Lucy Gayheart (Revised)

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A long overdue reread and one perfect for the winter season. 🩵

Cather is always an absolute joy to read again and again. That is the gift of great writing, it never feels old or repetitive or predictable.

batsy Can't really go wrong with Cather 💜 13mo

jlhammar Have you read Shadows on the Rock yet? I loved that one and thought it was especially good for Christmastime. 13mo

Tamra @jlhammar no, but I‘ve got it on my shelves and just pulled it off. Thanks for the tip! 13mo

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Louise

Lucy Gayheart: Reissue | Willa Cather

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Willa Cather beautifully evokes the artistic sensibility and the effect of great music on the inner life in this story of a talented young pianist from a small town who goes to study music in Chicago. The book focuses on her relationships with two very different men. The first 2/3 of the book are more satisfying than the end. But Cather‘s mastery of language and metaphor are strong throughout. #catherbuddyread

Suet624 This one packed a punch for me. Lucy. ❤️ 4y

Tanisha_A Fab review! Loved this 4y

Louise @Suet624 Yes, for me too! I cried and cried at the end. Cather really lingered on the ephemeral nature of things. . . and that last line about the footprints on the sidewalk—oh! 😩 But so beautifully rendered in Cather‘s masterful style! 4y

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Louise @Tanisha_A Thanks. What a ride this book was. I‘d have preferred a happier, more triumphant return to fullness of life for Lucy. Oh, Cather! 4y

batsy Lovely review. I agree, I wanted so much more for Lucy 💔 Cather really knows how to get to you. 4y

Louise @batsy She really, really does. This one came as such a shock. And then that elegiac ending! 💙 4y

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batsy

Lucy Gayheart: Reissue | Willa Cather

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I thought this was going to be another 5-star read in the vein of The Pilgrim Hawk, but when I got to the final section I was thrown off. It was maybe not the novel I expected, but perhaps the novel I needed. It's beautifully-written & elegiac; deeply poignant & sad. Time, youth, ambition, & life throwing its curveballs. The last section maybe gave way a bit to sentiment, but otherwise I found it an almost pitch-perfect novel. #catherbuddyread

batsy @Graywacke Thanks again for hosting a memorable discussion! 4y

Tanisha_A I so agree with you about the last section, otherwise it was just perfect! 4y

Graywacke And thanks for being a part of it. ☺️ Glad you enjoyed this as much as you did! 4y

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Cathythoughts Great review! I‘d like to read this one 👍🏻❤️ 4y

batsy @Tanisha_A Cather rarely misses! 💙 4y

batsy @Graywacke Always a treat 🙂 4y

batsy @Cathythoughts Thank you, Cathy! I think you might like it. If nothing else Cather is an aesthetic experience. 4y

LitStephanie I love My Antonia, but for some reason never read any other Cather. I should get on it! 4y

CarolynM Lovely review. 4y

batsy @LitStephanie The reading group has been wonderful! I've loved the experience of getting to know her work. 4y

batsy @CarolynM Thank you :) 4y

Centique Beautiful review and beautiful photo 😍 4y

batsy @Centique Thanks, P! ❤️ 4y

Currey @batsy @Graywacke Wonderful review and agree with you regarding the group. It much improves my understanding. What and when is the next read? I know Graywacke mentioned but now I can not find the reference 4y

Graywacke @Currey my question got lost in the discussion. I‘ll bring it up again. Cather‘s last novel is Sapphira and the Slave Girl and I was suggesting Nov 7 as a start discussing date. 4y

Currey @graywacke Great thx 4y

batsy @Currey Thank you! 4y

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Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

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The long trail of our #catherbuddyread takes us to this largely overlooked later novel and the thin ice of American life. Cather casts her magic in the opening with the “gentle glow” left on all by our “bird flying home” and all the movement and energy she gives off as she spreads her wings. We fall in love with her existence and wonder at the implications of ominous fate. This is no perfect novel, but Lucy holds a place in my literary 🖤.

Tanisha_A She definitely does hold a place! ❤️ 4y

jewright I am behind! I will try to catch up soon. 4y

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Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

#catherbuddyread
Book 3

Harry Gordon reflects back 25 years later, just after the funeral of Jacob Gayheart. (It‘s 1927. I don‘t remember a year mentioned earlier.) This book serves as an epilogue, it‘s probably an unnecessary add on, although it‘s here we learn there are no children for anyone. But among other things it serves as a kind of book review - Harry‘s analysis of Lucy.

What are your thoughts on this section and on the book overall?

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads 4y

Graywacke PS - Cather‘s next and last novel is tagged. I‘m thinking of a Nov 7 start - to give us all some time between. I‘m a little worried that might be too long. Let me know. (We have at least two other books we can do - her 1st, Alexander‘s Bridge and her short story collection. Also a biography discussion has been proposed.)

Sapphira and the Slave Girl

Lcsmcat It was such an elegiac section. I felt Harry‘s grief, not as a sharp new thing, but as a weight or a cloud surrounding him. I have two questions: why the decision to burn Lucy‘s dresses? No mention was made of how he would dispose of her other possessions, and Cather doesn‘t put in details without a reason. What‘s the reason here? And, when he takes the picture of Sebastian, is it because that makes him feel closer to Lucy, or 👇🏻 4y

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Lcsmcat 👆🏻is he protecting her reputation from the gossips? 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat either way he‘s really putting a lot into controlling her memory. These are good questions and I couldn‘t make sense of them so I don‘t have much an answer. Certainly there was a Lucy he adored and a Lucy who hurt him and I‘m guessing this plays a role on what he does. (His doctoring of the narrative has me thinking of Octavian and Cleopatra.) (edited) 4y

TEArificbooks I agree the last book was more of epilogue. I did like seeing what happened to her sister and father. I thought it should have come from her fathers or sisters point of view. The section kind of reminded me of the tend of how authors will go back 10 years later and make the same book from husbands point of view. But Harry wasn‘t the husband so it felt wrong and I didn‘t like how he handled the estate either. 4y

Graywacke @mdm139 right, what gives Harry the right to have the last word? (Pauline ends up living about half a life, no? Where as Lucy essentially tried to live to the fullest.) 4y

TEArificbooks @Graywacke my thought exactly. He had no right to the last word. I would have liked to have Pauline elderly reflecting after the death of her father starring out at the apple trees and reflecting on Lucy. I also hoped Lucy inspired her to live a fuller life or at least she felt less burdened without Lucy and led a fuller life. 4y

rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat I wonder if he couldn‘t bear the thought of anyone else wearing Lucy‘s dresses or, worse yet, seeing someone else wearing one of her dresses. 4y

rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat I think he took the picture to protect her reputation. Plus maybe he later got satisfaction from (privately) burning that too. 4y

batsy The elegiac tone was moving, but I also didn't understand why it was Harry getting the last word, and whether he had earned it. Yes he had loved her but I don't think the narrative did enough justice for that. I was thinking it was going to be 5-star book for me but the last bit maybe prevented it... It was a bit jarring, and maybe a tad sentimental whereas all that was leading up to it was refreshingly not. 4y

Louise @Graywacke I‘m behind in my reading so can‘t comment on this yet. Sorry! The comments here make me want to spend the whole weekend reading! 4y

Lcsmcat @rubyslippersreads I had that thought about the dresses, too. But not strongly enough to put the question to rest. 4y

Lcsmcat @mdm139 @Graywacke It was odd for Harry to have the last word. But I wouldn‘t have wanted Pauline to either. She didn‘t “get” Lucy. Harry didn‘t either, but was there anyone left alive who did? I‘d have liked the father‘s point of view. 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads ( @Lcsmcat ) these are both interesting points. I‘m not ready to commit to either myself. There is some mystery there and maybe some extra meaning. 4y

Graywacke @batsy interesting analysis. I thought the book was made in the opening section and that it never managed to take me beyond that wonderful lost energetic vibrant soul carelessly confronting her unknown fate. So i can‘t disagree. But also I think leaving it to Harry demands the reader reevaluate the books purpose, at least it does that for me. I‘m not saying I like it in concept, regardless. 4y

