Cover of A Lost Lady

A Lost Lady

by Willa Cather

First published
1923
Reading level
Easy
Price
Free

About the book

"A Lost Lady" by Willa Cather is a novel published in 1923. It follows Marian Forrester, a charming socialite in the western railroad town of Sweet Water, as she navigates relationships with various suitors while her aging pioneer husband declines. Through young Niel Herbert's eyes, the story traces Marian's social fall, symbolizing the end of the American frontier and the shift from noble pioneering ideals to an era of capitalist exploitation. This influential work notably inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

  • Nebraska
  • Psychological fiction
  • Domestic fiction
  • Married women
  • Frontier and pioneer life

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #65636. A Lost Lady on Wikipedia.

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