My Ántonia (1918) by American author Willa Cather (1873 – 1947), is considered one of her masterpieces in a body of stellar works. My Ántonia is the last book of her “prairie trilogy” of novels, preceded by O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark.

The novel takes place in 19th-century Nebraska and tells the stories of an orphan boy from Virginia, Jim Burden, and the eldest daughter in an immigrant family from Bohemia, Ántonia Shimerda, who were each brought to be pioneers. In the harsh prairie, Ántonia makes friends and improves the condition of the land.

The first year in the prairie leaves lifelong impressions in both children, a theme that’s explored throughout the novel. Cather was highly praised for My Ántonia, bringing the American West to life and making it fascinating to generations of readers.

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