slampie's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I was told this is not well known but really good one of Cather's. It is deceptively simple, but with layers of insight about class, gender, generations, and settler ideology at the TOTC. A quick and reflective read. Beautifully written.
jordan21's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Very dry, slow-moving novel about a young man’s fascination with a woman that turns out to be idealized. Like My Antonia and O Pioneers!, Cather’s main character is a strong-willed woman who is victim to an irresponsible, boring husband. I wanted to enjoy this book, but it lacked suspense and tension.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
blakehalsey's review against another edition
4.0
A great short work by Cather, full of her usual lyricism and poise.
allisontitus's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ereaders's review
2.0
Read for school. Overall it was pretty boring, although the last 40 pages were interesting.
angelikarenee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
justinsdrown's review
5.0
Don’t judge Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady by its cover. The novel is a short 148-page trek through the decline of the American Western Frontier. It’s packed with violence, subtle drama, and death. Be warned. In the first 15(!) pages Willa Cather writes a realistic sequence of animal mutilation that made me squirm.
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
4.0
I love how so many of Cather's novels are a male narrator revering a woman with so much wistfulness. This novel's leading lady doesn't come close to the lovable, proud Antonia of My Antonia, however. A Lost Lady is a study of a dynamic between an ambitious, solemn young man adoring from both near and a far an aristocratic society woman, whose pathetic collapse mirrors the fall of their town's economy and future. Mrs. Forrester's downfall is comparable to that of Madame Bovary, only slightly more dignified and self-possessed of a woman.