'She is undoubtedly one of the twentieth century's greatest American writers' OBSERVER

'Her finest novel . . . A masterpiece' IRISH TIMES

'The vivacious Marian Forrester stands as a romantic paean to the pioneer's reckless abandon, counterpointed by the narrator's prim decency' THE TIMES

Marian Forrester brings delight to her husband, an elderly railroad pioneer; to the small town of Sweet Water where they live; and to Niel Herbert, the young narrator of her story who falls in love with her as a boy and later becomes her confidant. He witnesses this vibrant woman in all her contradictory facets: by turns faithless and steadfast, dazzling and pathetic, invincibly charming yet dangerously vulnerable to the men she charms. All are bewitched by her charisma and grace - and all are ultimately betrayed.

Willa Cather's most perfect novel is not only a portrait of a troubling beauty, but also a haunting evocation of a noble age slipping irrevocably into the past.

A portrait of a woman who reflects the conventions of her age even as she defies them and whose transformations embody the decline and coarsening of the American frontier.

About the Author
Born in 1873 to a family who had farmed in Virginia for generations, Willa Cather moved to her father's new ranch in Nebraska when she was eight. The raw frontier territories and the pioneer life of the Old West were to awaken her imagination and furnish the atmosphere for much of her later work. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, Willa Cather became a teacher and a journalist. In 1912 she abandoned journalism to write full time. Her first novel was Alexander's Bridge (1912) though she had already published a volume of poems and another of short stories. Her vivid novels cover a wide range: there are impassioned and thoughtful explorations of the ancient worlds of the Americas in The Professor's House (1925) and Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) as well as sympathetic portrayals of conflicting values, or of the demands of art. These, along with her evocations of the pioneering West, soon established her reputation as one of America's foremost writers. Willa Cather died in New York in 1947.

Reviews
She is undoubtedly one of the twentieth century's greatest American writers * Observer *
A poised and perfectly shaped novel * Daily Mail *
Willa Cather makes a world which is burningly alive, sometimes lovely, often tragic -- Helen Dunmore
Her finest novel . . . A masterpiece * Irish Times *
This classic has the striking economy of Hemingway, and is as poignant an elegy for the pioneer West as I have read. The vivacious Marian Forrester stands as a romantic paean to the pioneer's reckless abandon, counterpointed by the narrator's prim decency * The Times *
She is undoubtedly one of the twentieth century's greatest American writers * OBSERVER *
Willa Cather makes a world which is burningly alive, sometimes lovely, often tragic * HELEN DUNMORE *
A poised and perfectly shaped novel * DAILY MAIL *
Her finest novel . . . A masterpiece * IRISH TIMES *



Book Information
ISBN 9781844083732
Author Willa Cather
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Virago Press Ltd
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 161g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 16mm