The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather was originally published in 1915. Cather's books are often sad and this one has sad parts, it's also a story about hard work, perseverance, and the willingness to sacrifice for one's art.

Thea is the star of this book, and it covers her life from childhood into middle age. She is the daughter of a Swedish minister. Her mother wants her to grow up to be a music/piano teacher because she feels Thea has a gift for it.

Cather paints pictures of the time period and the characters are well developed. Thea isn't always likable, but she is always relatable. This book is more of a saga as the reader learns what it will take for Thea to develop her talent.

This book is book 2 of her Great Plains Trilogy, but it stands well on its own, and you don't need to read any other book to understand this one.

I enjoy Cather's work because she writes well, she is good at creating characters that feel real, and she makes me care about her characters.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you.