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jedore's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“Well, then, my philosophy is that what you think of and plan for day by day, in spite of yourself, so to speak —you will get. You will get it more or less. That is, unless you are one of those people who get nothing in this world. I have lived too much in mining works and construction camps not to know that.”
What a strange little book. Another one I added to my list over 20 years ago…I’m pretty sure just because I had watched a Willa Cather movie and wanted more of her.
On the surface, this would seem to be a story I would have wanted to read about a strong woman in a time where it was extremely challenging to be strong. Nope. In fact, the center of the story, the wife of a railroad engineer, was quite annoying and unlikeable. And, the story wasn’t even told from her perspective, but from that of a young man who admires her while growing up. (And he becomes as disgusted with her as I did.)
The characters weren’t developed enough for this story to really get meaty and interesting, either from a historical or emotional perspective. And, it’s not really an older classic that stands the test of time as much as others. There are so many others that do out there that I would hesitate to recommend this one to anyone other than those particularly interested in the railroad expansion throughout the U.S., and even then I would caution them that this aspect of the story is pretty glossed over.
This is one of those books that might be better appreciated if discussed in detail by a lit professor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Death and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty and Racial slurs