Spring Came On Forever (Bison Book) [Paperback]

Bess Streeter Aldrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1985 | Series: Bison Book

Acclaimed for her 1928 novel A Lantern in Her Hand, Bess Streeter Aldrich became one of the most widely read interpreters of the prairie pioneer experience. In 1935, she published her masterpiece, Spring Came on Forever, a novel of two Nebraska pioneer families from settlement to the 1930s. Elsewhere an artist of the romance, here Aldrich turns romance on its head.

 

The heroine is Amalia Holmsdorfer, one of a band of German immigrants who settle on the prairie. From her late teens to her mid-eighties she confronts and defeats the forces of nature and society that discourage or ruin others. Her life might be a modest triumph but for one detail: she married the wrong man.

 

Quickly paced and precisely drawn, this novel is Aldrich's greatest tribute to the complexity, humor, endurance, and intelligence of the people who settled the prairie. Whatever its sentiments, it has as many cutting edges as a buzz saw.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An old-fashioned love story, touching and poignant. It is also much more. It details the settlement, growth and development of the state of Nebraska, presenting human beings rejoicing in birth and grieving in death. A story of two families whose lives are mysteriously intertwined, the book depicts courage in times of natural disasters, drought and flood, as well as economic difficulties in the Great Depression.”—Kliatt

(Kliatt )

Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (February 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803259077
• ISBN-13: 978-0803259072
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My life has been long and wondrous but I recall this book., August 10, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spring Came On Forever (Bison Book) (Paperback)

A heavy reader, I have excellent recall but there is one book I read in my teens which I have always looked for and could not find. I am happy to be able to order it here.

It is a story of simple young love which is thwarted by a number of societal rules...and as we watch the two parallel lives unfold, we are startled, near the end, to watch them pass one another again...our emotions never recover. That is why I must read it again as I ender old age myself.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming, at once heartbreaking and heartwarming portrait, April 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spring Came On Forever (Bison Book) (Paperback)

I first read this book as an almost high school freshman; it stayed with me through the years and I had to 'find' it again through the same library almost 30 years later. The story has not lost any of its power and charm; the love and constancy of Amalia and Matthew for each other, and their ability to carry on despite separation, hardship and heartbreak is still a strong story. The story is a thorough, clear picture of the life of a settler, when what we now call the midwest was wilderness. Duty, the greater good of the community, just getting to the end of the day/planting season/year was an accomplishment. To do this well, with honor and simple love, carries the lead characters through. When they separate, in spite of all their intentions to stay together, your heart almost breaks, yet cheers for them as they continue. When they are 'almost' brought back together, I smiled at the irony and justice of this beautiful example of the full 'circle of life.'

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the sweetest, and yet the saddest, October 15, 2003

By 

brooke "brooke" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spring Came On Forever (Bison Book) (Paperback)

I could've cried over this book. What teen girl who loves heartbreakers wouldn't?(besides me? i've only cried over one book but shhh. don't tell. this book should be cried over). Aldrich wrote this book to touch hearts, I can see that already! This book was so sweet, and through it all, I just wanted to cry thinking how Mathias and Amalia were able to put their short, yet sweet romance behind them. Anyway, Mathias was working in the shop one day, when his future "kliene taub,"(little dove) walks in. Her name is Amalia, and she is the most beautiful thing that Mathias had ever seen. Instantly, the two are in love. Mathias calls on her every Sunday after that, even after he discovers that Amalia is unhappily betrothed to someone else. Well, just when they descide to tell her father, Amalia's Luthren family takes her west, leaving Mathias in Illinois. The two are heartsick with their broken romance. Mathias goes west after her, but comes too late, for she is already wed, and he doesn't even know where she is. But, just because the romance is broken, doesn't mean the love is. The two go on loving each other throughout the rest of their lives, even though they haven't seen eachother since those earlier days, and even though they find others to love along the ways. This was a truly sweet story, and beautifully written.