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A Lost Lady Study Guide

by Willa Cather

A Lost Lady study guide contains a biography of Willa Cather, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

A Lost Lady is set in the small railroad town of Sweet Water, on the Western plains. The finest family is that of the Forresters, and Mrs. Forrester is known far and wide as being an enchanting hostess. The leaders of the railroads often stop by the house and spend an evening there while passing through Sweet Water.

Niel Herbert, a young boy when the novel opens, goes to the Forrester estate in order to play in the marsh with his friends. While there, an older boy named Ivy Peters arrives. Ivy sees a woodpecker and shoots her out of a nearby tree. He then takes a blade and slits her eyes, watching as she flutters around helplessly before luckily finding her hole in the tree. Feeling sympathetic, Niel starts to climb the tree in order to put…

Read the full A Lost Lady Summary

• A Lost Lady Summary
• About A Lost Lady
• Character List
• Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters 1-3
• Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters 4-6
• Summary and Analysis of Part I, Chapters 7-9
• Summary and Analysis of Part II, Chapters 1-3
• Summary and Analysis of Part II, Chapters 4-6
• Summary and Analysis of Part II, Chapters 7-9
• Related Links on A Lost Lady
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• A Lost Lady: Questions
• A Lost Lady: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Willa Cather: Biography