Book Review : A Lost Lady by Willa Cather

The Lost Lady is Marian Forrester who lives in the town of Sweet Water with her railway pioneer husband. Niel Herbert is Marian’s trusted, younger friend but her vivacious nature hides a truth that Niel knows about, but only because he witnessed an assignation.

Niel sees the decline of Marian Forrester over the years, especially when he comes home from Boston where he’s been studying. Niel finds it difficult to cope with the changes in her circumstances, especially as she appears to be in the clutches of an ambitious man called Ivy Peters. Peters is the epitome of the thrusting capitalist and the decline of Marian Forrester is mirrored in the wider decline of the western USA, moving quickly from the idealised age of noble pioneers to the age of capitalist exploitation.

This book is recommended.