Book – A Lost Lady
Author - Willa Cather
Country - United States
Language - English
Genre - Fiction
Publisher - Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Date - September 1923
This is my second book by Willa Cather. I read ‘My Antonia’ few years ago and I loved it. A lost lady is set in late 19th century, in a small fictional town called Sweet water along the Burlington rail road on the Western Plains. The finest house in Sweet Water is the white winged house of Mr. and Mrs. Forrester. The Forrester’s spend only their summer in Sweet Water, yet they called it their home. Mr. Forrester is a rail road contractor and a generous man. He had loved this place as a young man and vowed to build a home. Twenty years later he had made his dream come true. Mrs. Forrester is twenty years younger than Mr. Forrester. She is beautiful, charming and an enchanting hostess. The main focus of the story is Mrs. Forrester. Niel Herbert is a boy of twelve years at the opening of the story. He is enchanted by Mrs. Forrester’s grace, charm, laugh and the way she manages her home. Most of the story is told from Niel’s perspective. As Forrester’s become financially weak, they tend to spend more time at Sweet Water. Niel is now nineteen years of age and spends more time at Forrester’s House. His admiration for Mrs. Forrester had grown more over the years. He is dismayed when he finds Mrs. Forrester’s affair with Frank Ellinger. He had lost one of the most beautiful things in his life. Mr. Forrester becomes totally broke financially and all that is left for them is their home at Sweet Water. Soon Mr. Forrester suffers a stroke, but survives. Mrs. Forrester is worn out, yet she maintains her elegance. After a second stroke, Mr. Forrester becomes totally invalid and Mrs. Forrester loses her elegance. After Mr. Forrester’s death, she prefers life on any terms. Niel finds her affair with Ivy Peters, a shyster lawyer, who at the beginning of the novel is portrayed as a bully and a cruel teenager. His illusion is finally unveiled and he leaves her and Sweet Water forever.
This novella is a delight to read with vivid descriptions that bring Sweet Water and the white winged house at the foot of the hills and its inhabitants very much alive. Cather’s writing is elegant, yet simple and lucid.
