Willa

I've been staying up late for the last couple of weeks, and hurrying my children off to their naps so I can sneak in another chapter, page, or even paragraph of my newest favorite author, Willa Cather. I'm absolutely smitten. A week or so ago I finished the story of two French, Catholic Priests who somehow manage to quench the the parched spirits of the impoverished parishes among the Indian and Mexican parishes (that's a mouthful). It was really a touching story, and what struck me about it, and Cather's other books in comparison to modern novels is the huge span of time she covers--usually 20-50 years, while a modern book tends to tell about an event, an affair, a mystery waiting to be solved, or something very limited in time. Because of this, we get to see Cather's people evolve.  

"One January day, thirty years ago, the little town of Hanover, anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland, was trying not to be blown away..."