dealers, I'd never read her. If teachers were going to force boys to read girls' literature, she wasn't it. Perhaps that was good, but she's a lot more accessible than Jane Austen, and reading this book would have given us a better sense of the development of the Great Plains and Midwest than Little House on the Prairie did, and the writing is good. She's like a deeply sane and normal cross between Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Conner.
The recording is excellent, and I was fascinated by the Bohemian names, Czech is my first language and those names didn't sound right, infra, to look them up and even do some light digging. Shabata is NOT a Czech name, as we don't spell that way, but it is a name many Czechs in Iowa go by. I suspect the usual respelling of names at Ellis Island to make Sobota (literally Saturday) supposedly more accessible to Americans by making it more like Shabas, or "Sabbath".
Cather's sensibilities are certainly a lot less modern than readers would expect, decidedly not putting the primacy of life upon self-expression and romantic love, though they are very close. The effect may be disconcerting to modern readers, which is good. Forcing us to re-examine our prejudices from time to time is useful.
The recording is excellent, and I was fascinated by the Bohemian names, Czech is my first language and those names didn't sound right, infra, to look them up and even do some light digging. Shabata is NOT a Czech name, as we don't spell that way, but it is a name many Czechs in Iowa go by. I suspect the usual respelling of names at Ellis Island to make Sobota (literally Saturday) supposedly more accessible to Americans by making it more like Shabas, or "Sabbath".
Cather's sensibilities are certainly a lot less modern than readers would expect, decidedly not putting the primacy of life upon self-expression and romantic love, though they are very close. The effect may be disconcerting to modern readers, which is good. Forcing us to re-examine our prejudices from time to time is useful.
February 5, 2018
#39 in my bookclub AROUND THE YEAR IN 52 BOOKS (a book with a form of punctuation in the title) was “O Pioneers!” by Willa Cather. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by Alexis O’Donahue. On the harsh and wild frontier of the American West, Alexandra Bergson struggles to fulfill her father’s dying wish of establishing his family on the Nebraska table lands. Through hard times and abundant, through love and loss, through joy and suffering, Alexandra challenges both her family and the land in her quiet, honest way. Cather’s realistic depiction of life on the prairie is anchored by a smart, strong, independent heroine and heartachingly beautiful prose which evokes both the melancholy and the awe-inspiring beauty of middle America at the turn of the century. This was a wonderful book; looking forward to watching the movie as well. Excellent…
January 27, 2025
I did not like this book at all. The book was so wordy and had so many unnecessary details which made it hard to read. It may have been a shorter book, but reading it felt like an eternity. Some aspects of the story were interesting, specifically the relationships (Emil and Marie, and Carl and Alexandra), but in my opinion I would have liked to have seen more of their relationships. I also did not like how time moved so fast for a book with so many details. Having said all of that, I recommend this book to absolutely no one. Anyone who reads this will be bored and confused out of their mind. But if you have to read this I recommend finding a very good page with a very good summary to help you better understand this boring and confusing read.
April 14, 2010
This novel was first published in 1913, and details the life in a Swedish family in Nebraska wilderness. The sense of family honor and loyalty, and the attitude of hard work and sacrifice are dominant themes. The main character, Alexandra, is a wonderful main character. When her father dies, Alexandra, runs the farm and makes all the decision. Under Alexandra's watchful eyes, the family prospers. The story instills a sense of pride in knowing that our immigrant ancestors battled the conditions and many times beat the odds. The story is well written and drives home the values that are sadly lacking today.
March 25, 2019
Love this book! I can't wait to discuss it with my friends in a few weeks. I hadn't read this piece since I was in middle school and am glad I got reacquainted with the characters and plot. Cather is a master of narration and description. The Nebraska landscape transports the reader to wonder and admire the plains. This dynamic region is home to generations of Nebraskans who paved the way for the booming agriculture we experience today. Read this book and check out Nebraska for yourself!
August 21, 2014
While I found this to be well written, it seemed a bit simple in terms of plot. The character development was good and there were some great descriptive passages of the land at the turn of the century as pioneers settled the west, and in this case Nebraska. Taken in historical perspective, I can understand the staying power of this writing.
March 9, 2025
This book jumps forward in time too much. I loved the strong female character. Her father believed in her, and she had good sense as well as an excellent vision of the future. She was truly a pioneer for women.
My favorite quote at the end of the book, “We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while.”
My favorite quote at the end of the book, “We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while.”
January 28, 2025
This book was a good quick book based on pioneers. In the book the author talks about woman and there rights, struggles of controlling a farm, and control. The book is about a girl named ALexandera and her family after her father dies she takes over the farm which is unusual for a girl to do.
December 16, 2007
Part of our 11th grade curriculum. A beautiful novel, and quite the "stout sea tale" that Cather was hoping for.
August 3, 2011
Lovely read although not as exciting as My Antonia
January 19, 2015
Wonderful classic and moving. The character and landscapes are wonderfully painted.
March 30, 2015
Cather's characters lives are so real, so mundane and memorable.
December 21, 2024
I found it boring and the vibrovox narrator made it worse
April 27, 2026
Decided to read a classic novel about Pioneers. Very easy read, simple novel of the struggles of Pioneer life.
July 5, 2026
Seemed okay to start with but couldn't bring myself to finish it
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews