Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather (The Willa Cather Project).

Alexander's Bridge was Cather's first published novel, debuting in 1912, one year before O Pioneers! I knew that this one wasn't part of the "pioneer" series, so I was curious what early Cather would look like.

The novel is about Bartley Alexander, a world renowned bridge builder and his wife. The Alexanders live a wonderful life in America, supported by the success of Bartley and his constructions. And while Bartley has been successful and his wife supportive, he still finds the need to engage in an affair with Hilda, his old flame who lives in London.

As he continues to live his life, its obvious that Bartley has struggled to keep tabs on exactly who he is and what he wants from life. In conversations with his wife, it becomes apparent that Bartley has become a man of inaction. That seems surprising. I'm sure that anyone who is successful at their craft will vouch for the fact that they had to take action and make decisions to get to that level of success. Bartley, at the point in which the reader meets him, doesn't take action. He goes with the flow-he allows his wife to dictate their home life, he agrees to poor materials being used for his new construction. He doesn't make an effort.

This is where Cather's whole metaphor comes into play and the title of the novella. Hilda and Bartley's affair in London is his bridge to the past and his decisions to take action. To make something of himself and change his fortune. His relationship with his wife is the bridge to the man he has become. A man of inaction and poor decision. Then, of course, there is the bridge itself. The bridge is a product of who Bartley has become-a man of weak constitution, a man impacted by the elements around him, and a man who is ready to crumble at any moment.

So of course there is the ultimate climax where Bartley is tested as a man and the results of these bridges and their connections to Bartley come to a head.

And while I loved the concept of this, I didn't love the end result. I actually found the book to be too short and too obvious. It was clear after only the first 20 pages what the end result would be, and what kind of a man Bartley would turn out to be. But, I also found that Bartley wasn't developed enough. I didn't care enough about him to worry about his decisions, or to wonder why he changed to being a man of inaction and poor decision making. And the bridge metaphor? It was just...obvious.

After reading some other reviews online and insights from the Willa Cather archives, it's clear that this novel was more plot driven than character driven. From my own experiences with two of Cather's other novels (My Antonia and O Pioneers!), Cather eventually shifts more attention to her characters, and personally, I find that to be more successful. And, generally speaking, I love character driven novels more than plot driven anyway.

In all, I enjoyed the novella and the concept behind it. I just found Cather's inexperience as a novelist to be a bit too apparent. I know her next novel was O Pioneers! so I am looking forward to seeing that transition in action.

*This title was read as a part of The Willa Cather Project-my focused attempt to read Cather's complete works in chronological order. Click on the link for more information about the project and my goals.*

This Side of Paradise Giveaway!

I'm really excited to show you this beautiful edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise. I received a copy for review a couple of months ago, and while I am still reading it, I cannot rave enough about the gorgeous edition.

And, luckily for you, the publisher has another copy waiting for a lucky U.S. reader. Alma Books is responsible for this pretty edition (the covers for the other Fitzgeralds are equally amazing) and its being distributed by Trafalgar Square Publishing and iPg.

If you are interested in learning more about the edition, feel free to visit the book's webpage.

On to the giveaway...

The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. You need to be 13 years of age or older.

To enter, leave a comment here stating such by Friday, April 12 at 11:59 PM EST with your e-mail address. I will pull a winner, contact you for your mailing information, then send that on so your lovely book will be sent your way. Sound good? I hope so!

Good luck!

Weekly Wrap-Up for April 7, 2013: End of Break.

Sparty helped me organize my PELs

Every time we have a long weekend or an extended break, I make huge plans to get a lot of school stuff done. I have a rolling cart that I fill up with "stuff" and make grand plans in my head to get a ton of prep work done. It shouldn't surprise you that it never happens. I get so used to relaxing and doing nothing that diving into my cart makes me want to cry.

Tigers Game!

