My recent reread of Cather's Death Comes For the Archbishop was wonderful. The book is one of my favorites - very cleanly written, vivid and tight. Although not sentimental, Cather's portrayal of the desert Southwest in the last quarter of the 19th century is sometimes idealized, with its depiction of the simple, strong and pious native Americans and Mexicans lovingly mistered to by upright, but very human French clergy. Of course there are dark characters, and one in particular, Kit Carson, who is complexly both hero and villain. The depiction of the restored Navajo homeland near the end of the book is utopian and edenic. But Cather's greatest strength is her incredible ability to capture the pristine, hard beauty of New Mexico. Her prose is as crystalline as the desert air. It's a book of great beauty and great calm.
For an introduction to the book from ENotes, click here: http://www.enotes.com/death-comes/
For an introduction to the book from ENotes, click here: http://www.enotes.com/death-comes/
