My Antonia - Abridged

Summary

My Antonia tells of the wholesome friendship and affection between a boy and girl and the shared childhood bonds that tie them together. At the end of the 19th century, fourteen-year-old Ántonia Shimerda has realized the immigrant's dream. She has just arrived in rural Nebraska with her Bohemian (Czech) family at the same time as ten-year-old Jim Burden, an orphan sent to live with his grandparents. While Jim's family is prosperous and steady, the Shimerdas quickly find themselves mired in poverty and struggle to make ends meet. But they live near to each other (by pioneer standards), and the two youngsters become close. Reminiscing about his dearest childhood friend, Ántonia is a personification of Jim's free-spirited bygone days spent chasing rabbits and prairie dogs. Ántonia's warmth belongs to the land and the people who love her. For Jim, Ántonia is home.