O Pioneers! is a novel set among Swedish and other immigrant farmers on the Nebraska plains around the turn of the twentieth century. After her father's death, Alexandra Bergson takes charge of the family farm and, through patience and vision, helps turn rough land into prosperous fields. Yet success brings strain with her brothers and tests her private hopes, including her feelings for a friend from youth. The book celebrates the pioneer spirit and the bond between people and land, and it helped establish Cather's voice.
Quotes
We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it — for a little while.
The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman.
There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.
I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.