Graywacke @Louise no worries. Enjoy. I‘m looking forward to it for you. 😆 ☺️ 4y

batsy @Graywacke Yes, good point and agreed that it requires the reader to reevaluate and maybe adjust expectations. Also not sure what I make of it, if so. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat Pauline... we need a focused Pauline discussion. 4y

TEArificbooks @Graywacke that is a good point about why Harry may have been chosen. Still don‘t think I like it though. @Lcsmcat I can see your point about not being Pauline either. I just hoped after Lucy died she would be unburdened and could have led a different life and in doing so finally understood Lucy. I think if Pauline did that then the books purpose would stay being about a careless soul confronting her fate. But what is the purpose since Harry got? 4y

TEArificbooks @Graywacke if Harry getting the last word changes the purpose of the story, maybe the new purpose could be - regrets, the one that got away, What if?, is the grass greener on the other side? Or maybe Harry felt he led a half life by marrying someone else. Maybe the moral of the story is to lead your life to the fullest and not in the shadow of someone else. Lucy was in the shadow of Sebastian. Pauline in the shadow of Lucy, even after she died etc 4y

Graywacke @mdm139 regarding your second comment, interesting and interesting discussion topic too. My bias is to interpret Lucy and Harry in terms of the era Cather is writing about and living in - as a commentary in the times. Harry, a banker, writing in 1927 is interesting in itself (watch out for that cliff, H!) But I‘m not sure it‘s correct and I‘m not sure what to make of it. Also, I think the epilogue exposes H. He‘s a cold flawed unsatisfied banker👇 4y

Graywacke ... but a human one. 4y

Currey I have read less Cather than most of you, as I joined you at My Mortal Enemy but I found the ending to be very depressing, that regardless; if you are full of vibrant life (Lucy), exceptional talent (Sebastian), deep regrets(Harry), lingering jealousies (Pauline)....that nature will have its way with you. All the assumptions about life and one‘s dreams are subject to the capricious whims of forces no human has control over. 4y

emilyhaldi Wow @Currey I think you've summed the book up with nicely and I agree with your assessment! 4y

emilyhaldi I found Harry to be so much more endearing after reading his last perspective. And I'm sticking by my comment from last week that perhaps Lucy and Harry would have ended up together had she lived. 🖤 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Letting Harry have the last word almost strikes me as Cather being afraid that readers would hate him and blame him for Lucy‘s death. She wanted to make sure we saw him as a complete, complex human being. Not defined only by a few rash actions in his youth. It felt like she had some affection for him. 4y

Lcsmcat @emilyhaldi H and L might have ended up together had she lived. But, Harry would have been a different person if she had. Her death and his guilt changed and softened him. So I‘m not sure they‘d have been happy. 4y

Lcsmcat Or (and this is speculation, I‘ve done no research) Cather wanted to end it with Lucy‘s death and her publisher said no. The last “book” is only 25 pages in my edition. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y

Graywacke @Currey just agreeing with @emilyhaldi - it‘s actually a fun summary. Damn capricious nature. 😕🙂 4y

Graywacke @emilyhaldi @Lcsmcat not to dwell on my idea of the era but they were actually a really good match- H & L. What got in there way (this is just me thinking out loud, not, like, reliable info) was the rough evolution of American culture (and there own unresolved flaws). This is a book that does not care for American progress. (edited) 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat i agree about H and the last chapter. Hard to imagine she wasn‘t able to direct publishers at this point. ?? But anyway, she clearly liked H and she adored his non-plussed way of handling aggression and conflict, and his balance of cruel calculation with occasional gentle elegance. And - his view of L is insightful. There are lessons for us readers in his thinking. 4y

CarolynM Everything about the last section seemed a little odd to me. I would have liked to know how Pauline came to die so young, how Mr Gayheart seemed so much less indolent than Book 2 suggested, how & why he and Harry developed such a close relationship. What I liked very much, though, was the passage about Lucy's footsteps caught in the wet cement. Such a poignant image. (edited) 4y

Lcsmcat @CarolynM I liked that image too. But were concrete sidewalks a thing when Lucy was a child? If it was 1927 when Mr. Gayheart died, and Lucy died 25 years before, that would have been 1902. She was in her twenties when she died. The Chicago Fire (1871) spread so fast because the sidewalks were wood. So would a small town have had concrete sidewalks at the edge of town in the 1880s? I‘m not sure. But it‘s a cool image. 4y

CarolynM @Lcsmcat Good point. I don't know the answer but I do know that in this country places vary in what was usual in colonial times depending on what building materials were available. So there are a lot of old wooden houses, and wooden telegraph poles in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria because of the forests, but it was all stone and cement in South Australia because there were no proper trees. Maybe that applies here too. (edited) 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads My question goy lost above. Does starting discussion of Sapphira and the Slave Girl on Nov 7 sound ok? (actually I have some uncertain travel issues...but I think it will still work) 4y

Graywacke *got ☺️ 4y

batsy @Graywacke I'm good with Nov 7! Thank you and sorry I missed your comment before. 4y

TEArificbooks I am fine with that or if you want to do the shorter book because of Holidays and your travels we can do that too. I am up for anything. I have both books already. 4y

Lcsmcat I‘m good with anything the group decides. 4y

Suet624 i am so swamped with receiving, alphabetizing, sorting thousands of ballots at City Hall that I pretty much work and go to bed. Reading has taken a seat way in the back of the bus. I think I purchased the book, but I can't even remember now. So I'm probably out of the first round of the next book. Despite my exhaustion, please vote everyone. 4y

Graywacke @Suet624 it is kind of close to election day. You would have 3 days after the election, plus that Saturday 4y

CarolynM That's fine for me. Look forward to it. 4y

Louise @Graywacke I‘m behind in my reading and saddened by what these comments indicate happened to Lucy. Oh, no! My copy of Sapphira and the Slavegirl arrived yesterday, so I‘m all set for a November 7th discussion date. Just need to know how far to read. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads sorry guys. I‘m going through a lot in RL. I can‘t do Nov 7. I‘m now thinking Dec 5 (I‘m also open to someone else leading) 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I‘m sorry! If there‘s anything I can do, please reach out. mischalynx at msn dot com (I wondered why you had been absent the last few weeks, and was worried.) 4y

batsy @Graywacke Sorry to hear there's quite a bit going on in life. Hope you're doing ok. I'll be fine with delaying the buddy read as I would have probably not joined in this month as my frame of mind is just not up for it...quite a lot going on irl here too and my mind is just all over the place! 4y

CarolynM I'm sorry to hear you're struggling, Dan. Like @Lcsmcat I had noted your absence and was hoping it was something positive that was keeping you occupied. On the other side of the world I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can do, but I'm always willing to listen munchenberg at on the dot net dot au Very happy to postpone Sapphira til December, or later. Take care💕 4y

CarolynM @batsy Hope you're ok too. Please reach out if I can help, or you just want someone to listen munchenberg at on the dot net dot au 💕 (edited) 4y

catebutler Dan, I‘m so sorry to hear this. I‘m fine with postponing for now. We can always pick up at a later date. Take care and please check in when you can. 4y

batsy @CarolynM Thank you, you're so very kind to offer. Atm it's just a lot of life matters (my sister just moved to another state for work, and I'm alone now for caring for our elderly mum as I'm the only one here) but I'm sure things will settle down in time and I'll feel less frazzled. Thank you ❤️ 4y

batsy To second the others @Graywacke please let us know if we can help in any way. 4y

jewright @Graywacke If we need to pause, that is totally fine. I hope things will improve for you. Real life is incredibly terrible right now. 4y

Tanisha_A @Graywacke Hi Dan! Sorry to hear that. Hope things get better soon and you find time to relax. I am totally okay with whenever you wish to start. Echoing others, do let us know if we can help you. ❤️ 4y

Suet624 Dan and @batsy, please know that we are with you in spirit. Reach out anytime. 💕💕💕 much love to you both. 4y

CarolynM @batsy I'd feel frazzled too. Sending hugs🤗💕 4y

Louise @Graywacke We can pause as long as you need to, Dan. I‘m sending good thoughts and wishes your way. May Life lift you up again. We will all get through these awful times, especially if we stay connected. 🌻 4y

batsy @Suet624 Thank you, lovely Sue ❤️ 4y

Graywacke This place is so warm. Thank you guys. @Lcsmcat @batsy @CarolynM @catebutler @jewright @Tanisha_A @Suet624 @Louise thank you so much for the kind words! 💕 4y

