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O Pioneers!
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Plot Summary of O Pioneers!
"The Bergsons are one of the many families who are struggling to settle the prairies of Nebraska. One by one, the neighboring families move away to tamer land, but even when her father dies, Alexandra refuses to leave. She, her mother, and her three brothers stay on the land and farm it. Eventually, their work pays off and the land becomes some of the best in the country. Because of her careful planning and hard work, Alexandra is able to relax and take her leisure.

But she hasn't seen the end of her troubles, because her young neighbor Marie Shabata, who is unhappily married to a man named Frank, falls in love with Alexandra's youngest brother Emil. Alexandra also is surprised when an old friend from her childhood returns to the prairie. Carl Linstrum's family had sold their land when times got tough, but now he has come back to see Alexandra. They decide they want to get married, but Alexandra's brothers, Oscar and Lou, think that Carl is only after Alexandra's money so they run him out of town. While Carl is gone, Emil and Marie get into trouble together with Marie's husband, but Alexandra doesn't seem to realize that anything's going on. By the time she does, it's too late. "

Phoenix Rye, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of O Pioneers!
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - fighting matchbreaker (parents/authorities)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Exploring into the wild Yes
kind of story - colonizing/settling in new area

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - farmer
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality - Eastern European
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
Prairie? Yes

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to O Pioneers!
Treasures of the North by Tracie Peterson
Great Land of Dreams by John Ivor
A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich
Seek a New Dawn by E.V. Thompson
November of the Heart by LaVyrle Spencer


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Willa Cather Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
alisa  

SCHOLARS:
Phoenix Rye  Maureen Smith  John Patrick  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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