Willa Cather 
One of Ours 

Here, you will say, is an authentic masterpiece -  a novel to rank with the finest of this or any age. All the magic of Miss Cather’s subtle and flexible style, all the passion of her daring, impatient mind, are lavished upon the presentation of a single figure – sort of young Hamlet of the prairies. And upon the haunting story of his struggle with life and fate. One of Ours is the intimate story of a young man’s life. Claude Wheeler’s stormy youth, his enigmatic marriage, and the final adventure which releases the baffled energy of the boy’s nature, are told with almost epic simplicity. But behind the personal drama there is an ever deepening sense of national drama, of national character, working itself our through individuals and their destiny.