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Available
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Series
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Collection
Publication
Penguin Classics (1999), Paperback, 480 pages
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML: This is the second novel in Cather's acclaimed Prairie Trilogy. Ambitious young musician Thea Kronborg courageously leaves behind everything she knows in order to give her artistic career a shot in the big city. Along the way, her talents evolve, and she learns that there is often a steep price to pay for artistic excellence..
User reviews
LibraryThing member jnwelch
[The Song of the Lark] is [Willa Cather]'s third novel, apparently written between [O Pioneers!] and [My Antonia]. It demonstrates the surprising range of her writing beyond the prairies of Nebraska. This one is about a small town Colorado girl, Thea Kronborg, possessed of a compelling musical
Thea grows up in a large household in Moonstone, Colorado, headed by her highly organized and insightful mother. "Mrs. Kronborg's children were all trained to dress themselves at the earliest possible age, to make their own beds - the boys as well as the girls - to take care of their clothes, to eat what was given them, and to keep out of the way. Mrs. Kronborg would have been a good chess-player; she had a head for moves and positions."
But Thea can feel herself being called away from the predictable life waiting for her. "Thea got her music book and stole quietly out of the garden. She did not go home, but wandered off into the sand dunes, where the prickly pear was in blossom and the green lizards were racing each other in the glittering light. She was awakened by a passionate excitement. She did not altogether understand what {music teacher} Wunsch was talking about; and yet, in a way, she knew. She knew, of course, that there was something about her that was different. But it was more like a friendly spirit than like anything that was part of herself. She brought everything to it, and it answered her; happiness consisted of that backward and forward movement of herself."
She can only learn so much in Moonstone, and eventually is sent to study with a music teacher in Chicago. He turns out to be just what this talented, but naive and largely untrained, girl needs. "It was like a wild bird that had flown into his studio on Middleton Street from goodness knew how far! No one knew that it had come, or even that it existed; least of all the strange, crude girl in whose throat beat its passionate wings." How far can she travel on those passionate wings?
The book is divided into three parts. The first, set in Moonstone, will feel familiar to those who have read the more famous Nebraska novels. But Thea is a fish out of water in many ways, strikingly illustrated by an evening she spends in the Mexican part of town, enchanted with music, as she sings with Spanish Johnny and others. Her family, except for her mother, finds it scandalous. Her mother understands her, and essentially asks the others what their problem is.
The last two parts of the book chronicle Thea's learning about her craft and living in the city, as well as her breakthroughs, as she rises in the world of music. She is spiky and not always likeable, but there is no deviation from her integrity, charisma or passion. In another lovely section of the book, a paramour invites her to spend her summer at his ranch in northern Arizona, where she spends nearly all her time exploring Panther Canyon and the ruins of the cave houses and "rock-rooms" of the long gone ancient Cliffdwellers. There her mind empties and the way forward becomes clear.
The book is filled with vibrant, real characters, many of whom try to help her on her way. That she will continue to fight to realize her gift, and the rewards of performance, is never in doubt. "As long as she lived that ecstasy was going to be hers. She would live for it, work for it, die for it; but she was going to have it, time after time, height after height." I'd love to know more about where in Cather's experience this all comes from,; it's a fascinating and rewarding read. We accompany Thea as she struggles to make herself a successful artist and person, to surmount her small town ignorance and limitations, and to attempt to become a big city and international presence. Yet that small town upbringing remains ever in her thoughts, and a guide for her actions. The book title comes from a painting of a girl working in a field that she sees in the Art Institute of Chicago. When she sees it, it simply strikes her as"right". "The flat country, the early morning light, the wet fields, the look in the girl's heavy face - well, they were all hers, anyhow, whatever was there." It's the transformation of that girl, along with what will never be transformed, that makes for such an captivating reading experience.
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gift, and her determination to experience it fully.Thea grows up in a large household in Moonstone, Colorado, headed by her highly organized and insightful mother. "Mrs. Kronborg's children were all trained to dress themselves at the earliest possible age, to make their own beds - the boys as well as the girls - to take care of their clothes, to eat what was given them, and to keep out of the way. Mrs. Kronborg would have been a good chess-player; she had a head for moves and positions."
