A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver.
In the small town of Holt, Colorado,... read full description
In the small town of Holt, Colorado,... read full description
reviews
Dec 17, 2009
Mark
rated it: 
This is a quietly beautiful book. I think most Americans -- and maybe others -- are suckers for well-told tales of small town life, even though small towns, and their virtues and vices, are quickly disappearing. This story has finely drawn characters and is centered on the life a high school teacher who is raising his two boys pretty much single handedly as his wife sinks into depression. But the hopeful thread of the story lives in the tale of a young woman who becomes pregnant and must seek he
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Oct 30, 2010
Mark
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Plainsong, and its sequel Eventide, are both beautifully written stories of about simple honest people trying to live their lives as best they can. I cannot overemphasize how well-written these books are. The narrator never intrudes on the story, which may be the best sign of a good writer.
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Apr 14, 2008
Colin
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Plainsong is the story of intersecting lives in Holt, Colorado: Tom Guthrie is a high school teacher with problems in the classroom and at home with his depressed wife who won’t get out of bed. His sons, Ike and Bobby, begin to relate to other people around the town. Victoria Roubideaux is a pregnant 17-year-old kicked out of her house and looking for a place to live and be loved. The elderly McPherons are bachelor brothers who don’t know anything about life outside of a farm. High school teache
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Dec 17, 2009
Dave
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Oh, what a beautiful book. Haruf's language is so deceptively simple--there's probably not a word in the book beyond sixth grade reading level. But with this simple language, he creates such beautiful, sad, lonely, human people. I'm particularly in love with the McPheron brothers, two elderly bachelor farmer brothers (and they're the single largest reason I think Nance needs to read this book).
Something else about the simplicity of the language--I can't recall a single time that Haru More...
Something else about the simplicity of the language--I can't recall a single time that Haru More...
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(4 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Stephany
rated it:
A National Book Award Finalist, Plainsong by Kent Haruf provides a peek into the heartbreaks and struggles of a handful of characters in a rural Colorado plains community. In separate stories that find a tender, connected resolution, the book follows three families on their emotional pilgrimages. Abandoned by his despondent wife, school teacher Tom Guthrie endeavors to care for his two boys who become the target of bullies. Pregnant and alienated teenager Victoria Roubideux searches for answe
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(3 people liked it)
Nov 23, 2008
Jill
rated it:
I bought this book in Salem, but didn't read it until I was in Montana, which is fitting for the book. Read it again last week, and as it's been a couple of years, I got to enjoy again, as though for the first time, the evocative language of Haruf's writing.
The texture of the language brought out the taste of a bitter winter Colorado wind, rushing along the flat, barren land. The plain spoken people were aptly described, rendering them not necessarily lovable, but realistic, living More...
The texture of the language brought out the taste of a bitter winter Colorado wind, rushing along the flat, barren land. The plain spoken people were aptly described, rendering them not necessarily lovable, but realistic, living More...
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Sep 09, 2007
Pam
rated it:
I'll read just about any book that takes place in the Midwest/Great Plains. It seems that there are more than usual using this location lately. We don't have oceans, swamps, mountains, or great forests, but we have lots of sky, and I think that does something to you, when you can see forever.
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Jun 30, 2011
Sarah Whitney
rated it:
Brace yourself to fall into this subtle, character-driven novel. Haruf skillfully brings the reader into the lives of a select collection of individuals living in the rural town of Holt, Colorado. In their stories you will observe a poignant display of humanity. Each of their unique and yet interconnected stories will remind you of why you believe in good people and leave you with a sense of hope. On the contrary, it will, at times, also remind you of the ugliness that lurks in the world as well
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Feb 15, 2009
Annalisa
rated it: 
I get the point of the novel: to give a glimpse of small town life without extravagance. Beauty in simplicity. But I felt more depressed then touched by Haruf's picture of a whole town of people lonely in their own selfish wandering aimlessly without direction. I didn't like any characters in the book, except for maybe the boys who weren't old enough to yet become bitter, mean, and immoral. Nobody else in the book cared about anyone else as they focused on their small lives. Nobody did anything
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 09, 2008
Lucy
rated it: 
The first page of this book has a definition of the word plainsong. It is:
"any simple and unadorned melody or air."
I appreciated this book more than I liked it. The author, Kent Haruf, writes with a vividly clear but simple prose about a small town in northeastern Colorado, a couple of hours from Denver, whose occupants struggle with their choices, their relationships and their opportunities.
Kind of a universal story, honestly, but in this setting - More...
"any simple and unadorned melody or air."
I appreciated this book more than I liked it. The author, Kent Haruf, writes with a vividly clear but simple prose about a small town in northeastern Colorado, a couple of hours from Denver, whose occupants struggle with their choices, their relationships and their opportunities.
Kind of a universal story, honestly, but in this setting - More...
Oct 28, 2007
Charlotte
rated it:
I found it a bit irritating that the author always referred to Victoria Roubideaux as "she" except for naming her in the chapter titles, but perhaps that was to emphasize how many other people saw her and treated her.