Graywacke @batsy that sounds immensely stressful. Wish you well and wish you some mental peace. 4y

Tanisha_A @batsy All the hugs! ❤️ 4y

rubyslippersreads @batsy Sending ❤️❤️❤️ 😘 4y

rubyslippersreads @Graywacke Im fine postponing, as I‘m usually behind anyway. 😊 4y

batsy @Graywacke @Tanisha_A @rubyslippersreads Much love to all of you ❤️ Litsy remains my "safe" place. 4y

emilyhaldi @Graywacke @batsy sending you both love and well wishes ✨ 4y

Currey @Graywacke @batsy Hope life calms down a touch for both of you. I am happy to postpone 4y

Graywacke @emilyhaldi @Currey thanks. I hope life calms down too. In a good mood today, blaming Litsy. @batsy same to you, and it‘s really nice here that way. 4y

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CarolynM

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

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I think I'm glad to have read this as part of the #CatherBuddyRead because if I'd been reading by myself I'd have finished it in one sitting and probably been left feeling extremely melancholy. As it is, I have a bit more distance from the story and the emotion. The book shares themes with the Prairie novels, although Lucy didn't seem to me as vivid a character as Alexandra, Thea and (especially) Antonia. Looking forward to the discussion.

Freespirit I have added one of her books to my list to buy. I haven‘t read any. Is there one you recommend Carolyn? 4y

Graywacke Looking forward to discussing Saturday too. 🙂 4y

CarolynM @Freespirit She's a wonderful writer so all of her work is worth reading, but my favourite is still

My Antonia

CarolynM @Freespirit Or for a short novel

My Mortal Enemy

Cathythoughts My Antonia ❤️ 4y

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Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

#catherbuddyread
Book 2

Lucy comes home, we get a close look at the small town world and the compromised life of Pauline. And then, eventually, thin ice is not simply metaphorical.

Usually I give myself some time between reading and posting, but I only just finished and this hasn‘t processed yet. Thoughts are brewing. What to make of this? Home? Family sacrifices? Going against the grain? Fate? Life - and the forces against it? Your thoughts?

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads 4y

Graywacke I‘ll add - traces of Alexandra and Emil 4y

Graywacke Photograph is from here : http://www.journeyoflight.com/photo-gallery/ice 4y

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Currey @Graywacke It was not what I was expecting and it certainly was not what I wanted. I wanted Lucy to work through her mixed feelings about Harry, I wanted her to embrace life and I wanted her to find a good life even if it was not about success, or marriage or even love...as Cather said “...to keep on living...” sigh. And Pauline, all that sacrifice for what exactly. She will never forgive herself. Harry will never forget. 4y

TEArificbooks I figured her tale would be sad, but I did not want her to die. I thought she would go home and pine for Harry and Sebastian and teach piano and be a spinster with her sister. I did see the death coming since there were some clues, even in Part 1 there were some clues. I think there was a quote about Life not being measured in years in part 1. 4y

batsy "How often she had run out on a spring morning, into the orchard, down the street, in pursuit of something she could not see, but knew!" 4y

batsy Sorry, accidentally hit send there ?? Was just thinking about that quote in relation to the one earlier in the book, about "something [in the world] that always knew". And the switch turning back on for her after she heard the soprano in the travelling orchestra. I did *not* expect this end for Lucy. It was so quietly devastating. 4y

Graywacke @batsy this is a great quote. I kept wondering what it was about music and that invisible intangible thing that seemed to put life into her. 4y

Lcsmcat @Currey I highlighted that paragraph too. I particularly liked the “Accomplishments are the ornaments of life, they come second.” 4y

Lcsmcat @batsy Devastating is the right word. After her revelation that “what if life itself were the sweetheart?” I hoped Lucy would re-engage with the world and be happy. And now what? There‘s still 25 pages to go. 4y

Lcsmcat Pauline is a bit of a puzzle. How did she and Lucy come from the same parents? And what will Lucy‘s death do to her father, and Pauline‘s relationship with him? She already resents Lucy, and now to compete with a dead sister, on top of the guilt of not telling her about the shift in the river. It doesn‘t look good for her. 4y

batsy @Lcsmcat That quote about life itself as the sweetheart gave me so much hope. I allowed myself to dream with Lucy. I found Pauline so intriguing and frustrating. She understands nothing of Lucy's inner world; jealousy seems like the inevitable reaction, but as someone who helped raise Lucy I expected ... a more perceptive take from her. 4y

Lcsmcat @batsy Yes, I felt like Cather gave us this momentary feeling that everything was going to work out and then pulled the rug out from under us! I think Pauline is as focused on herself as Lucy was and they both missed so much of the other. P expecting L to pay back her family, L not knowing that their Dad is a lousy business man - they seem to dance around each other without either knowing who the other is. 4y

Lcsmcat I don‘t get what Lucy hopes to get from Harry either exactly. Just to be seen? Or is it a Lizzie Bennet réaction of “I can‘t bear to know that he‘s somewhere thinking I‘ll of me.”? 4y

Graywacke @Currey @mdm139 @Lcsmcat @batsy i felt Lucy has a kind of contrast with life. Driven by music and not entirely aware of life‘s other things - the calculating aspect of life. I notice she never explores her own relationship with her musical improvement. Her relationship with her own playing may have an unconscious element. She gets something, and it‘s special (and it‘s more than Auerbach grasps. But Sebastian picks up on it.) 👇👇 4y

Graywacke That needs some elaboration. But to simplify, her relationship with music is natural and unconscious. Her awareness of life is different. She hasn‘t confronted the practical necessities. She doesn‘t and didn‘t get it. She has no idea what she has cost Pauline, for example. (Not that Pauline exactly understands either). So when Pauline confronts her, on top of Gordon‘s cold response - it forces her to confront a lot she hasn‘t let herself be ... 4y

Graywacke aware of. 4y

emilyhaldi To me, the way Lucy was yearning for Harry's attention was beginning to feel like something more than friendship... Maybe she subconsciously had more feelings for him than she would allow herself to recognize? I think if she had gone on living and maturing she may have found that Harry was indeed a good match for her. I happen to think his groundedness and practicality would have been a good balance for her. ✨ 4y

Suet624 @emilyhaldi I think you‘re right that Harry would have been helpful to her. In a week that was already filled with sad things, the end of this chapter did me in. (edited) 4y

CarolynM Another development I was not expecting. Is there symbolism in the water, I wonder? I love all those quotes @Currey @batsy @Lcsmcat For me the saddest thing about Lucy and Pauline was the lack of communication. No-one had explained to Lucy the privileges she was afforded or what it cost them (not just $$) so she was oblivious to it, she never explained her life on Boston, the expectations, the emotional toll, so they were oblivious too.👇 4y

CarolynM 🖕As for Harry, I felt that his behaviour indicated he had truly been hurt by Lucy's rejection. He couldn't risk showing her anything other than his most professional face. I don't think she had any romantic feelings for him @emilyhaldi I think she genuinely wanted to be friends, but was too naive to understand how impossible that was for him. 4y

rubyslippersreads I was completely shocked, especially when it seemed as though Lucy wanted to embrace life again. 4y

rubyslippersreads @emilyhaldi @CarolynM I don‘t know if she had romantic feelings for him (certainly not like the feelings she had for Sebastian), but I think she did start to realize that Harry could have been a good match for her. And with the limited choices women had at that time, she probably could also see that, from a practical standpoint, her life might have been easier if she‘d married him. 4y

rubyslippersreads @CarolynM @Currey @batsy @Lcsmcat @Graywacke l found that whole “parlor cat, kitchen cat” thing very sad. (edited) 4y

Lcsmcat @rubyslippersreads Yes, the kitchen cat, parlor cat comparison was very sad. I felt for both of them. 4y

rubyslippersreads Two other things I noticed. One was “trade last.” My grandma told me about those. You‘d tell another girl you had a “TL” for her and then pass on a compliment you‘d overheard about her. Also, I guess small towns really did have “boys‘ bands.” #troubleinrivercity 😊🎺 4y

