Death Comes for the Archbishop discussion

Not being as adventurous as some, I have chosen a favorite piece of fiction.

Once, while lunching in the dining hall at Hillsdale, I was audience to a conversation my roommate was having with a mentor upperclassman who told us that the cold climates produced the best literary minds. The harsher the better. His case-in-point was Willa Cather. I'm not sure I had ever heard of "O Pioneers" and "My Antonia" before, but my interest was piqued when I heard them held up as some of the finest examples of this (maybe his?) climate theory - in this case how the biting Nebraskan plains had made Cather potentially the best narrator of Place in literature.

In the years since college, Cather has become my kindred-spirit favorite author, occupying that place you might want give to someone who seems too far outside the normal way of things to be lumped into the category that "everyone else" is in. Am I the only person who's like this? :D

So when I get into a reading funk and seem to have lost pleasure in it, my best remedy is to get into her short fiction (which I highly recommend, of course). It has been quite a while since I read this novel. In fact, I remember picking it up for the first time on the Racke couch in Carmel.

I will be interested to see your reactions. And don't feel bashful if you have negative comments; I won't take it personally in spite of all my gushing. I'd also like to hear if you've read Cather before. And Kelsey, this will be interesting to have your perspective on, especially, as I can't personally find experiential familiarity in many of the faith details.

I hope everyone enjoys!