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My Antonia
- Letto da: Jeff Cummings, Ken Burns (introduction)
- Durata: 7 ore e 22 min
- Versione integrale
- Data di pubblicazione: 02 05 2007
- Lingua: Inglese
- Editore: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Sintesi dell'editore
Widely recognized as Willa Cather's finest book and one of the outstanding novels of American literature, My Antonia details of the life of early American pioneers in Nebraska.
Through Jim Burden's endearing, smitten voice, we revisit the remarkable vicissitudes of immigrant life in the Nebraska heartland, with all its insistent bonds. Guiding the way are some of literature's most beguiling characters: the Russian brothers plagued by memories of a fateful sleigh ride, Antonia's desperately homesick father and self-indulgent mother, and the coy Lena Lingard. Holding the pastoral society's heart, of course, is the bewitching, free-spirited Antonia.
Infused with a gracious passion for the land, My Antonia is a deeply moving portrait of an entire community and its way of life.
Altri titoli dello stesso
Cosa ne pensano gli iscritti
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Totali5 out of 5 stars
- Western Canada
- 19 04 2008
applause for a classic
This is a must read/listen for anyone interested in pioneers of the Great Plains area of Canada and the US. Cather's descriptions are extremely well-written giving a great sense of place without excess wordiness. Her characters as well are developed through their deeds, actions and words without volumes of text to support them.As a result, the characters become 'real' humans, filled with loyalites,contradictions and dilemmas of everyday life. Finally, this book recalls a time when the influence of a natural landscape was most profound. Fans of prairie and pioneer history will truly enjoy this classic.
40 su 41 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia4 out of 5 stars
- Sher from Provo
- 31 03 2014
Good book
"My Antonia" (emphasis on the "i") has been on my "to-read" list for a very long time. Oddly, I ended up with three versions of this book: Physical book, Kindle edition, and audio. I read all of them simultaneously. (I love doing that!) It is beautifully written by the great Willa Cather, and I understand it is very much autobiographical. Basically, it is the story of the Great Melting Pot, how foreign born families immigrated to the United States, specifically the Great Plains, and did their best to fit in, make a living, and give their children an opportunity that could not be had anywhere else in the world. It was not an easy life. These families left everything they knew, even their native languages, to come to the great unknown, with the promise of a better life. My own great-grandparents left Denmark in the late 1800s, in a similar time frame and reason as the people in this book, and brought their three young sons with them, boys who would never know their native land, or ever see it again. That takes guts, and these were gutsy people. Antonia was a strong, smart girl who grew up to raise a big family in the best way she knew how. I admire her.
With all this said, it is not the most compelling book I have ever read. Yes, I cared about the characters, and was involved with their lives, but it is not a serious page turner. It is an easy read, and may be best read by a young adult. In my opinion, it is a good book, and has many elements that make it very worthwhile reading. I just don't think I would categorize it as great. The narrator of the audio book was good, but not great either. He was easy to listen to and did a good job of reading it, but I was always conscious of his reading. He didn't suck me into the story the way a really great narrator can.
Bottom line: I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about pioneers, and how our country became "e pluribus unum."
85 su 90 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali3 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia2 out of 5 stars
- tlcesq
- 22 11 2016
Sorry. I don't get the hype
I really wanted to like this book. Truly. But it just didn't do it for me. The story seemed flat. At times it seemed to come from a disinterested third party instead of through the eyes of Jim.
11 su 11 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali5 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione5 out of 5 stars
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Storia4 out of 5 stars
- Swierczewski
- 12 04 2011
Uplifting In So Many Ways
This story would be an absolute pleasure to read in the pages of a book and having the narration that it did only enhanced my infatuation with it. It's the language of Cather's, that masters the landscape and captures the essence of those people closest to Jim, that lets the narrator effortlessly tell this story and the listener feel like he's the one looking back.
22 su 23 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali5 out of 5 stars
- Kevin
- 11 05 2008
A Wonderful Book
My Antonia was a wonderful book, one of the best I have ever heard or read. The narrator for this audible book is outstanding, bringing the characters to life, speaking as they would speak. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
45 su 48 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali5 out of 5 stars
- Tammy
- 09 11 2007
Enthralling!!
Excellent description and step back in time. You felt like you were right there. It is refreshing to read a historical novel without all the depressing blood and guts and suspense of the modern books.
38 su 41 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia3 out of 5 stars
- Emrys
- 21 11 2011
A well written, occasionally sappy, memoir
I enjoyed this book, although I'd call it a memoir rather than a novel. I say that because it doesn't have much dramatic structure, and it consists in a series of remembrances. The characters portrayed are lively; the detailed account of how life was for children Nebraska around the beginning of the twentieth century is interesting. Cather can certainly bring a world to life in pose. My one criticism was that I found it sometimes a bit sappy. Yes, some bad things happen to people; there is poverty, depression, suicide and unwanted pregnancy. But the constant nostalgia--of the Bohemians for their old country and of the narrator for his childhood--can grow wearing. The narration is very good.