Lcsmcat @CarolynM I agree that Lucy didn‘t have romantic feelings for Harry. I think she didn‘t understand why he couldn‘t be friends with her, like they were before. But also, I think she felt the need to set the record straight about her own behavior, now that he was safely married. I need to think more about the water. She and Sebastian both drown, although in different circumstances. But both were held down by something/someone else. 4y

batsy @Graywacke @CarolynM Great point about Lucy not quite realising the costs & emotional toll, on Pauline in particular, for Lucy to have the privileges of her life. She's so young and part of growing up would have maybe been a slow realisation of that. Unfortunately she doesn't get that chance. (I feel like Song of the Lark was also toying with these themes: the artist vs. "ordinary" people and what's sacrificed in order to make a life for oneself.) 4y

batsy @Lcsmcat @emilyhaldi I don't think she had romantic yearnings for Harry as such, but he represented a kind of strength & stability that she desperately needed at that moment in her life. (Literally & metaphorically on thin ice.) Also I think she appreciated his sensibility, "the only who noticed such things", I think she says of him. I agree that Harry perhaps couldn't give her that because he was deeply in love with her & hurt by her rejection. 4y

Graywacke @Currey like you i wanted her to overcome all this. If she could have steadied herself and found a way forward, “embrace life” - she could have become maybe a much stronger person. If only. And also I‘m wondering if Pauline and Harry will be able to deal. 4y

Graywacke @mdm139 A spinster? Maybe actually. What would she have become? I thought she would go back to Chicago and then farther and farther away. but yes, there were hints of this - notably the opening line. 4y

Graywacke @batsy @Lcsmcat devastating. That word. So much was lost. And no clue what book 3 has to say. See how everyone responds, maybe. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy - just responding to your Pauline comments. It struck me in book one how briefly Pauline was mentioned. A quick line how her mom died and Pauline had raised her and that was about it. That bothered me a lot and i wondered how Pauline herself felt. Now we kind of know and it wasn‘t good. And now she will have a lot of deeply intense conflicting emotions to deal with. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat on Pauline expecting payback - I think mostly she was jealous and felt unappreciated. I thought it was interesting that their dad was lost in phone-chess (like an iPhone chess or something similar today) I wonder if he hadn‘t been drifting, if he had been paying attention, if he would have been able to see where L was headed and been able to redirect her somehow. Just a thought. He listened her play before but not now - maybe it gave ... 4y

Graywacke him a kind of pulse on her. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @emilyhaldi @Suet624 @CarolynM @rubyslippersreads interesting thoughts on Harry. I wonder at the nature of her pursuit. It wasn‘t for a relationship and maybe it wasn‘t simply love, but it was desperate. Seemed more so than to just clarify herself. She needed something. I wonder if there is a larger theme a play here - something harry maybe represents. 4y

Graywacke On that note, i was wondering what Lucy‘s death may have meant beyond her - for Cather, or end of an era, or of a...like a mindset. Things changed during Cather‘s lifetime in ways she didn‘t like. Maybe lucy represents one of those lost things. ?? 4y

Graywacke @CarolynM @Lcsmcat interesting you both picked up on the water. I hadn‘t thought about it. I think the Platte moving and drowning Lucy down says something about how the American world changed and mowed people like her down. But the parallel with Sebastian taken down in the lake by Mockford is interesting. Need I think more too. 4y

Graywacke @CarolynM Lucy really was oblivious...she had no idea what she cost her father and, more than money, her sister 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads cool about trade last. I could not make sense of that phrase! 4y

Graywacke @batsy song of the lark - artist and others. I thought of Emil who didn‘t appreciate what Alexandra did for him. Interesting to see these themes develop 4y

Graywacke Hope I didn‘t post too much here. Can‘t sleep... 4y

Tanisha_A I finished reading the book a few days back, and I am still processing everything that happened in that part! It was just to sad to witness the end like that. 4y

TEArificbooks I like everyone‘s thoughts on her feelings to Harry. I think he became the “one that got away” and she needed to understand why she let him go in the first place. Kinda “what I was I thinking” “was he really wrong for me”. @Graywacke you mentioned she needed something from him - I think she needed to understand herself and her decisions regarding men. “What was I thinking loving a man I can‘t have when I could have had Harry” 4y

TEArificbooks I think maybe she was also trying to prove to herself she made the right decision rejecting Harry, seeking out a quality in him that would have been a deal breaker anyway. “Well I could have had Harry but glad I chose not too, because ...” She was trying to find to find peace of mind regarding both men so she move forward. And just when she was starting to plan her new life without these men - she is dead. 4y

30 likes45 comments

Suet624

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

Ballots have been sent out to all residents, phones are ringing, and I‘m contemplating what I just read about Lucy while I decompress during my lunch hour. This is the view from my secret lunch spot at City Hall. Gentle music from the 8-hour album “Sleep” is playing on my phone as I look out over the lake.

readordierachel What a lovely view 4y

JennyM Beautiful spot. Hope you managed to recharge a little xxx 4y

Reggie And the leaves have started to turn! What a nice view! 4y

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Lcsmcat Great view! 4y

Suet624 @readordierachel @Lcsmcat I know! I love it! 4y

Suet624 @Reggie The leaves have definitely changed. All the colors are out right now. 4y

Suet624 @JennyM Thanks! I had a lovely hour to myself. 4y

kspenmoll Beautiful! 4y

54 likes8 comments

Tanisha_A

Lucy Gayheart | Willa Cather

“Life is short; gather roses while you may. Make it as many as you can. Nothing really matters but living. Get all you can out of it. Accomplishments are the ornaments of life, they come second. Sometimes people disappoint us, & sometimes we disappoint ourselves; but the thing is, to go right on living.”

I have been painting little things and i feel, nothing could depict life better than trees and flowers. Cather is a force of inspiration. 👇🏽

Tanisha_A Sometimes i post under @paintboxescapades on Instagram. Let me know if you are there, i'd love to see what you all are up to. 4y

TrishB That‘s lovely ❤️ I‘m not on Instagram though! 4y

JennyM Beautiful my friend 💐 4y

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Tanisha_A @TrishB @JennyM Thank you loves! ❤️ 4y

batsy That's beautiful! Cather as an inspiration 💜 4y

squirrelbrain So pretty! ❤️ 4y

youneverarrived That‘s lovely 💐 4y

tpixie Lovely 😊 🌺 💗 4y

Freespirit That‘s wonderful! 4y

Cathythoughts ✨✨✨ 4y

candority So cute! 🌷 4y

Chelsea.Poole Love it! 4y

Boooooks So pretty 🥰 4y

LeahBergen That‘s beautiful!! 4y

KVanRead Adore your painting! And thanks for that quote - really needed to hear it right now after Friday‘s horrible news about RBG. Such uplifting and inspiring words. ❤️🌻 4y

Lesliereads Pretty! 4y

Centique That is a beautiful painting! And a wonderful quote 😍 4y

BiblioLitten So soothing to look at.💛 4y

Tanisha_A @batsy @squirrelbrain @youneverarrived @tpixie @Freespirit @Cathythoughts @candority @Chelsea.Poole @Boooooks @LeahBergen @KVanRead @Lesliereads @Centique @BiblioLitten You all encourage me the most. Thank you so much, sweets! 🎈💚🍃 4y

Suet624 That‘s gorgeous! 4y

tpixie @Tanisha_A 💕🌺💕 4y

Tanisha_A @Suet624 Thanks Sue! ❤️ 4y

Graywacke Beautiful ! 4y

TorieStorieS Amazing!!! 💕 4y

MemoirsForMe Gorgeous! 😍🙌🏻 4y

NeedsMoreBooks Beautiful 😍😍 4y

Tanisha_A @Graywacke @TorieStorieS @UwannaPublishme @NeedsMoreBooks Thanks a ton, you all. This is very encouraging! ❤️ 4y

75 likes27 comments

Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

#catherbuddyread
Book 1 parts XI-XXI

I know we saw the signs, but still. Is that how to interpret “the treacherous mildness of the April afternoon”, as a foreshadowing? Before that Sebastian and Lucy have a relationship to discuss; and Harry Gordon leads us to Cather on Impressionism and Opera before either making a mistake or exposing himself. Or both. But, our poor bird. Thoughts? (ps This was a difficult place to pause.)

