Willa Cather's 1922 novel "One of Ours" is two stories relating the two phases in the life of young Claude Wheeler.

The book begins on the Wheeler family farm in Nebraska, where Claude struggles to find his purpose in life. He marries a woman who mistreats him before abandoning him.

He decides his destiny lies in the United States Army, fighting in the First World War, so the story takes him to Europe.

Cather details Claude's relationships at home and overseas - how they differ and how they affect his life differently. In young Claude, she shows us the part of ourselves that longs for meaning. Working on the family farm and a loveless marriage meant little to Claude. But fighting for his country gave him a reason to go on.

"One of Ours" is a different novel for Cather, who gained fame writing about the American West and Great Plains. The second half of this novel takes us far from the shores of America. But the death of her cousin on a World War I battlefield inspired her to tell this story.

This novel is a solid coming-of-age story told in a very personal way.