But Thea can feel herself being called away from the predictable life waiting for her. "Thea got her music book and stole quietly out of the garden. She did not go home, but wandered off into the sand dunes, where the prickly pear was in blossom and the green lizards were racing each other in the glittering light. She was awakened by a passionate excitement. She did not altogether understand what {music teacher} Wunsch was talking about; and yet, in a way, she knew. She knew, of course, that there was something about her that was different. But it was more like a friendly spirit than like anything that was part of herself. She brought everything to it, and it answered her; happiness consisted of that backward and forward movement of herself."
She can only learn so much in Moonstone, and eventually is sent to study with a music teacher in Chicago. He turns out to be just what this talented, but naive and largely untrained, girl needs. "It was like a wild bird that had flown into his studio on Middleton Street from goodness knew how far! No one knew that it had come, or even that it existed; least of all the strange, crude girl in whose throat beat its passionate wings." How far can she travel on those passionate wings?
The book is divided into three parts. The first, set in Moonstone, will feel familiar to those who have read the more famous Nebraska novels. But Thea is a fish out of water in many ways, strikingly illustrated by an evening she spends in the Mexican part of town, enchanted with music, as she sings with Spanish Johnny and others. Her family, except for her mother, finds it scandalous. Her mother understands her, and essentially asks the others what their problem is.
The last two parts of the book chronicle Thea's learning about her craft and living in the city, as well as her breakthroughs, as she rises in the world of music. She is spiky and not always likeable, but there is no deviation from her integrity, charisma or passion. In another lovely section of the book, a paramour invites her to spend her summer at his ranch in northern Arizona, where she spends nearly all her time exploring Panther Canyon and the ruins of the cave houses and "rock-rooms" of the long gone ancient Cliffdwellers. There her mind empties and the way forward becomes clear.
The book is filled with vibrant, real characters, many of whom try to help her on her way. That she will continue to fight to realize her gift, and the rewards of performance, is never in doubt. "As long as she lived that ecstasy was going to be hers. She would live for it, work for it, die for it; but she was going to have it, time after time, height after height." I'd love to know more about where in Cather's experience this all comes from,; it's a fascinating and rewarding read. We accompany Thea as she struggles to make herself a successful artist and person, to surmount her small town ignorance and limitations, and to attempt to become a big city and international presence. Yet that small town upbringing remains ever in her thoughts, and a guide for her actions. The book title comes from a painting of a girl working in a field that she sees in the Art Institute of Chicago. When she sees it, it simply strikes her as"right". "The flat country, the early morning light, the wet fields, the look in the girl's heavy face - well, they were all hers, anyhow, whatever was there." It's the transformation of that girl, along with what will never be transformed, that makes for such an captivating reading experience.
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LibraryThing member AMQS
This is a somewhat autobiographical tale of the development and emergence of a young artist. The Song of the Lark follows Thea Kronborg from her humble childhood in tiny Moonstone, CO, to the height of international operatic glory on the stages of New York and Europe. Thea is a bit of an odd little
Even with those champions, Thea never does belong in Moonstone, and goes to Chicago to study, returning after an impoverished, disappointing winter to bitter jealousies at home the following summer. While dispiriting, her unhappy homecoming helps her steel herself to leave the past behind, and her Chicago time, while discouraging, provides her of a glimpse of herself as an artist. Her Chicago studies with both nurturing and abusive teachers lead her to an acquaintance with the means and the interest to propel Thea forward. From Chicago, Thea spends a transformative, reflective summer among the beautiful and haunting cliff dwellings of the American southwest, and from there Thea travels to New York and then to Europe.
The book has a distinctly different feel and tone in its different sections. The early Moonstone chapters have a similar feel to Ms. Cather's other prairie stories, and the Panther Canyon section has the same kind of reverence and awe for the American southwest Cather conveys so beautifully in Death Comes for the Archbishop. Since I loved those books so well, I was happily absorbed by The Song of the Lark in those locales. The later sections of the novel, set in New York, have an intentionally different tone, and were less accessible to me. Part of this I think was that it was very hard to like Thea as an adult, and I wearied of her careless, self-absorbed dialog, and other characters' worship of so unsympathetic a woman. Still, while Thea rejects Moonstone as a very young woman, near the end of the book she shares tender and beloved memories of her Moonstone childhood with Dr. Archie, which fairly redeemed her in my eyes. The artist had to break free, to look inside, to abandon ties to the past, but was able to reflect in the end, how that little prairie town is a beautiful, essential part of her. While not my favorite novel by Ms. Cather, The Song of the Lark is still a worthy, thought-provoking read.