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads 4y

TEArificbooks I didn‘t pause there. I had to keep reading and finished the book. I did see a little foreshadowing. I knew their love was doomed but I did not see that coming at the same time. It felt a little like Jane Eyre, married man with insufferable wife hidden away. I was wondering if their was more to the deaths, since Sebastian was planning on firing the other man. 4y

Graywacke In the early part of book 1 there is this curious, maybe key excerpt (quoted by @batsy in a post) : “In the darkening sky she had seen the first star come out; it brought her heart into her throat. That point of silver light spoke to her like a signal, released another kind of life and feeling which did not belong here. It overpowered her. With a mere thought she had reached that star and it had answered, recognition had flashed between. (1 of 3) 4y

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Graywacke “Something knew then, in the unknowing waste: something had always known, forever! That joy of saluting what is far above one was an eternal thing, not merely something that had happened to her in ignorance and her foolish heart. (2 of 3) 4y

Graywacke “The flash of understanding lasted but a moment. Then everything was confused again. Lucy shut her eyes and leaned on Harry‘s shoulder to escape from what she had gone so far to snatch. It was too bright and too sharp. It hurt, and made one feel small and lost.” (3 of 3) 4y

Graywacke I‘m beginning to understand there is a aspect of fate in this novel. (edited) 4y

Currey @graywacke There was a way in which this was a perfect place to pause. I am not sure I want to know what happens... Loved how the relationship with Sebastian evolved without him becoming scum and yet without him becoming “a good man”. He knew what he needed / wanted from Lucy and I felt that Lucy was relatively centered about what she could expect from him but emotionally she clearly had invested her whole concept of self into his halo 4y

Graywacke @mdm139 we‘re certainly left to wonder about Mockford (and note his name!) Do these lets-not-make-love loves tend to be near sighted wishful thinking? I mean, is it going to bad anyway, in some way? (edited) 4y

Graywacke @Currey a lot here. Two questions. 1st the one i just posted above to @mdm139 And, 2nd, there is something here for feminist discussion. A kind of exposé in how Lucy is treated and how she acts, always in the man‘s shadow - Harry, Paul and Sebastian. (Ok, i don‘t want to direct an answer. 2nd became a prompt, not a direct question. ? ) 4y

Graywacke It‘s Rosh Hashanah. I‘ll be distracted today for a bit. Shana Tova to all who celebrate. 4y

Tanisha_A I am currently at the part where Harry and Lucy are at the (last) dinner and that conversation is happening. Gosh! She seems pretty sure footed right now with what she wants in life – the part where she meets Giuseppe, when she feels that not all is vanished after all, and that life (where S is present) it still going to be there fore her, and as she says "belief in an invisible, inviolable world". 4y

Suet624 @Graywacke I wondered about that whole passage, wondered what the heck she was thinking about. Thanks for commenting on it. 4y

Tanisha_A About their your in the museum, I highlighted this, "I don't know anything about pictures, but I think some are meant to represent objects, and others are meant to express a kind of feeling merely, and then accuracy doesn't matter." I really liked what she said, and reflected upon my thoughts and observations about when I look at a piece of art. Think anatomy (facts) melt away depending on what's depicted. Harry doesn't seem to agree though. ? 4y

Tanisha_A *tour 4y

Tanisha_A @Graywacke Rosh Hashanah, Dan! ❤️ 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke @batsy At the end of Chapter 18, the last thing Sebastian says to her is “Ein schöner Stern ging auf in meiner Nacht.” It is the title of a lieder (song) by Heinrich Hein and roughly translated means A beautiful star rose in my night. Except the song is “geht” or “rises.” Sebastian altered it to past tense. I knew then something would keep him from returning. And it echos that quote you repeated above. 4y

Suet624 Well, there it was: tick, tick, BOOM! The Jaws music was appropriate after all. Ironically, I was still surprised. Lucy lived in a love fantasy, making irrevocable choices, and I have to believe her goose is cooked. Implying she had sex with someone may well send her to the nunnery. 4y

Lcsmcat Regarding Harry, did anyone else notice how, right after his dismissal of the impressionist paintings as not being lifelike, Cather describes the scene from the balcony they go out on in very impressionistic terms? I could almost see a painting by Manet. 4y

Suet624 @Lcsmcat Brilliant. I read the translated version of that sentence but hadn't put the two together. 4y

batsy @Graywacke Fate, yes. We had a sense at the start maybe and now it's become clear. It's interesting that you bring up feminism in your response to @Currey because I loved that Lucy pushed against Auerbach's suggestion that "a nice house and garden in a little town, with money enough not to worry, a family—that's the best life" and her idea of that not being life at all, but being buried: "I'd rather be pulled up and thrown away". 4y

batsy @Graywacke Shana Tova to you and your family :) 4y

batsy @Lcsmcat Thanks for that! Like @Suet624 I'd looked it up but didn't make the connection. I knew something was coming, but didn't expect *that*. 4y

Lcsmcat @batsy @Graywacke @currey I don‘t see Lucy as accepting a place in the shadow of any man. She was expected to accept Harry and turned him down in the only way he would accept. Yes, she loves Sebastian, but she doesn‘t expect him to leave his wife and run away with her. She doesn‘t accept her teacher‘s view that she should marry, make babies, and teach a few neighbor kids piano on the side. She doesn‘t know exactly what she wants, but is VERY c👇🏻 4y

Lcsmcat 👆🏻 on what she DOESN‘T want. And why should she know at her age? Cather May be saying that it‘s not an easy life to be different from expectations, but it‘s the only life worth living, being true to yourself and figuring it out on your own. 4y

Lcsmcat Lucy feels so much - the music and the art give us that window into her interior life - so I can‘t see any of this as destroying her. It‘s what is going to make her who she will become. 4y

Suet624 @Lcsmcat The last three posts of yours just raised my very low spirits. As you can tell from my previous post, I assumed her goose was cooked. You have offered a lovely alternative view that I deeply appreciate right now. 4y

rubyslippersreads I‘ve revised my previous opinion of Sebastian as “creepy.” He seems as honorable as he could be under the circumstances. I‘m still reserving judgment on Harry, although what Lucy said about her relationship with Sebastian would have been so shocking in 1902 that I can‘t blame him for reacting the way he did. (edited) 4y

rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat @Graywacke @batsy That‘s so interesting. I know a bit of German, so got the gist of it, but not the past tense. So wonderfully subtle. 4y

Lcsmcat @Suet624 🤗 We all need some hope right now. 4y

Lcsmcat https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kzGLqeJbjEU For anyone interested, here‘s the Delius setting of Hein‘s poem. It‘s sung by a baritone, not a tenor, but it‘s the only one I could find online. (edited) 4y

Tanisha_A @batsy I just finished book 1. And loved that part, too "if there were not more than one way of living". 4y

Tanisha_A And that ending of book 1 was definitely unexpected for me, too! Now I can't STOP reading. 4y

Currey @Lcsmcat @Suet624 I agree that Lcsmcat‘s three posts really helped. I was going to respond to the question about Lucy living in men‘s shadows in a similar way but you did a better job than I would have. Thank you 4y

Graywacke @Tanisha_A @batsy thanks! 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat 1st - thanks for the context on the Hein paraphrase and highlighting the echo of the stars. And...also, that‘s a pretty nifty literary catch. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat 2nd thanks for the highlighting the Monet echo (I‘m assuming you meant Monet ??) off the comments on Impressionism (see quote in @Tanisha_A ‘s post). I completely missed that, too caught up how this beautiful scene made her depressed. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat 3rd ( @Suet624 @batsy @Currey ) thanks for that perspective. Perhaps Sebastian‘s death frees her, a catharsis. And yes, she‘s a strong Cather woman character in a sexist world who defies and rejects these shadows and finds her own way. And I do love that. I don‘t know what‘s next for her. It‘s a harsh catharsis at best. 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads now that the book is closed on Sebastian we can relax our worries. He turns out as originally presented, well meaning and genuinely supportive of Lucy for her talents and for raising his spirits. He leaves a good impression on me. I was worried for a long time. 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads No comment on Harry other than that so far he‘s just small town rich kid with some admirable restraint on his less admirable wants and misunderstandings. I don‘t think Lucy has shown any signs of looking back to that town as anything but a kind of surrender. What will book 2 bring? 4y

