esprit7

this is a beautiful book. 88 pages long, 1896. willa cather apparently named this book along with the scarlet letter and the adventures of huckleberry finn as the three soon-to-be-eternal cornerstones of american lit. can't help but notice moby-dick isn't on that short list, which is weird, because while reading this i just kept thinking "wow, this is sort of like moby-dick on land minus all the story and adventure." which i'm not really sure what that means, but hey... this is a great book. it's basically a study of isolation. people who live in isolation either because they want to or simply because living in isolation is what life is all about. and the sorrows and heartaches and joys and consolations entailed in all that. it's one of those small books that seem to swell in your mind as and after you read them. great characters, images, moments. it falters a little before the end, but ends so strong, all's forgiven. i miss mrs. todd, i wish we could go back. but we can't. the boat's left. moving on. our days of writing at the desk in the rented schoolhouse are over.

2023-06-29 02:21