This is another title that appears several of my "top books" lists. Ms. Cather's writing is rich and pleasant to read, as it was in My Antonia and O Pioneers! The descriptions of nineteenth century New Mexico and the southwest US and the many cultures and personalities are full and three dimensional, and also rich. But the overall context centered around the Catholic archbishop missionary and his travels and cohorts was less interesting to me. I suspect that the story sheds light on the reality of life in the church in that era and context, but i found it secondary to the rich descriptive writing used in the story.