Currey @Graywacke @Lcsmcat @Suet624 I wonder if she is the strong Cather woman who translates the star light she saw in Sebastian into a full life of her own or if she is the strong but brittle and bent Cather woman (Mortal Enemy) who is forever stuck in a past glory 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I actually meant Eduard Manet. I think his colors are more muted. But Monet works too. 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I am dying to know what happens next to Lucy, and hope it doesn‘t break my heart. But even if she is bent (I can‘t imagine her bitter) I think she will lead a full life. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat i was wondering. I had Monet‘s water lilies in mind when reading your comment. Seemed to fit. ☺️ 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke They work too! 4y

Currey @Lcsmcat I have never heard of Hein until today when you posted the words from his poem. This afternoon I am reading The Lost Steps by Carpentier in which the MC quotes Hein: “I love the sea like my soul”...just had to share 4y

Lcsmcat @Currey I love that kind of serendipity! 4y

CarolynM I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't see that coming. I thought the relationship between Lucy and Sebastian developed into something more like father and daughter than anything romantic, and I could see how that was satisfying for each of them, at least for a while. Yes to everything @lcsmcat said. Lucy is self aware enough to want to avoid committing herself at this stage of her life. 4y

CarolynM Shana Tova, Dan, to you and yours. 4y

batsy @Currey I like and agree with @Lcsmcat 's take on Lucy and I think that's the case, too. I hope it's the former. She has an inner reserve fortified by what she loves—music, art—and I think that can carry her through. 4y

batsy @Tanisha_A Yes, so beautifully put and contrasts Lucy's worldview against the expected one with quiet clarity. 4y

Louise Hello, All, I‘m behind this week in my reading but hope to catch up in time for next week‘s discussion. I have read your comments with great interest! Until next time! 4y

jewright I‘m relieved after reading this section! They acknowledge their affection for each other, but it seems they both know it can only go so far. I‘m so glad they were both logical about it. I‘m guessing Harry will regret his hasty marriage. He just has no concept of someone not wanting to marry him. I was shocked and impressed with Lucy‘s scheme for ridding herself of him. 4y

Suet624 This story! Goodness gracious. 4y

Graywacke @Suet624 😐😕 yeah 4y

42 likes55 comments

Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

Lucy Gayheart - Book 1 parts I-X
#catherbuddyread

Nebraska and Chicago in winter. There is something about Lucy and it certainly wouldn‘t be captured in a photograph. This is a wonderful opening. Lucy‘s vitality comes off the page in this prose. Her aura, her existence - it‘s beautiful and attractive. Maybe sexy. “Very suggestive: youth, love, hope” - Sebastian captures and demolishes it.

You agree? thoughts? There is also so much more here...

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads 4y

Lcsmcat I‘m getting Song of the Lark vibes, but with a little less darkness. Of course we‘re just getting started, so . . . 4y

batsy @Lcsmcat I get those vibes, too! 4y

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batsy I loved the opening description of Lucy: "Photographs of Lucy mean nothing to her old friends [...] She had that singular brightness of young beauty: flower gardens have it for the first few hours after sunrise." The start of this book is brimming with the promise and beauty of youth, but because this is Cather I'm also bracing myself. 4y

Lcsmcat @batsy Yes! I can‘t picture Lucy still. She‘s always in motion. 4y

Currey @Lcsmcat @batsy @graywacke And her interaction with what is around her is so well told. Her movement you can feel but also her enjoying being left alone on the train. Her being self assured enough to get a place of her own even if no lobby and hostess. Her seeing Sebastian on the steps of the Art Institute and then having it speak to her of that moment forever afterwards 4y

Tanisha_A Just like @batsy and @Lcsmcat mentioned, I am getting very Song of the Lark vibes from this, and the part between Lucy & Auerbach is definitely reminding me of Thea and her tecaher. And of course definitely swooning over all the descriptions of climate and landscape (description of light 😍). Also, i have really liked the way Cather draws up tensions/ tease between adolescent/ young characters. I do see that back here, between Lucy and Harry! 4y

Lcsmcat @Currey @batsy I see her ability to be happy alone as part of her quickness. Her mind is as busy as her body and she has an interior life (which Sebastian also has, but Harry does not.) 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @Currey poor Harry. He looks ridiculous at this point. 🙂 And, he‘s going to visit, right? That will be interesting. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @batsy @Tanisha_A Song of the Lark vibes - another small town girl in Chicago for music. Do you think there is recycling/revisiting of theme? And...you know...is ok or too much? (ETA “girl” ) (edited) 4y

Graywacke @batsy that line stuck with me. It‘s a powerful image. It reminds us of the life around us now. And also permanently separates us from “then”. It means there is something about Lucy we cannot possibly know. 4y

jewright I found it interesting that she wouldn‘t cash the check until he asked her to come again. I love Giuseppe. I just have a bad feeling about Mr. Sebastian. 4y

Suet624 I kept laughing because I felt like you folks did while reading the last book - I could hear the music from Jaws. I was sure something bad was going to happen very soon. 4y

Graywacke @jewright Sebastian. She has kept us wondering. He is so nice and distinct in character and yet... 4y

Graywacke @Suet624 hey! ☹️ Mean! Ok, fine, jaws music, it is there. Probably not in part xi, but... 4y

Graywacke (I guess i like these dots ... 🤷🏻‍♂️) 4y

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Ellipsis can be very expressive. 4y

Suet624 I love dots. 😂 4y

emilyhaldi I use ellipsis far too much probably 😂 @Graywacke so I can relate. And I agree with @Suet624 I'm feeling an ominous vibe so far. 4y

emilyhaldi I also love the descriptors of Chicago and the city vibes ? The last paragraph of Chapter 3 where she describes coming upon memories and sensations, locations with a "magical meaning" coming out of the fog...reminds me of my time in nyc ✨ 4y

Louise Hello, All! So much has already been said-- and so eloquently. I'd like to add that I was struck by Cather's continuous use of musical words in her descriptions, as well as the use of “bird words“ when describing Lucy. The bird imagery harkens back perhaps to the idea that all language was originally music (the further back you go, the more sing-songy language becomes), and also the legend that Adam named the animals but Eve named the birds. 4y

Louise Examples: p. 1 Lucy is described as “walking swiftly with intense direction, like a bird flying home“. P. 7 Lucy's long crimson scarf floats behind her “like two slender crimson wings“. p. 13 Fairy Blair watches Lucy “out of the tail of her eye“. (edited) 4y

Louise Musical imagery: “If you brushed against [Sebastian's] life ever so lightly it was like tapping on a deep bell; you felt all that you could not hear.“ Chicago is “a city where the air trembled like a tuning-fork with unimaginable possibilities.“ At one point, Gordon lets his “sleigh bells (they were very musical bells. . .} do most of the talking“. 4y

rubyslippersreads I agree with everyone else who has forebodings. And I can‘t stand Sebastian. (Harry doesn‘t seem like any great prize either, but I find Sebastian downright creepy.) 4y

Lcsmcat @Louise Great observations! Cather is so good at making deliberate choices like these and yet making them so organically that they don‘t jump out at you. 4y

Lcsmcat @rubyslippersreads Interesting. I find him sad, and have a sense he‘s hiding his true self, but I don‘t find him creepy. 4y

rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat It might just be my forebodings, but I don‘t think he‘s going to be good for Lucy. (edited) 4y

Louise @Lcsmcat Yes! And Cather makes different kinds of choices for every book. Her mastery is so complete that, as you say, it appears completely organic to the story. One has the sense that no other words could have said it better. 4y

Graywacke @emilyhaldi the Chicago atmosphere fascinates me. The telegrams, the desperate people she sees in the rain, the group loneliness, the crowds of people on the street - Interesting that you relate through your time in NYC (a little jealous here ☺️) 4y