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girl, a loner even in her large family. Her character makes her something of an outsider in her small town, but she is lucky to have a small group of adults who recognize a certain something about her, who believe in her, and validate that artistic craving, even as no one -- including Thea -- know quite what it is or how to grow it. Among those in Thea's corner is her wise, intuitive mother, who carves out space and time for Thea to practice and to think, and overlooks the drunken shortcomings of Wunsch to recognize a worthy musician to teach her daughter. Wunsch himself sees "it," as does the occasionally vagrant but wonderfully talented and gentle Spanish Johnny, Thea's silly aunt Tillie Kronborg, the steady town physician Dr. Archie, and train conductor Ray Kennedy.Even with those champions, Thea never does belong in Moonstone, and goes to Chicago to study, returning after an impoverished, disappointing winter to bitter jealousies at home the following summer. While dispiriting, her unhappy homecoming helps her steel herself to leave the past behind, and her Chicago time, while discouraging, provides her of a glimpse of herself as an artist. Her Chicago studies with both nurturing and abusive teachers lead her to an acquaintance with the means and the interest to propel Thea forward. From Chicago, Thea spends a transformative, reflective summer among the beautiful and haunting cliff dwellings of the American southwest, and from there Thea travels to New York and then to Europe.
The book has a distinctly different feel and tone in its different sections. The early Moonstone chapters have a similar feel to Ms. Cather's other prairie stories, and the Panther Canyon section has the same kind of reverence and awe for the American southwest Cather conveys so beautifully in Death Comes for the Archbishop. Since I loved those books so well, I was happily absorbed by The Song of the Lark in those locales. The later sections of the novel, set in New York, have an intentionally different tone, and were less accessible to me. Part of this I think was that it was very hard to like Thea as an adult, and I wearied of her careless, self-absorbed dialog, and other characters' worship of so unsympathetic a woman. Still, while Thea rejects Moonstone as a very young woman, near the end of the book she shares tender and beloved memories of her Moonstone childhood with Dr. Archie, which fairly redeemed her in my eyes. The artist had to break free, to look inside, to abandon ties to the past, but was able to reflect in the end, how that little prairie town is a beautiful, essential part of her. While not my favorite novel by Ms. Cather, The Song of the Lark is still a worthy, thought-provoking read.
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LibraryThing member janeajones
I loved this book. I was first introduced to Willa Cather as a teenager when my mother urged me to read My Antonia. Over the years I have randomly picked up other novels by Cather -- Sapphira and the Slave Girl, O Pioneers!, Shadows on the Rock, Obscure Destinies, and the odd short story that has
The Song of the Lark, a kunstlerroman, chronicles the adolescence and growth into artistry of Thea Kronborg, the daughter of a Methodist minister in a small northern Colorado town who becomes a renowned opera diva.
Thea, a middle child in a large Swedish family, seems destined for something larger, even as a young girl. She is noticed by the town doctor, adored by a young railway man, provided with piano lessons by her mother, and driven to hard work and accomplishment by her piano teacher. Eventually she makes her way to Chicago to study piano, and her voice is discovered.
Thea's journey is fascinating, but it is her surroundings (her kith and kin, if you will) that make the book so rich and resonant. Cather captures the life and landscape of growing up in a small Plains town vividly: the relationships among the siblings in a large family, the small town scrutiny of the preacher's daughter, the uneasy relationship between the "American" side and the "Mexican" side of the town, the central role the railroad played in the settling of the West, and most importantly the natural landscape, both of Colorado Plains and later of the Arizona cliff lands.
Cather herself grew up in Red Cloud, Nebraska, in similar circumstances, and much of Thea's childhood draws from Cather's -- down to the description of the prized bedroom which she claimed for herself in her teens. We went to Cather's childhood home in Red Cloud a couple of years ago, and the bedroom remains preserved as it is described in The Song of the Lark.
Cather's characterization of Thea is unsentimental, recognizing the hardness that one must develop in order to achieve great artistry. In many ways, this is an old-fashioned book -- full of wonderful characters and unashamed of its values.