22 su 24 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia4 out of 5 stars
- Tracy L. Walters
- 29 08 2012
Antonia.....what a beautiful name.....
Antonia.....what a beautiful name.....and what a lovely and wonderful character for this dear little book. I just adored Antonia and how lively and bright she was throughout the entire book. Although she suffered great and grand hardships along the way of life....she never let her stop from seeing the 'silver lining' in every piece of her life. She was a beautiful girl who grew into a battered old woman by the end of the book but because of her beautiful soul.....she still continued to shine and give so much to those around her. Antonia's own children were just darling and they loved and adored her so much. They were always by her side and often begged her to tell them stories of her life as a young girl and woman.
Jim was her best friend from the time they met as young children through adulthood and even though they had been separated by years of being in different places in their lives......they found that when they met again.....they had never stopped loving each other and would always be best friends.
This is a sweet little book that gives you a glimpse into the lives of immigrant pioneers and the difficult times they had in trying to live in a world that was so different from their homelands...and Antonia is the center of this world and she brings all the people around her together to enjoy her love of life and desire to succeed. I had the best time reading this book and am so glad I just happened to find it by accident.
13 su 14 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali3 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia2 out of 5 stars
- Lady Pamela
- 08 12 2014
zzzzzzz
A Cather classic...but, I kept waiting for some excitement and all that I got was cows growing and lowing. The story of a turn of the (20th) century Nebraska family scratching out a living on the prairie. Also, it traces an extremely resilient girl who grows to womanhood as farm wife and whelps out ten children. To the author's credit, the characters are well developed and I felt that I knew each by the time the story was finis. I kept waiting for Jim and Antonia to run away and live happily ever after; sadly, nothing happened.zzzzz
5 su 5 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
- cbhiggins
- 17 12 2008
Great Narration!
This narration was excellent. The accents of the characters were right on and made the whole story come to life. A great easy-going read.
15 su 17 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali3 out of 5 stars
- Mirium
- 18 07 2009
Sweet, but vaguely disappointing
This was a very sweet book - wonderfully evocative of a time and place, but ultimately I found it unsatisfactory. I kept expecting there to be some sort of plot, but it was just a (beautifully-described) series of events. At the end it just seemed to tail off into nothing......
4 su 4 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali5 out of 5 stars
- Helena
- Stroud, United Kingdom
- 09 02 2008
Pioneering life, love and loss on the prairie
As I am unfamiliar with pioneering history and American literature in general, I was not sure if I'd like this; but the love of the land shone through from the beginning and had me hooked immediately. The author's knowledge of Nebraska and her changing seasons is as deep as Thomas Hardy's feeling for his native Wessex. The separate but intermingled tales of the immigrant families and their unequal struggle to settle the land; their later drift away from the land towards town; their homesickness; the struggle of the girls, whose work is never finished and who must yet not be seen to enjoy themselves, all conjure up an exquisite picture of small-town Nebraska and its social mores.
The narration jarred at first, the pace seeming a little fast, but I soon adjusted. I have listened to this book for a little over a week, and on finishing it feel saddened, as if waving goodbye to an old friend.
My own comparison of this work with Thomas Hardy's novels had made we wonder if this too would have a tragic ending. I'm pleased to observe that Cather's charcters were not similarly fated: hope survives, interspersed with tragedies great and small. All in all, a true classic, engaging as it does with the broad themes of journeying and returning; of the roles of love, memory, and landscape. Highly recommended.
3 su 3 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali5 out of 5 stars
- Joanne
- Brighton, United Kingdom
- 29 01 2011
Excellent
This it the best audiobook I've ever listened to. Not only is My Antonia beautifully written and full of memorable characters, but the narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the novel to life. He reads at just the right speed (brisk, but not in a rush) and his accents are wonderful. Each time I pressed play I found myself listening for much longer than I'd intended because the plot and storytelling captivated me. Highly recommended.
2 su 2 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia4 out of 5 stars
- Lorna
- 05 08 2015
Wonderful description of pioneer struggles.
A very moving story. The innocence of the characters and the powerful descriptions of the landscape are a loving combination. The narration is excellent but the x1 speed sounds as if it has been speeded up slightly. A slower pace would have suited the narrative voice better.
1 su 1 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
- Kim B.
- 26 07 2011
A charming book!
I really enjoyed this lovely book and have no hesitation in recommending it! The beautiful descriptions of the Nebraska scenery, the characters, their personalities, were all brought very much to life by the excellent narration.
1 su 1 utenti hanno ritenuto utile questa recensione
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Totali4 out of 5 stars
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Interpretazione4 out of 5 stars
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Storia4 out of 5 stars
- louise
- 17 09 2016
wonderful
Wonderfully evocative first hand account of the first settlers in Nebraska. I loved this book.