Graywacke @Louise thank for highlighting with all those quotes. I like her bird imagery for Lucy. Apt - energetic and defying the world‘s gravity 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat Sebastian again - honestly I keep waiting for him to go creepy. He elegantly hasn‘t, but I feel he also has left that door open. There is a romantic sense and we know Cather‘s age difference concerns are not like most of us today. I‘m not sure how I personally feel about that, except to gently hope it doesn‘t come up - and not hope that too much! 4y

rubyslippersreads @batsy I love that description too, but the past tense makes me think something very bad is going to happen to Lucy. 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @Louise just comment to agreeing - organic 4y

rubyslippersreads @Graywacke He hasn‘t yet but, as you say, he‘s left that door open, and he‘s also married. 4y

Lcsmcat @rubyslippersreads @batsy That opening description did make you think some tragedy has occurred, doesn‘t it? 4y

TEArificbooks I will have to catch up on the reading. Today is my birthday and I was too busy to read. I got two new puppies as presents and things have been very exciting. 4y

batsy @Louise Thank you for those observations. Agree that the imagery and effects in her prose never appear tacked on. It's a sublime sort of skill to make it seem an organic part of the prose. 4y

batsy @rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat @Graywacke Yes, there's a sense of looking back. Maybe not tragedy, but the sense of maybe life having taken away some of those qualities that made Lucy so memorable in her youth. Maybe it's an elegiac novel about growing up. I'm so curious to see where it goes... (I love an ellipsis, too 😆) 4y

batsy @emilyhaldi @Graywacke I love the city descriptions of Chicago as well. How Lucy feels so at home with her quiet independence. That bit about having had dinner early and having some time to kill before Sebastian's recital, so she lays down on the bed to think. I love her self-possession. 4y

batsy @mdm139 Happy birthday! 🎂 Puppies!! 😍 4y

CarolynM I'm not really getting Song of the Lark vibes. That was all about the artistic impulse that drives the flourishing of great talent. I'm not getting the feeling that Lucy has any of that. Sebastian is interesting - maybe echoes of Thea's jadedness towards the end of Lark. I don't think he is seeing Lucy as a potential conquest - certainly hope not - and she's just got a case of hero worship. Love the musical language @Louise @Lcsmcat 4y

CarolynM Happy birthday @mdm139 🎂🎈🎉 4y

Graywacke @CarolynM Sebastian as an older Thea is an interesting idea. 4y

Graywacke @mdm139 happy birthday! 4y

Louise @mdm139 TWO puppies! Can I come and play?! Happy Birthday! 4y

rubyslippersreads @mdm139 Happy 🎂🎂🎂! I can‘t think of a better present than 🐶🐶! 4y

Lcsmcat @CarolynM @Graywacke I saw the older Thea in Sebastian, which was more of what I meant by SotL vibes. Lucy doesn‘t seem to have Thea‘s ambition. And I don‘t see Sebastian as a predator towards Lucy, more that her youth refreshes him in some way, maybe even artistically (a new interpretation of music he‘s sung for years?) and she is deep in hero worship, yes, but also in a fascination with the complexity of his character. I‘m not sure I‘m 👇🏻 4y

Lcsmcat 👆🏻articulating this clearly. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y

Graywacke @Currey just going over comments and reread what you said about her movement/but happy alone/self assurance - While I think there is an historical aspect to her self assurance, it was different then than now, Cather does a lot with Lucy. She makes her someone we want to meet before our story even gets going. 4y

Graywacke On jaws ( @Suet624 ) first line is : “In Haverford on the Platte the townspeople still talk of Lucy Gayheart.” We know Cather has read her Chekhov... that‘s ominous ( @batsy @rubyslippersreads @Lcsmcat @emilyhaldi ) (edited) 4y

Graywacke Then to follow that up with page 2 “Photographs of Lucy mean nothing to her old friends“ - not only a photo but to emphasize in that line how dead the photo is - it certainly leaves us thinking Lucy doesn‘t survive this story. (Not a spoiler. I haven‘t read ahead.) 4y

Graywacke @Lcsmcat I‘m with you. Based on what we know so far i like Sebastian and everything he‘s done. He‘s provided opportunity, encouragement, support, tolerance, and commitment to keeping their relationship healthy. And he has shown many sides of himself and seems very open (I kept thinking - this guy has no privacy. There is always someone around.) Seems ...* there are also many sides we haven‘t seen yet. ( @CarolynM ) *☺️ (edited) 4y

Suet624 @Louise thank you so much for highlighting those quotes. They are beautiful. 4y

Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi Yes, to what you said about the city vibes. Also, the part just before that, "...from the wintry country and homely neighbours, to the city where the air trembled like a tuning-fork with unimaginable possibilities". That's exactly how I felt when I waa going to uni, and then to work in another city. 4y

Currey @Graywacke Yes, I admire her and want to learn more from the very beginning 4y

emilyhaldi Yes!! @Tanisha_A I underlined that line too ✨✨✨ 4y

Suet624 Can‘t wait to talk about it. 4y

Tanisha_A Woooohooo! 🌟 4y

rubyslippersreads I couldn‘t help myself; I had to finish it. 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads 🙂 4y

TEArificbooks Got caught up. I read the comments and I don‘t have any thing to say that hasn‘t already been said. I love her imagery and love the musical quotes and descriptions of the landscapes. I get a little of the SoL vibes because musical girl going to Chicago, but the characters are different. I do not like the men in the story. I am afraid the Lucy is going to have a sad journey ahead of her. 4y

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emilyhaldi

Lucy Gayheart | Willa Cather

It dawned on me earlier this week that I never ordered this book for the #catherbuddyread... Unfortunately it's not in stock at my local bookstore and the edition I wanted wasn't offered on Amazon Prime... So I ordered the one option that I could get this week, not knowing that it would be GIANT 😆😧 oh well 🤷🏻‍♀️ better get reading!

Graywacke

Currey @emilyhaldi Better giant than never? 4y

Graywacke But... it‘s such a small book. I give this publisher creative printing points. Hope you enjoy! 4y

BarbaraBB I‘d have liked to see more of your gorgeous shelves but the giant books prevents that 🤣 4y

See All 13 Comments

Lcsmcat That is quite large! Is it annotated or large print? Or just really wide margins? 😀 4y

Liz_M 😍 You have

Anniversaries: From a Year in the Life of Gesine Cresspahl

Reviewsbylola Omg I had that happen earlier this year with

Vilette

emilyhaldi I remember that 😂 @Reviewsbylola 4y

emilyhaldi @Lcsmcat Its just very super large print 😂 4y

emilyhaldi @BarbaraBB just a tease 😉 4y

emilyhaldi Right! @Graywacke quite unnecessary 4y

emilyhaldi @Liz_M yes! I've been working up the stamina to get to that one 😅 4y

jewright This is the one I ended up with too. It‘s just odd. It seems like it‘s printed out of a copier or something. It‘s not great quality. 4y

emilyhaldi Yes it's very odd! @jewright definitely came from some kind of cheap printer... Very curious 4y

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Tanisha_A

Lucy Gayheart | Willa Cather

“In Haverford on the Platte the townspeople still talk of Lucy Gayheart.”

I am happy to be back in Cather's world. #catherbuddyread #openingline

@Graywacke

Graywacke It‘s a good place to be. 🙂 4y

65 likes1 comment

batsy

Lucy Gayheart: Reissue | Willa Cather

This is giving me The Song of the Lark vibes, which is very nice. And this passage captures the transcendentalism of Cather, which is the thing I like best in her work. The idea that experience can go beyond the material senses. Always this yearning to connect to the world. She always links this to characters who are driven to art or self-expression. The idea that "something" in the world "knew" is so beautiful ?

#catherbuddyread @Graywacke

Tanisha_A ❤️ I am sooo happy to be back to reading Cather with you all. 4y

MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm This is beautiful. ❤️ Stacked! 4y

Chrissyreadit The writing is simple gorgeous. 4y

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paulfrankspencer Just saying, when it comes to light, everyone agrees that there is something that transcends. It's a pretty universal idea that is worth reading about...