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been anthologized in lit. textbooks. This is my favorite.The Song of the Lark, a kunstlerroman, chronicles the adolescence and growth into artistry of Thea Kronborg, the daughter of a Methodist minister in a small northern Colorado town who becomes a renowned opera diva.
Thea, a middle child in a large Swedish family, seems destined for something larger, even as a young girl. She is noticed by the town doctor, adored by a young railway man, provided with piano lessons by her mother, and driven to hard work and accomplishment by her piano teacher. Eventually she makes her way to Chicago to study piano, and her voice is discovered.
Thea's journey is fascinating, but it is her surroundings (her kith and kin, if you will) that make the book so rich and resonant. Cather captures the life and landscape of growing up in a small Plains town vividly: the relationships among the siblings in a large family, the small town scrutiny of the preacher's daughter, the uneasy relationship between the "American" side and the "Mexican" side of the town, the central role the railroad played in the settling of the West, and most importantly the natural landscape, both of Colorado Plains and later of the Arizona cliff lands.
Cather herself grew up in Red Cloud, Nebraska, in similar circumstances, and much of Thea's childhood draws from Cather's -- down to the description of the prized bedroom which she claimed for herself in her teens. We went to Cather's childhood home in Red Cloud a couple of years ago, and the bedroom remains preserved as it is described in The Song of the Lark.
Cather's characterization of Thea is unsentimental, recognizing the hardness that one must develop in order to achieve great artistry. In many ways, this is an old-fashioned book -- full of wonderful characters and unashamed of its values.
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LibraryThing member Castlelass
Published in 1915, this is a beautifully written novel about the life of Thea Kronberg, a feisty female protagonist who overcomes the social restrictions of the time and eventually makes her mark as an opera singer. It opens in the 1890s, when Thea is eleven years old. She is one of seven children
This book is the second in the Great Plains trilogy (along with O Pioneers! and My Antonia), Willa Cather’s narratives of strong women in the American West, but it can easily be read as a standalone. One of Cather’s strengths is the ability to vividly depict the landscapes of the places Thea visits. It is an early example of relationships in which the men in the story admire the woman for her ambition and talents and help her achieve her goals. It has aged well. I can see why it is considered a classic.
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born to a Scandinavian immigrant family in the small (fictional) town of Moonstone, Colorado. She learns piano and gives lessons. She eventually moves to Chicago to pursue vocal performance education. This book is the second in the Great Plains trilogy (along with O Pioneers! and My Antonia), Willa Cather’s narratives of strong women in the American West, but it can easily be read as a standalone. One of Cather’s strengths is the ability to vividly depict the landscapes of the places Thea visits. It is an early example of relationships in which the men in the story admire the woman for her ambition and talents and help her achieve her goals. It has aged well. I can see why it is considered a classic.
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LibraryThing member hemlokgang
Cather's book is so consistently wonderful. The development of a young girl into an acclaimed opera singer and all the people and experiences along the way combine for a fabulous, sweeping story. From a small town in Colorado, to Chicago, to New York, to Europe and back, the reader journey's
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through the triumphs and losses of this memorable character, Thea Kronberg. There were some moments which made me cry, and others which made me chuckle. Most of all, a bittersweet feeling permeates the book, full of the poignant relationships which keep Thea going on her life journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
The Song of the Lark is the story of Thea Kronborg, a small town Colorado girl with a big dream of developing her natural musical talent into something extraordinary. Thea is fortunate that several of the adults in her life recognize that she has a combination of raw talent and strength of will to
I have mixed feelings about this novel. The first half is outstanding, but the second half is mediocre. As soon as Thea leaves Moonstone for good, the novel seems to lose its bearings. The rest of the novel seems to wander. The dialogue becomes lackluster. Perhaps Cather intended this, though, to illustrate how large a role Moonstone played in Thea's identity. Readers without knowledge or love of music may find it difficult to stick with this book all the way to the end.
