20th Century Fiction – ERB Library of FREE Ebooks [Kindle/More]

O Pioneers! tells the story of the Bergsons, a family of Swedish immigrants in the farm country near the fictional town of Hanover, Nebraska, at the turn of the 20th century. The main character, Alexandra Bergson, inherits the family farmland when her father dies and devotes her life to making the farm a viable enterprise at a time when many other immigrant families are giving up and leaving the prairie. The novel is also concerned with two romantic relationships, one between Alexandra and family friend Carl Linstrum and the other between Alexandra’s brother Emil and the married Marie Shabata.  (Wikipedia)
 
You can also download the lesser known Book 2 of this trilogy, THE SONG OF THE LARK:

• [easyazon-link asin=”B0083ZR6DS” locale=”us”]Amazon[/easyazon-link]
• Proj. Gutenberg

The book’s narrator, Jim Burden, arrives in the fictional town of Black Hawk, Nebraska, on the same train as the Shimerdas. His parents have died so he is going to live with his grandparents. Jim develops strong feelings for Ántonia, something between a crush and a filial bond, and the reader views Ántonia’s life, including its attendant struggles and triumphs, through that lens.

The novel is divided into five books, some of which incorporate short stories Cather had previously written, based on her own life growing up on the Nebraska prairies. The volumes correspond roughly to the stages of Ántonia’s life, up through her marriage and motherhood.  (Wikipedia)