Title: The Song of the Lark
Author: Willa Cather
Pages: 417
Finished: February 13, 2018
First Sentence: Dr. Howard Archie had just come up from a game of pool with the Jewish clothier and two traveling men who happened to be staying overnight in Moonstone.
Summary: Thea, an accomplished musician, grows up in the small town of Moonstone. When a childhood friend dies and leaves her some money, she goes to Chicago to study piano. There she discovers her voice and decides to pursue the career of an opera singer.
Thoughts: Guys, I really thought I was going to like this one. I was so excited for it! I've been playing piano for 25 years. I sing (thought not operatically). I studied music in school. And it was... lackluster. I guess I thought I'd really relate to Thea. I didn't. I really liked her in the beginning when she realized she was good and she was trying to get there. I also really liked how she spent time with those who were different from her, though it wasn't really out of goodheartedness. But as she got older, I just found her more and more obnoxious.
I did think it was interesting how all her friends were men. There's a bit of Scarlet O'Hara in her. And I will admit, I was really pleased for her at the end when she ended up being very successful! Go Thea.
I wish her name had been something else. I can't tell you the number of times my brain either dropped the 'a' in her name or changed it to "there." So many confusing sentences that I had to reread. I'm sure that's primarily because it's a name we just don't see anymore.
I wish I had more to say about this book, but I'm fairly apathetic about the whole thing. Read for Back to the Classics Challenge.
I did think it was interesting how all her friends were men. There's a bit of Scarlet O'Hara in her. And I will admit, I was really pleased for her at the end when she ended up being very successful! Go Thea.
I wish her name had been something else. I can't tell you the number of times my brain either dropped the 'a' in her name or changed it to "there." So many confusing sentences that I had to reread. I'm sure that's primarily because it's a name we just don't see anymore.
I wish I had more to say about this book, but I'm fairly apathetic about the whole thing. Read for Back to the Classics Challenge.
Not my favorite Cather either! I most liked the parts when Thea was at home in Colorado. She became a bit of a diva and I didn't really like her very much. But you might like Lucy Gayheart which is also about a musician, but a much more likable character (and a much shorter book).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the rec. I'll be sure to check it out at some point!
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