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do something great. Her mother, Doctor Archie, piano teacher Professor Wunsch, and her great admirer Ray Kennedy provide nurture and guidance through her adolescent years. When Thea has absorbed all that Moonstone has to offer her, she leaves to study music in first Chicago, then further afield. Although Thea leaves Moonstone behind, it never leaves her.I have mixed feelings about this novel. The first half is outstanding, but the second half is mediocre. As soon as Thea leaves Moonstone for good, the novel seems to lose its bearings. The rest of the novel seems to wander. The dialogue becomes lackluster. Perhaps Cather intended this, though, to illustrate how large a role Moonstone played in Thea's identity. Readers without knowledge or love of music may find it difficult to stick with this book all the way to the end.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Song of the Lark by Willa Cather was an interesting read that had a autobiographical feel to it as the subject matter was about a young girl developing into an artist, in this case a singer, and is set against the backdrop of the American West. I couldn’t help but wonder if the author implanted
Willa Cather writes with great authority and this story details Theas’ determination and strong work ethic as she strives to reach her goals. Originally training to be a piano teacher, when her instructor hears her voice she is told that her voice is worth all that she can put into it. Through the course of the book, Thea learns to put her art first, and although there are setbacks, she eventually finds that her singing is what she gets the most pleasure from.
What made this book come alive for me were the various characters that Thea met along the way, and the author’s descriptive writing that makes the American West come alive on the pages. This was a book that, didn’t entirely sweep me away, but was still a very good read. I did appreciate how the book came full circle with Thea, her friends and even with its’ ending back in Moonstone, Colorado.
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some of her own traits and feelings into Thea as she grew up knowing herself to be different from the rest of her family and the people of the small Western town of Moonstone, Colorado.Willa Cather writes with great authority and this story details Theas’ determination and strong work ethic as she strives to reach her goals. Originally training to be a piano teacher, when her instructor hears her voice she is told that her voice is worth all that she can put into it. Through the course of the book, Thea learns to put her art first, and although there are setbacks, she eventually finds that her singing is what she gets the most pleasure from.
What made this book come alive for me were the various characters that Thea met along the way, and the author’s descriptive writing that makes the American West come alive on the pages. This was a book that, didn’t entirely sweep me away, but was still a very good read. I did appreciate how the book came full circle with Thea, her friends and even with its’ ending back in Moonstone, Colorado.
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LibraryThing member stravinsky
"You can't try to do things right and not despise the people who do them wrong."
The story of a young girl who parties on the Mexican side of town in Colorado and grows up to become a true diva.
If only she saw the look on Spanish Johnny's face at the end...
The story of a young girl who parties on the Mexican side of town in Colorado and grows up to become a true diva.
If only she saw the look on Spanish Johnny's face at the end...
LibraryThing member spoko
After finishing O Pioneers and loving it, I thought I'd pick this up next and read the Prairie Trilogy in order. I won't say I regret doing that, exactly, but there's definitely a reason this book isn't as well known (or as widely praised) as O Pioneers. The show-to-tell ratio in this book is,
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unfortunately, much lower than in its predecessor. Either through her narration or, more tediously still, through her characters, Cather gives voice to a number of philosophical declarations, especially about the nature of being an artist (not to say the nature of art, really). Some are interesting, some are not, but few are very enlivening, and whole sections of the book are mired in these discussions. Apart from that, it's not bad, and there's plenty to like as well. The characters, despite their occasional roles as vessels for Cather's philosophizing, are relatively well fleshed out and interesting. Still, I expect to enjoy the last Prairie novel (My Antonia) more, and I certainly did O Pioneers. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Our title “lark” is Thea Kronborg, a young girl growing up in Colorado in the late 19th century. Even at a young age her musical talent is obvious. She learns how to play the piano and her ability soon out shines the resources available in her tiny hometown. Thea’s story is told in six
We watch as she befriends the community doctor, teaches piano lessons, loses a good friend in an accident, discovers the Mexican community in her town, and more. As she grows up she begins the lifelong battle to find a balance between ambition and family, a desire to succeed and her personal relationships. Her journey is a long one, taking her at times away from her goal or into lonely places to improve her talent.
The message that seems to echo throughout time is that you can have success and glory or you can have a life filled with family and friends. So often the two seem mutually exclusive. The closer Thea got to her dream, the farther she was from the people who loved her most.
When Thea heads to Denver to study music it's a lot like a freshman leaving for college for the first time. They ache for the life they are leaving, but when they return home everything feels different. But in reality she’s the one who has changed, and her experiences are making her see her family in a whole new light. They have completely different in goals and values and she has a hard time reconciling her feelings with this new discovery.
As her priorities shift, she can’t relate to her family in the same way she used to. They have so little in common and a shared childhood can only get you so far. Their intolerance of the Mexican people makes no sense to her and only drives them further apart. I think many people have the same realization when they leave home in those formative years. As you discover more about the world around you and the views of other people, you begin to question the things you took for granted as fact in your youth.
Thea’s talent is both a gift and a curse. Life is almost simpler for those who aren’t endowed with natural abilities that shine so brightly. Less is expected from them and they are able to choose their path with lower expectations.
* This is technically the second novel in the author’s Prairie Trilogy, but each novel works as a standalone.
BOTTOM LINE: Cather’s writing is beautiful and I can’t wait to read more of her work. I didn’t love it quite as much as “O Pioneers!” but Thea’s struggle resonated with me. She learned so much over the years. She had to make difficult decisions about her future. As we grow up we are shaped by our experience and the paths we choose. That still remains true a century after the book was first published.
“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”
“People live through such pain only once. Pain comes again—but it finds a tougher surface.”
“Art is only a way of remembering youth. And the older we grow the more precious it seems to us."
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sections which chronicle her struggle to become an artist. We watch as she befriends the community doctor, teaches piano lessons, loses a good friend in an accident, discovers the Mexican community in her town, and more. As she grows up she begins the lifelong battle to find a balance between ambition and family, a desire to succeed and her personal relationships. Her journey is a long one, taking her at times away from her goal or into lonely places to improve her talent.
The message that seems to echo throughout time is that you can have success and glory or you can have a life filled with family and friends. So often the two seem mutually exclusive. The closer Thea got to her dream, the farther she was from the people who loved her most.
When Thea heads to Denver to study music it's a lot like a freshman leaving for college for the first time. They ache for the life they are leaving, but when they return home everything feels different. But in reality she’s the one who has changed, and her experiences are making her see her family in a whole new light. They have completely different in goals and values and she has a hard time reconciling her feelings with this new discovery.
As her priorities shift, she can’t relate to her family in the same way she used to. They have so little in common and a shared childhood can only get you so far. Their intolerance of the Mexican people makes no sense to her and only drives them further apart. I think many people have the same realization when they leave home in those formative years. As you discover more about the world around you and the views of other people, you begin to question the things you took for granted as fact in your youth.
Thea’s talent is both a gift and a curse. Life is almost simpler for those who aren’t endowed with natural abilities that shine so brightly. Less is expected from them and they are able to choose their path with lower expectations.
* This is technically the second novel in the author’s Prairie Trilogy, but each novel works as a standalone.
BOTTOM LINE: Cather’s writing is beautiful and I can’t wait to read more of her work. I didn’t love it quite as much as “O Pioneers!” but Thea’s struggle resonated with me. She learned so much over the years. She had to make difficult decisions about her future. As we grow up we are shaped by our experience and the paths we choose. That still remains true a century after the book was first published.
“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”
“People live through such pain only once. Pain comes again—but it finds a tougher surface.”
“Art is only a way of remembering youth. And the older we grow the more precious it seems to us."
