An independent and strong-minded woman gains control of a farm and determines to effect its fruition. Though many doubt her capacity, the female landowner trumps her male counterparts when the farm flourishes under her effective management. In the end, she marries--but on extremely unconventional terms. Rejecting romantic love, she instead weds a devoted friend. Camaraderie hence privileged over passion, the novel ends. This summary outlines the story of not one but two major literary heroines--Bathsheba Everdene of Thomas Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd" (1874) and Alexandra Bergson of Willa Cather's "O Pioneers!" (1913).