My Antonia Audiobook By Willa Cather cover art

My Antonia

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

My Antonia

By: Willa Cather
Narrated by: Jeff Cummings, Ken Burns (introduction)
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.58

Buy for $14.58

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Widely recognized as Willa Cather's finest book and one of the outstanding novels of American literature, My Antonia details of the life of early American pioneers in Nebraska.

Through Jim Burden's endearing, smitten voice, we revisit the remarkable vicissitudes of immigrant life in the Nebraska heartland, with all its insistent bonds. Guiding the way are some of literature's most beguiling characters: the Russian brothers plagued by memories of a fateful sleigh ride, Antonia's desperately homesick father and self-indulgent mother, and the coy Lena Lingard. Holding the pastoral society's heart, of course, is the bewitching, free-spirited Antonia.

Infused with a gracious passion for the land, My Antonia is a deeply moving portrait of an entire community and its way of life.

Bonus: In partnership with Audible and Playtone, the television and film producer behind the award-winning series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, this audiobook includes an original introduction, written and read by acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns. For more from Audible and Playtone, click here.

©2012 Willa Cather Classics Heartfelt Scary

Critic reviews

"No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as My Antonia." (H. L. Mencken)

Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


Before we whipped out our old high school syllabi and dug deep into our libraries to start selecting contenders for this list, we first had to answer the question, "How do we define a classic?" The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might guess, though there’s a lot to be said for the old adage, "You know it when you see it" (or, in this case, hear it). Of course, most critically, each of our picks had to be fabulous in audio. So dust off your aspirational listening list—we have some amazing additions you don’t want to miss.

Featured Article The top 100 classics of all time
Beautiful Prose • Vivid Descriptions • Excellent Narration • Historical Authenticity • Evocative Storytelling
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  

Would you listen to My Antonia again? Why?

I read My Antonia years ago, in college, and wanted to revisit it after I recently read Death Comes for the Archbishop--a beautiful book. I would not necessarily want to listen to My Antonia again, as I am familiar with the period about which she is writing.

What other book might you compare My Antonia to and why?

I would compare it to my father's book (self-published years ago, printed on a mimeograph machine). His book, Recollections: My Folks and Fields, covers the same time span in Clay County, Alabama and describes life for the same sort of people. I am currently re-editing my father's book, getting it in hardback form to replace the ones now in libraries.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Cummings – was your favorite?

The narrator's voice was strongest.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My reaction was not extreme, but I came away with an increased admiration for the people who had the strength to be pioneers. They had so little and worked harder than most people (especially the young) can imagine in our spoiled culture.

Any additional comments?

I think this book would be good for high school students to tackle, though I doubt they would have the perseverance to get through it. Comparing their electronic, obese, pampered existences to that of the young people of Nebraska in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries would be informative.

Pioneer Strength

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator's attempts at Bohemian (Czech) accents fell short to the ears of someone who lived in Prague for five years - I would rather just have unaccented voices for the characters...

Would you recommend My Antonia to your friends? Why or why not?

This is a gentle, coming-of-age story with lovely, evocative descriptions of life in the plains, so if someone I know is looking for such a read I might recommend "My Antonia" to them.

You, sir, are no Bohemian

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I rate the story 3-4 stars but the reader was a 5 star reader.! Didn't like him at first when I heard the sample but when I bought it and listened to him on my ipod he sounded better.

very good reader

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I had hoped to love this book, but it was just okay. In the introduction it's said this is Willa Cather's best work. I won't be reading any others. A somewhat interesting story, but ho-hum overall.

Well....

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of My Antonia to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version, so can't comment. The reader makes an effort at what I would say are Czech accents, they are certainly somewhere in Eastern Europe, and I found them a nice addition to the experience.

What did you like best about this story?

At this point in our history (fall 2016) with the middle of the country decidedly Trump country, we need a more nuanced view of the people in the middle. This book written around 100 years predates the present political-cultural divide, but it does allude to the tough life on the plains, the movement of some away from the hard life, some that stay and the various stories that go along with individual decisions.

Which scene was your favorite?

I think the last part of the book was the most moving with the reunion of two old friends. Many questions remain about the principles, their underlying motives are lost forever, we never really know what motivates them, but we know the value of friendship, and how the prairie shapes a person to value the friends they have.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The harsh life on the prairie and the people who live on it.

People on the praire transcend stereotypes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is beautifully written, and I think Willa Cather probably did not sustain the popularity of other American writers because she is a woman. I can’t think of another reason. The story is interesting and depicts a way of life in a certain period of American history. What to think about: it would do well for people to consider that immigration to the US at that time was quite open for white people of European descent (the story is taking place around the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act). The book could be used for a serious discussion about immigration, the contributions of immigrants to the US, and I think in particular those people who say things like “immigrants should come legally and wait their turn just like my ancestors did” should know that their ancestors very likely didn’t have to wait if they wanted to come but had unrestricted entry. There are some troubling aspects in the book, particularly the depiction of the African-American blind pianist. I got a sense that Cather thought she was being kind or appreciative, but the stereotypes and language were awful. He had “rhythm”, and, well, stuff that I won’t bother to repeat here. I cringed. The last part troubled me a lot, too - the romanticizing of a woman who had so many kids, worked so hard, lost all her teeth (likely poor diet, poor health care, not enough money or education for either). No, this was a very hard life and very few women would honestly say that this is how a woman should be treated. If her husband truly loved her, he wouldn’t want to see her so overworked, so burdened with childbirth, nursing (you don’t read about how hard that must have been for all of those children), all the household chores and working in the fields, too. The book ends on a note as if that is the true happiness, the true good life. Sorry, I don’t buy it. Count me out. The narrator was overall very good, but I’m not convinced about his accents (the Polish fellow, for example, did not have a credible accent), but this did not detract from listening to the book. I am glad I listened to this book (one of the Audible Daily Deals) - I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge of American literature.

Good writing, much to think about

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Very descriptive book I enjoyed it. I did ,however, have to slow the readers voice to .75 so I could process all that was being described.

A trip into Nebraska past prairie life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A story written in language so beautiful its passages will always resonate in my mind.

Glorious

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoy Willa Cather, and I'll put My Antonia up against any of the so-called classics we were forced to read in school.

Now That's a Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A classic by one of America’s finest writers. I hate to say it, but I feel the narrator doesn’t do it justice. He’s not terrible or annoying - just seems to miss the mark with this story. His cadence is not right.
If I had not read this book prior and already knew that I love it, I might not have appreciated how lovely are the story and the writing.

Narrator Doesn’t Do It Justice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews