Death Comes for the Archbishop

By Willa Cather

 

This novel follows the life story of bishop Jean Latour and his work as a catholic in a new and untamed land of the Southwest.


This was the last Willa Cather book I had to read for my major authors class and it was my least favorite. Compared to Cather's other works, this one fell short for me; it felt stale and disjointed. It follows the stories in the life of Jean Latour and his hardships in the southwest and trying to firmly place Catholisism in the lives of the people. It is interesting and infomative, as well as some choice descriptive scenes by Cather, but it lacked the richness of her Prarie narratives. It was much like One of Ours, toward the end when it is set in France and less interesting; except it was through the entire book. Anywho, if you're going to read Cather, I'd suggest reading The Professor's House or O Pioneers!

I give it a 2 1/2 out of 5