I finally broke into the cart on Thursday to pull out some things to be graded, and I may have whimpered a bit. While I didn't have a lot of grading left, it was enough to make me yell at myself, "Why do I always wait?" I only got a minimal amount done on Thursday, and Friday I was in Detroit all day for the opening day Tigers Game. So, that left yesterday (and today) to get some things done.

I spent 12 hours yesterday prepping and planning for the beginning of the new quarter. I'm aware that 12 hours is ridiculous. I was busy making lectures, powerpoints, reference sheets, notes handouts for my history classes, and a bunch of random things. But at least I woke up this morning knowing that I am prepped for the first week back (and then some). My history classes are learning about JFK and LBJ this week, and my sophomore English classes are diving into their American author research project. At least with my English classes working in the library, I'll have more time in class to get some grading done (as a general rule, I don't really grade during the school day that often. I'm too busy helping students or running around to concentrate on grading-I usually just bring assignments home or stay after for an hour or 2 to catch up-I don't have a planning period during the day, so that's what works for me).

My niece, Zoey. We went shopping this week!

Anyway, I'm going to be heading to the library this afternoon to settle in and get my grading done. I get too distracted at home, so that always works for me. :)

In reading and blogging news, I've spent some time this week getting some posts prepped and ready to post. You'll see a few pop up! I'm trying to catch up a little on the backlog, and it may take me through the end of the month to be caught up (assuming I don't read anything else in the meantime). I'm hoping I can dedicate myself to getting back in the swing of things without feeling too overwhelmed. I also want to finish up some books that have been lingering, so I am going to focus on finding that balance.

Dickens!

In any case, there is a giveaway going up tomorrow! It was supposed to go up during "A Modern March," but that just didn't happen. Make sure to look for it.

I hope your week went well and that you have warmer weather than Michigan (seriously, a week into April and we're still hovering around freezing? That's crazy, even by Michigan standards).

Happy Reading!

The Troll Garden by Willa Cather (The Willa Cather Project).

The Troll Garden was the first set of stories Willa Cather published and her first pieces of fiction. It was originally published in 1905 and contained 7 short stories:

1. "Flavia and Her Artists"
2. "The Sculptor's Funeral"
3. "A Death in the Desert"
4. "The Garden Lodge"
5. "The Marriage of Phaedra"
6. "A Wagner Matinee"
7. "Paul's Case"

Four of these stories were later revised and republished in 1920 in Youth and the Bright Medusa (I will be reading these at some point, so I will make note of any differences).

I was really looking forward to reading some of Cather's short stories, especially since the only story I had read prior to this project was "Paul's Case" (I actually use the story with my sophomores and their American Author research project. I was also looking forward to seeing the difference between her poetry, novels, and these condensed stories.

I was very excited going into the stories, and while there were some hits and misses, I really loved the collection as whole.

The first story, "Flavia and Her Artists" was a bit odd. The first few pages seemed a bit off-putting and I wasn't sure what point Cather was trying to make. The story takes place at Flavia's home, where she offers refuge to artists so they may explore their crafts. There is a bit of a mix-up when one of the writers attempts to hide an article written about Flavia. By the end of the story, I understood Cather's point, but I was not that excited by the story as a whole.

"The Sculptor's Funeral" is a story I really loved. The body of a famed sculptor returns to his small town accompanied by a friend. As the body returns to the town, the friend is forced to listen to the ridicule the town has towards the famed man. Eventually it reaches a climax and the friend goes off. :) It was an interesting read-especially in the context of life and death and what you can really mean to the people you leave behind. Definitely one of my favorites in the collection.

"A Death in the Desert" is about a young man who is often mistaken for his famous composer brother. On a trip, he meets with an ailing woman who once worked with his brother. The slowly get to know each other and discuss the old times with his brother pre-fame. Again, it was a pretty good story, but I wasn't as devoted emotionally as I hoped I would have been.

In "The Garden Lodge," a woman contemplates tearing down and destroying the Garden Lodge where she used to spend time with a composer friend. I think Cather's goal was to show the struggle between reality and dreams-and the choice that some make to go with reality-but I think it failed to come across strongly. I wasn't that big of a fan.