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LibraryThing member rsairs
Some of the elements are familiar--the misfit child in a backwater who by dint of energy and talent rises to international fame--the changes it puts her through. Is it talent or drive or a unique combination of the two? She gets some breaks, but she seizes and uses them. As her fame rises the old
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town of Moonstone and its characters fade and dissipate, leaving only a few characters to see the whole story. Cather was criticized for the epilogue, but I think it was brilliant. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
1077 The Song of the Lark, by Willa Cather (read 19 Sep 1970) I wasn't going to read any more Cather, but I read her short story, Old Rosicky, and was so moved that I decided to read all her work. This book,
The Song of the Lark, was published in 1915. it is not one of her best, but it had its
The Song of the Lark, was published in 1915. it is not one of her best, but it had its
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moments. It tells the story of Thea Kronberg, of Moonstone, Colo.. A Methodist preacher's daughter, she becomes a great opera singer. It is sort of women's fiction, but better. Yet the theme seems diffused in a way. But I am not sorry I read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member jeffome
Interesting book about the creation of a true artist, in this case, an opera singer. Lots of poignant description of Colorado small-town life during the late 1800's - early 1900's when telegrams and railroads ruled the day. We learn the price of artistry when approached as an all-consuming quest,
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although it is difficult to define what the quest is actually seeking. I enjoyed the setting early in the book, felt a little burdened by the constant philosophizing about perfecting ones 'art,' and felt completely over my head with all of the specific operatic references and the German song lyrics that peppered the entire book. Never really liked the main character all that much, although that was likely the point. All in all, a very mixed bag yielding my 3 stars. Interesting edition utilizing the original 1915 text, which had different uses of contractions that i had been otherwise unfamiliar with. Ok, but not great for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member saravan
A classic of course. A lovely glimpse of life in “Moonstone,” a small town in Colorado around the beginning of the twentieth century. Since most reviewers have emphasized the artistic, operatic themes of the book, I’d like to mention her sense of place and background. Thea, the singer,
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develops an international career and leaves behind the conservative attitudes of her childhood. She becomes sophisticated, hardened, practical, and she is a wonderful character. Yet what I most enjoyed is that at the height of her career she finds comfort in remembering the home of her childhood, her family, and in the steadfast support from her old friend Dr. Archie. She braces herself against these memories and values. As she says to Dr. Archie, “…I always measure high buildings by that Moonstone standpipe. There are standards we can’t get away from.” Show Less
LibraryThing member dhogue
I love Cather and this book is very good, it just seems less unified than some of her other books. Also, I found the ending unsatisfying. I thought she was trying perhaps a bit too hard to weave in her philosophy of art.
LibraryThing member mahallett
Cather is an interesting storyteller. This story leaves you wondering what else will happen.
LibraryThing member juliette07
Ranging from Arizona cliff dwellers, Moonstone to Chicago, New York and beyond this book tells of Thea Kronborg’s voyage of discovery. She was destined to become a Wagnerian soprano and the book chronicles that journey and the characters she encounters en route. The relationship between herself
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and the places she travels are described and reflected upon, her work, her being and the places she inhabits are inextricably intertwined. With a forward by A.S. Byatt this Virago edition of 1982 was originally pared down in 1932 by Cather herself. Apparently it was originally two hundred thousand words long but she cut it savagely by about ten percent. The writing is often moving and at times rhapsodic (to quote Byatt). A delight to read, this rags to riches journey of self discovery also related to the artistic ambitions and self discovery of the author herself. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmbohn
Not my favorite of Cather's books, but I did enjoy this one. My favorite part was the beginning when Thea is still at home and the whole world is new. Some great characters, but it was very slow.
LibraryThing member etxgardener
This was certainly a dating book for 1915. Thea Kronberg is a minister’s daughter in a small, provincial Colorado town who has talents and dreams that her hometown cannot fulfill. With the help of Dr. ARchie a local doctor who acts as her mentor and Ray, a railway worker who is in love with her,
Once there, her teacher, Mr. Harsanyis, tell her that her real talent is not the piano, but her voice and that she should pursue a career as an opera singer. Through Harsanyis, Thea meets Fred Ottenberg the heir to a t. Louis beer family, who further encourages her efforts. When Thea becomes ill, Fred tells her to spend the summer in Arizona with fiends of his, the Bitmers. Thea learns to love the high desert and the ancient cliff dwellings. When Fred joins her in July, and after the two of them are trapped in a storm, they realize their feeling for one another. Fred then suggests that they go to Mexico City before she leaves for further vocal training in Germany.
In Mexico Fred confesses to Thea that he has been married for 8 years, but has been living apart from his estranged wife. Thea says she understands, but since he’s married she cannot continue their relationship or take any financial help from him for her studies. She writes to Dr. Archie who finances both her passage across the Atlantic and her studies in Germany.
The scene then shifts to ten years later both Fred & Dr. Archie are in New York to hear Thea perform. She is rising star singing Wagner. When she performs Sieglinde she proves that their trust in her and all her hard work have paid off. Thea has followed her talent and established a successful and independent life for herself and found happiness and contentment.
This book was ahead of its time and can be an excellent roadmap for young women today.
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she heads to Chicago to pursue a musical career as a pianist.Once there, her teacher, Mr. Harsanyis, tell her that her real talent is not the piano, but her voice and that she should pursue a career as an opera singer. Through Harsanyis, Thea meets Fred Ottenberg the heir to a t. Louis beer family, who further encourages her efforts. When Thea becomes ill, Fred tells her to spend the summer in Arizona with fiends of his, the Bitmers. Thea learns to love the high desert and the ancient cliff dwellings. When Fred joins her in July, and after the two of them are trapped in a storm, they realize their feeling for one another. Fred then suggests that they go to Mexico City before she leaves for further vocal training in Germany.
