The Song of the LarkIn this powerful portrait of the self-making of an artist, Willa Cather created one of her most extraordinary heroines. Thea Kronborg, a minister's daughter in a provincial Colorado town, seems destined from childhood for a place in the wider world. But as her path to the world stage leads her ever farther from the humble town she can't forget and from the man she can't afford to love, Thea learns that her exceptional musical talent and fierce ambition are not enough. It is in the solitude of a tiny rock chamber high in the side of an Arizona cliff--"a cleft in the heart of the world"--that Thea comes face to face with her own dreams and desires, stripped clean by the haunting purity of the ruined cliff dwellings and inspired by the whisperings of their ancient dust. Here she finds the courage to seize her future and to use her gifts to catch "the shining, elusive element that is life itself--life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose." In prose as shimmering and piercingly true as the light in a desert canyon, Cather takes us into the heart of a woman coming to know her deepest self. |
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afternoon Alexander's Bridge Andor Anna Ántonia Archie's asked beautiful began better Bowers boys cañon chafing-dish chair Chicago church Cliff-Dweller coat colour cottonwood Denver Doctor Archie door dress eyes face father feel felt fingers Fred friends Fritz gave Giddy girl glanced guess hair hand hard Harsanyi head hear heard keep knew Kohler Kron Landry laughed lessons light live Lohengrin mandolin marry Mexican mind Miss Kronborg Moonstone morning mother Nathanmeyer never night once Ottenburg piano play pretty pupils Ray Kennedy rose sang seemed shook shoulders sing smiled song soprano Spanish Johnny spoke stood talk tell Tellamantez Thea Kronborg Thea looked Thea sat Thea's things Thor thought Tillie tired to-night told took town turned voice walked watched Willa Cather window woman women Wunsch yellow young