Sapphira and the Slave Girl

Willa Cather

The action takes place in Virginia five years before the Civil War. The story shows the impact of slavery on Saphira Colbert, a woman of spirit and common sense who is frighteningly capricious in dealing with the people she owns. The heroine Sapphira lacks moral qualities, she does not cause sympathy. However, the book was critically acclaimed and was a commercial success.

Shadows on the Rock

Willa Cather

This is a historical fiction book depicting the French colonization of Canada and life in Quebec in the late 1600s. Euclid Auclair is a father and a widower. The little daughter took over the running of their home after the death of her beloved mother two years ago. She is twelve. Euclid and his family, wife and daughter, had come to Quebec eight years earlier, hired by the Governor General to be his physician.

The Professors House

Willa Cather

When Professor Godfrey St. Peter and his wife move into a new home, he begins to feel dissatisfied with the new turn in life. He continues his scientific work in his dusty laboratory in an old house, trying to return to his old life. Two of his daughters get married and leave their home, two sons-in-law appear in the family. This provokes a midlife crisis, making the professor feel like he has lost his will to live due to a lack of purpose.

The Song of the Lark

Willa Cather

Young and ambitious Thea Kronborg leaves Moonstone, a fictional city in Colorado, for Chicago to pursue her dream of becoming a pianist. The music teacher hears her voice and realizes that the girl has a gift for singing. He encourages her to continue studying vocals instead of piano.

The Troll Garden

Willa Cather

A collection of poignant stories about art and artists, about those who love them and those who dont. Every story in this book is about artists and disappointment. Three stories are Western, two of them set in Kansas and Wyoming, and the third is about a woman from Nebraska traveling through Boston.

Youth and the Bright Medusa

Willa Cather

The stories in this collection mostly take place in New York and Boston, and are all about artistswriters, musicians, sculptorsand their relationship to society. There are stories of brilliance, inspiration and expectations. All of them are wonderful.