He did not think of these books as something invented to beguile the idle
hour, but as living creatures, caught in the very behaviour of living,
— surprised behind their misleading severity of form and phrase. He was
eavesdropping upon the past, being let into the great world that had
plunged and glittered and sumptuously sinned long before little Western
towns were dreamed of.
Willa Cather, A Lost Lady (1923)
Image: Man Reading by John Singer Sargent
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
Such a great quote! I sometimes think Willa Cather gets overlooked. She's an amazing writer.
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I've read about half of her novels now, and the depth and range of her work is very impressive — plus simply beautiful writing.
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