My Antonia

By: Willa Cather

Narrated by: Jeff Cummings, Ken Burns (introduction)

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Widely recognized as Willa Cather's finest book and one of the outstanding novels of American literature, My Antonia details of the life of early American pioneers in Nebraska.

Through Jim Burden's endearing, smitten voice, we revisit the remarkable vicissitudes of immigrant life in the Nebraska heartland, with all its insistent bonds. Guiding the way are some of literature's most beguiling characters: the Russian brothers plagued by memories of a fateful sleigh ride, Antonia's desperately homesick father and self-indulgent mother, and the coy Lena Lingard. Holding the pastoral society's heart, of course, is the bewitching, free-spirited Antonia.

Infused with a gracious passion for the land, My Antonia is a deeply moving portrait of an entire community and its way of life.

Bonus: In partnership with Audible and Playtone, the television and film producer behind the award-winning series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, this audiobook includes an original introduction, written and read by acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns. For more from Audible and Playtone, click here.

©2012 Willa Cather

Critic reviews

"No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as My Antonia." (H. L. Mencken)

Masterpiece -written over 100 years ago

Incredible how must life has changed yet similarities exist strongly. Loved this. This book painted a picture of the past with exquisite depth. Thank you.

Awesome

This book is wonderful in so many ways. The writing is stellar - it is really great literature. The story is fascinating, the characters are skillfully drawn and the atmosphere was magical to me. The narration is excellent. It is a book everyone should read and enjoy.

Probably great in 1918

A pleasant story … I kept wondering when something was going to happen; sorry, it doesn’t hold up well in 2022

Excellent!

I love this book as well as Death Comes for the Archbishop. I will read everything written by Willa Cather.

A well written, occasionally sappy, memoir

I enjoyed this book, although I'd call it a memoir rather than a novel. I say that because it doesn't have much dramatic structure, and it consists in a series of remembrances. The characters portrayed are lively; the detailed account of how life was for children Nebraska around the beginning of the twentieth century is interesting. Cather can certainly bring a world to life in pose. My one criticism was that I found it sometimes a bit sappy. Yes, some bad things happen to people; there is poverty, depression, suicide and unwanted pregnancy. But the constant nostalgia--of the Bohemians for their old country and of the narrator for his childhood--can grow wearing. The narration is very good.

A Plotless Memoire

It is a very simple book, well written, but very boring. The the main character, Jim Burden, began the story by leading me towards high expectations of events to come, however, the climax of the story never happened. It's basically like reading someone's journal and I found it often disjointed.

Good book if you are only interested about learning about life growing up in poor Nebraska. Other than that, I was disappointed in it.

The narrator, Jeff Cummings, however, read the story well.

Skillful writing, but weak story

The author is clearly skilled at composing vivid descriptions. However, she wrote with an impersonal style that reminded me of an evolved King James English. All characters seemed guarded about revealing their true feelings. Some of this I would attribute to the Midwest influence, which I found while living in that part of the U.S., but I wonder if this very skillful writer could've done better by writing as a female instead of a male.

Another disappointment, with the whole experience leaving me a little flat, was the lack of an engaging story. The whole book was just a series of character developments with scarcely any plot.

The audio performance was good. There were no distracting audio quality problems and the narrator did his best to keep it engaging. I would not hesitate to listen other books by the same narrator.

Classic story well narrated

My Antonia is a classic American story that brings to life the old west in a way few other books do, Willa Cather's greatest work, just buy it, you won't regret it.

“AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

A Book For All Ages.

My Antonia is perfect. It stays in ones memory as vivid as art, as nature itself and as beloved as childhood with all of the music and scents. It touches all of the senses and continues to reach out and gather one in again. I am now elderly and have just listened to My Antonia on audible again and remembering the magic of my first reading. It is a book for all ages and all people.

Delightful, but one sided

The story was intetesting, but lost interest half way through. I think the book version would be better. In my opinion, the audio book was over rated.