Marvelous Light

Graywacke Quite a quote! This keeps me wondering. It‘s such a curious line. The phrasing is unusual in meaningful ways. Every time i read it, it feels a little different and every time I feel like I just don‘t quite get it. “not merely something that had happened to her ignorance” - that‘s is a interesting way to close the thought and sends me wondering about our self-awareness. 4y

batsy @Tanisha_A Happy to have you join us again ❤️ 4y

batsy @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @Chrissyreadit Her prose is just 👌🏽 4y

batsy @paulfrankspencer Thanks for the rec. 4y

batsy There is a lot to ponder there. An eternal thing that endures as opposed to a transient comfort that one's ignorant/foolish heart might turn to temporarily and then move on from? 4y

batsy Sorry @Graywacke that comment above was in response to you :) 👆🏽 4y

Graywacke @batsy yes, definitely, well put. Delete question mark. 🙂 But - her choice of wording ( “something that had happened to her ignorance”) - doesn‘t it have other implications? She could have worded it more simply and directly if she chose. That‘s why I was thinking about self-awareness vs ignorance - in light of both Lucy and us poor little readers 🙂 (although I could also just be silly here 😳🙂) 4y

Graywacke @batsy i‘ll add that it starts “, not merely... “ and yet up this moment this eternal stuff HAD happened to her ignorance (merely or not). 4y

Lesliereads I love this quote 💕 4y

Centique This is so beautiful 😍 4y

batsy @Lesliereads @Centique Her writing certainly elevates one to a higher plane, so to speak. Sometimes it's just what is needed :) 4y

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Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart (Revised) | Willa Cather

#catherbuddyread Just a reminder - 1st discussion is Saturday: Book 1 parts I-X.

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 @Tanisha_A @emilyhaldi @rubyslippersreads 4y

Suet624 I‘m ready and waiting. 4y

Tanisha_A Woohoo! I am starting tomorrow, mostly. 😊 4y

See All 13 Comments

catebutler I‘m so excited about this one. So far it‘s keeping my interest. 4y

Lcsmcat I‘m so glad to be back with Cather! 4y

Louise I am loving this book so far! 4y

Graywacke @Suet624 @Tanisha_A @catebutler @Lcsmcat @Louise I‘m finding these comments motivating. I‘ll start this evening. Ready! 4y

Suet624 @Louise I am too! 4y

emilyhaldi Thanks for the reminder! 😅 I'll be starting this one tomorrow. 4y

CarolynM Looking forward to it🙂 4y

Currey @graywacke Picked up Cather at the library today and already gobbled to X. 4y

Graywacke @Currey starts off wonderfully, no? 🙂 4y

Currey @graywacke Yes, a wonderful start 4y

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Lcsmcat

Lucy Gayheart | Willa Cather, David H. Porter

I‘ve got my sections marked and I‘m ready to go for the #catherbuddyread @Graywacke

catebutler I just ordered the same edition, hoping it comes in the post soon!! 4y

Lcsmcat @catebutler 🤞🏻 I picked this one up at a library sale years ago. 4y

Graywacke Nice! 4y

See All 6 Comments

rubyslippersreads What a pretty copy. 😍 4y

LeahBergen It‘s so pretty! 4y

batsy Lovely vintage copy! 4y

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Suet624

Lucy Gayheart: Reissue | Willa Cather

The library came through and I‘m ready to go! #catherbuddyread

Graywacke

Graywacke You‘re really ready now 😲 4y

43 likes1 comment

Graywacke

Lucy Gayheart: Reissue | Willa Cather

Setting this up officially. Our next Cather, one of her late novels, with one previous post on Litsy. Anyone is welcome to join in with our small group for this.

#catherbuddyread
Book 1 parts I-X - Sep 12
Book 1 parts XI-XXI - Sep 19
Book 2 - Sep 26
Book 3 - Oct 3

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @CarolynM @batsy @jewright @Louise @Sace @Tamra @Suet624 @arubabookwoman @Currey @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @crazeedi @mdm139 4y

Graywacke @Tanisha_A 4y

Graywacke @Caterina @bromeliad @squirrelbrain @Amiable @jmofo @saresmoore @rubyslippersreads @SeaBreezeReader @cmastfalk @JamieArc @emilyhaldi for this list, tagging you guys as an fyi. If you want to be tagged for more posts, let me know. (edited) 4y

See All 16 Comments

Graywacke @LitsyHappenings 4y

Suet624 Thank you! 4y

arubabookwoman I‘ll be joining! 4y

Lcsmcat 👍🏻 4y

emilyhaldi I just bought the book! 👍🏻 4y

Graywacke @Suet624 np @arubabookwoman @Lcsmcat 👍 @emilyhaldi great. I‘ll keep you on the tag list. 4y

jewright I have the book! 4y

batsy Thanks! I'm not sure what to expect with this one as it's also not one that I've heard much about, so I'm excited :) 4y

Louise Looking forward! Got my copy last week! 👍 4y

CarolynM Looking forward to it🙂 Thanks Dan. (edited) 4y

Graywacke @jewright good start! @batsy me neither, no clue. Apparently it was criticized as conservative. We‘ll see. @Louise @CarolynM 👍 4y

rubyslippersreads I‘ve always wanted to read this one (probably because of the pretty title), so I‘ll be joining in. (edited) 4y

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads great news! 🙂 4y

34 likes16 comments

EvieBee

Lucy Gayheart: Reissue | Willa Cather

#BookMail from my sickbed, lol! I ordered these weeks ago and they finally arrived. It‘s nice when you‘ve set a book buying ban but are still enjoying the spoils of past splurges. I think I have a few more left.

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes and comments! Love my Litsy Family. Xx 🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️
#bookhaul #bookbuyingban

Rachbb3 Hope you feel better soon! Bookmail definitely helps!! 7y

Ms_T Get well soon x 7y

TrishB Hope they help you feel better. 7y

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claffy_reads Feel better! Enjoy your new books! 💜💜 7y

rubyslippersreads Such a pretty picture—hope you're feeling better! ❤️ 7y

readordierachel Hope you feel better soon! 💙 7y

LeahBergen What a pretty sight! Feel better soon. 💕 7y

Bookwormjillk Feel better! 7y

bedandabook Hope you start to feel lots better very soon 💕 7y

minkyb Sorry you are sick. Feel better. 7y

LiteraryinPA Feel better! 7y

TheWordJar Wishing you a swift recovery! 💙💙 In the meantime, take time to enjoy all the books! 7y

tammysue Feel better soon, and enjoy reading those lovely books! 7y

JanuarieTimewalker13 Ooooh, what beautiful books!!! I loved My Antonia...I have to read more Cather!! I'm sure you are feeling better just with those beauties next to you!💐 7y

batsy Wishing you a speedy recovery! Those Vintage covers are so lovely. I'm just gonna go have a look at Book Depository... 😂 7y

DivineDiana Sending get well wishes your way. Beautiful book editions! 💐 7y

AlaMich Sounds like you are feeling better? 👍 7y

Cathythoughts Oh I hope you feel better 🙏 7y

Jess_Read_This I‘m glad you are feeling better! 7y

EvieBee @Rachbb3 @Ms_T @TrishB @callielafleur @rubyslippersreads @ReadOrDieRachel @LeahBergen @Bookwormjillk @bedandabook @minkyb @LiteraryinLititz @TheWordJar @whatshesreadingnow @batsy @DivineDiana @AlaMich @Cathythoughts @Jess_Read_This Thank you all so much for your kindness and concern. I am doing 100% better, and just wanted to let everyone know that there is a pretty nasty norovirus going around that is causing usual symptoms. Take extra care❤️❤️❤️ (edited) 7y

EvieBee @JanuarieTimewalker13 My Antonia is the book I was supposed to read in high school but didn‘t appreciate. I read the Spark Notes instead and I regret it. I need to remedy that! I have read this one and really enjoyed it!

The Song of the Lark

(edited) 7y

JanuarieTimewalker13 Oh good!! I will have to look into that one. Hope you are feeling better! 7y

JanuarieTimewalker13 By the way, that photo is so relaxing and beautiful! 7y

EvieBee @JanuarieTimewalker13 😊❤️ 7y

97 likes24 comments

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