Funny how casual conversations can lead to so much more.

Last July, at the rehearsal for my grandson’s wedding, an acquaintance and I chatted about books we’d each been reading. She said she’d just finished and enjoyed “The Song of the Lark” by Willa Sibert Cather (1873-1947), one of the stories in Cather’s “Prairie Trilogy.” I have a bit of a penchant for early American authors and said it sounded like something I’d enjoy, too.

Returning to my car later, I noticed she had left her copy on my car seat. An open invitation to be sure.

Soon after finishing that heartwarming tale, I thirsted for more. I figured if I was charmed by the least known of the literary trio, how much more I would enjoy the others, “O Pioneers!” and “My Ántonia.”

I was so right. Cather is the author I didn’t know I was missing in my life.

Set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, all three feature Great Plains pioneers, but with different characters, storylines and fictional settings. The books are not connected and can be read in any order.

The first of the trilogy, “O Pioneers!” published in 1913, features Alexandra Bergson, the only daughter of a Swedish immigrant family who inherits the family farm near Hanover, Nebraska. Despite her brothers’ disdain, and the hardships of the wild and unforgiving frontier, which have driven away many neighboring families, Alexandra eventually transforms the land into a prosperous enterprise, and herself into a respected and wealthy figure.

“The Song of the Lark” (1915) follows the life of Thea Kronborg, also from a Swedish immigrant family, living in Moonstone, Colorado. With aspirations of a singing career, she overcomes the limitations and obstacles of her rural life, discovering and honing her talents to ultimately achieve success with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. (Side note: Cather drew inspiration for the title from a painting by the same name by 19th century French artist Jules Breton).

In “My Ántonia” (pronounced ahn-toe-NEE-ah), published in 1918, Jim Burden recounts his childhood in Black Hawk, Nebraska. An orphan from Virginia, he makes quick friends with adventurous, lively Ántonia Shimerda, from Bohemia. The pair grow up together, bolstering one another against the unfamiliarity of their new surroundings. He becomes a successful New York lawyer, while she remains in Nebraska. After 20 years, he revisits “my” Ántonia, finding his free-spirited friend has become happily grounded as a farm wife and mother.

Those are the bare basics, of course; the depth and messages in all three run deep.

In both “O Pioneers” and “The Song of the Lark” the main themes seem to be independence and perseverance. In the former, Alexandra takes on her role as head of the family land with aplomb and dignity, following her gut for the most part. In the latter, Thea is in a similar situation, the difference being one of a personal nature as she pursues a dream.

I find “My Ántonia” highly nostalgic — a poignant lesson that teaches that although we can’t return to our past, neither can we escape it. Ántonia seems to accept that eventually and even embrace what was once a lonely rural life, while Jim seems unable to forget and let go of it, despite his city success.

Prime examples of American literature, Cather’s “Prairie Trilogy” offers a historical glimpse at the lives of those who endured much just to stake a claim at a worthwhile life in the early American West. All three showcase women thrust into roles that demand strength, patience and perseverance. They are easy, comfortable reads, though emotionally riveting at times.

Suggested age levels vary for all three, but they are generally suitable for ages 14 and up, making them excellent “family stories” to enjoy with older children over the holiday school break.