In Mexico Fred confesses to Thea that he has been married for 8 years, but has been living apart from his estranged wife. Thea says she understands, but since he’s married she cannot continue their relationship or take any financial help from him for her studies. She writes to Dr. Archie who finances both her passage across the Atlantic and her studies in Germany.
The scene then shifts to ten years later both Fred & Dr. Archie are in New York to hear Thea perform. She is rising star singing Wagner. When she performs Sieglinde she proves that their trust in her and all her hard work have paid off. Thea has followed her talent and established a successful and independent life for herself and found happiness and contentment.
This book was ahead of its time and can be an excellent roadmap for young women today.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Zumbanista
I was disappointed in this second of Willa Cather's Prairie Trilogy. While the writing is very good, I disliked Thea, the main character. There is a richness in the description of life in Colorado and New York during those times and the characters are very well drawn. The story takes a fairly long
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time to unfold and I sometimes found my attention wandering and decided the story itself just didn't grip me as much as it might have. I will go on to read the third and final book in the series, My Antonia. Show Less
LibraryThing member auntmarge64
What a disappointment this book was. I've loved just about all the Cather I've read, even minor works, but this seemed endless, and after about 80% I realized I just didn't care what happened to the characters and so quit.
LibraryThing member TMullins
Loved the beginning. Thea's growing up in Colorado and the adults who helped her along the way. I loved the section on Thea's time in Arizona. It was beautifully written and made me long to be in those canyons and cliff dwellings. The ending bored me. I felt I needed to know German or more about
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opera. Show Less
LibraryThing member japaul22
[The Song of the Lark] is about a young woman, Thea Kronberg, growing up in the West who is a talented musician with dreams of success. She'll have to leave her town of Moonstone to be in the spotlight. She moves to Chicago and ultimately to Europe, but is still drawn to the beauty of the American
I enjoyed this. I thought that Cather did a really good job exploring what it's like to learn a craft like being a successful professional musician. I found it much more realistic than other books I've read on this subject. I also liked that it wasn't overdramatic - this isn't a [[Thomas Hardy]] novel where everyone fails and/or dies. There's some sadness and nostalgia and typical life questions about whether chosen paths were really the best. But in the end, Cather does what I think is harder to write - creates a character with great depth and subtlety.
I don't think this novel stands out for me as much as [My Antonia] or [O, Pioneers], but I would recommend if you enjoy Cather and haven't read this yet.
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West. The book is a portrait of an ambitious artist and the ups and downs of that sort of life. I enjoyed this. I thought that Cather did a really good job exploring what it's like to learn a craft like being a successful professional musician. I found it much more realistic than other books I've read on this subject. I also liked that it wasn't overdramatic - this isn't a [[Thomas Hardy]] novel where everyone fails and/or dies. There's some sadness and nostalgia and typical life questions about whether chosen paths were really the best. But in the end, Cather does what I think is harder to write - creates a character with great depth and subtlety.
I don't think this novel stands out for me as much as [My Antonia] or [O, Pioneers], but I would recommend if you enjoy Cather and haven't read this yet.
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LibraryThing member DrFuriosa
New lady crush: activated. Cather has written a beautifully compelling Kunstlerroman (coming of age of the artist, in layman's terms) that is also deeply unsentimental and blunt. I cannot recommend it enough.
LibraryThing member KatherineGregg
The Song of the Lark is the story of the making of an artist. Thea Kronborg is transformed from a minister's daughter living in a small Colorado town to a world renowned opera singer. Cather's protagonists tend to be strong, industrious women and Thea is no exception. Once Thea recognizes that her
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voice (not her piano playing) is a gift and that she has the stuff that artists are made of, there is no stopping her. Thea is fortunate to have the support of several good men in her life (Ray, Dr. Archie and Frank) who encourage her and provide her with the means to pursue her dream. I did not like this book as well as O Pioneers or My Antonia but I still enjoyed it. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1915
Physical description
480 p.; 7.78 inches
ISBN
0141181044 / 9780141181042