"The Marriage of Phaedra" is about a biographer of a famous painter, who is trying to find more information about the painter's unfinished work. Again, I think there was supposed to be a big moral lesson to this, but I really failed to pull it from the story. In my opinion, I think this was the weakest story of the collection.

"A Wagner Matinee" is one of the best of the collection. A young man is hosting his aunt in the city and decides to take her to a concert. He is worried that she won't be interested, but as the music starts, he watches her become more and more enthralled in the music. I loved this one. As a musician, I really loved the musical connections and the emotion Cather invoked just by discussing the effect of music on a person.

The last story in the collection, "Paul's Case," is the stand out story. It is, by far, the best story in the collection and with good reason. Paul seems to meet circumstance after circumstance that break his spirit...and I can't say more without giving anything away. In one word: beautiful. You need to read this story.

In all, this was a great collection of short stories. I'm looking forward to seeing Cather's later short stories, as well as the revisions made to some of these. 

*This title was read as a part of The Willa Cather Project-my focused attempt to read Cather's complete works in chronological order. Click on the link for more information about the project and my goals.*

Recap and Goals.

I am in the midst of a big blog post writing marathon. I'll admit that I am a bit overwhelmed by the fact that I have let the blog go...in so many ways. When I first began blogging, I was very on top of my posts. I made sure things were published shortly after writing them, and the posts going up were about books I was still reading or had just finished.

And that has slowly gone away over the course of the last year. Of course there are a million reasons why that is, but I'm not going to rehash them. However, I will say that the feeling of guilt that these lack of posts brings is one of the main reasons I have let the blog go and have a hard time returning to it as faithfully as I did in the first couple of years. I also know that the blogging climate has changed. A couple of my favorite bloggers have disappeared, others have become incredibly focused on other things, and my own life has picked up in terms of excitement (hello, full-time employment). I miss the community and feeling like I'm a part of something wonderful.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to make my come back. :) I miss writing about my reading, and I miss reading what you're reading. I'm going to remedy all that by becoming a better blogger.

Anyway, before I can finish my blog post writeathon, and before I can get back on track, let me tell you what I have been doing...

1. Teaching.
2. Reading.

Sounds like fun, right? Obviously teaching requires a lot of my mental energy and sometimes when I get home, I don't want to read. But, I realized that was making me cranky-my life became teaching at a few points over the last couple of months. I need breaks from that kind of mental strain! So, I turned back to reading, and sadly, while I did read some good books, I have thrown my lists and classics out the window. My focus has been on YA and fluff, and while I like that, I need a better book diet. :) To put it in perspective, this year I have read 11 books that I would qualify as classics...and 12 YA/fluffy stuff titles. Egads. That is way out of balance!

So, I am planning on getting my enthusiasm back this month and focusing on some of those classics I have abandoned on my shelves. Some of the titles I am hoping to get through in the next couple of months include:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: I started this in January. And for reasons unknown, I have utterly abandoned it. It is currently sitting under a pile of crap (okay, other books and randomness) on my desk. I don't know why I abandoned it-I really like it!
2. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I started this one for my failed "A Modern March" event (and I say failed referring to my own participation....or lack thereof). Again, this is a good book that I just need to finish.
3. The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather: The next title in my Cather project...again, started it and abandoned it. This one has a home on my nightstand...under a pile of books.
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: This was my Classics Spin book. I took it off the shelf. It's sitting on our coffee table. Haven't even started it.
5. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore: Okay, granted this isn't a classic, but I'm still going to read it this month anyway. I flew through Graceling and Fire in one sitting each, and ADORED them (seriously, Graceling is an amazing piece of fantasy. READ IT), so I want to finish out Cashore's work. 

All perfectly doable. I also have some lingering plans to bust through my Willa Cather project by the end of the summer, so we'll see how I do with that.

But my main goals?

Blog more. Be active. Read blogs and comment.

I missed you all!