The fact that I was unable to tell when the story took place also frustrated me. At times I thought it must have taken place in the 50's, but I don't think most teachers hung out in bars in the 50's.
Surely today a teacher would not More...
The fact that I was unable to tell when the story took place also frustrated me. At times I thought it must have taken place in the 50's, but I don't think most teachers hung out in bars in the 50's.
Surely today a teacher would not More...
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 12, 2008
Rachel
rated it:
I'm from the Midwest, and though I agree with my East and West coast friends about some of its annoying (even madening) attributes (odd worship of football for one), I still believe it has a quiet, plain, yet surprising beauty all its own. This book captures that perfectly--the prose is spare, wiped clean of word-clutter, like the view I get out my window as I drive home across Iowa's corn fields. It's unadorned, but beautiful and communicative for that; because it says so little, what it does
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Jan 13, 2009
Judith
rated it:
A friend lent this book to me on January 1st. I started reading it and couldn't have picked a better book to start the new year off with. This book was gentle, simple, and elegant in a way that I haven't read since Anita Diamont's "The Red Tent". Very beautifully crafted, in my humble opinion. I could see every single one of these characters and had to hope that they were based on people or behaviors the author knew personally. If not...if he just pulled these characters out of a
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Nov 08, 2007
David
rated it:
Great book. Very quiet, low-key tone. Multiple characters in a small-town setting in, I think, Wyoming (I read it last year). This book isn't flashy at all, the tone is somewhat elegaic, but he manages to convey a great deal of feeling with simple, eloquent language. There's a whole lot of heart here. If you're looking fos linguistic pyrotechnics, this is the wrong book for you, but if you want something to sink into and be absorbed by, here it is. I look forward to reading his other books.
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Dec 17, 2011
Ben
rated it:
Plainsong is a slow, marching story based in a small Colorado town. The story centers around a diverse array of characters. There is Guthrie, a school teacher whose wife is basically a ghost that wants to leave them. There is Ike and Bobby, Guthrie's two boys, who are trying to make sense of their parents' deteriorating relationship. Then there is Victoria, a teenage girl who is pregnant. After her mother kicks her out of the house, she goes to live with two elderly brothers, the McPherons, who
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Dec 05, 2011
Richard
rated it:
When people noticed I was reading "Peace Like a River," they kept recommending Plainsong, then my wife brought it home from the library to recommend to her book group, so I read it.
Amazing, and not at all like Peace Like a River in style or content. Yes, there are kids - well, Oliver Twist has kids, too, what is that supposed to mean?
Kent Haruf has that uncanny ability to not "paint with words," but to take black and white photos with words. I knew I was More...
Amazing, and not at all like Peace Like a River in style or content. Yes, there are kids - well, Oliver Twist has kids, too, what is that supposed to mean?
Kent Haruf has that uncanny ability to not "paint with words," but to take black and white photos with words. I knew I was More...
Dec 04, 2011
Rita
rated it:
1999. Nice book, I will be glad to read his previous ones at some point.
One reader commented on the paucity of women characters with depth. It's true the book focuses on male characters. Can't object to that; authors should write about what they know. It's true,, however, that I found it hard to believe in the young pregnant woman -- the plot about her, yes, but who is she inside?
Another reader commented that the two pairs of brothers are the most interesting, that's tru More...
One reader commented on the paucity of women characters with depth. It's true the book focuses on male characters. Can't object to that; authors should write about what they know. It's true,, however, that I found it hard to believe in the young pregnant woman -- the plot about her, yes, but who is she inside?
Another reader commented that the two pairs of brothers are the most interesting, that's tru More...
Sep 20, 2011
Justin
rated it:
I don't often rank things according to goodreads 'hate, dislike, okay, like, really like' scale. I think books should be rated as good or bad; sue me. But this one... this one I couldn't resist. I liked it, okay? Yes, it's simplistic, goodies and baddies are signposted more effectively than in your average Captain America strip. Yes, it's kind of a morality tale. Yes, it borders on the hopelessly romantic. Yes, there are more analogies in the first chapter than I would usually allow in any roman
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Apr 02, 2011
Caity
rated it:
I actually finished this book a few days ago. (Like maybe 5?) I just haven’t had the time or energy to write a review on it. Back story on the book: it was one of those I picked because it has an interesting cover. Shades of blue, cloudy skies over foothills. Very pretty. It turns out, its a National Bestseller and was a National Book Award Finalist. Also published by Vintage. (Love Among the Ruins was also!) But here goes:
Plot: The plot is interesting. Haruf has us following a few d More...
Plot: The plot is interesting. Haruf has us following a few d More...
Jan 27, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
This is one of those books that make me proud to be a writer. Not only is his writing nearly perfect in it's precision (not an extra word, not a single imperfect metaphor, every detail exactly chosen), Haruf's compassion, his simplicity, his understanding of the human soul are inspiring. Unlike so many contemporary writers, who expend vast quantities of energy being oh-so-clever, Haruf eschews wit for heart. His characters are glorious -- messy, broken, complicated, kind and cruel, funny, bit
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Aug 11, 2010
Harmonybites
rated it:
Hated this sooo much and didn't get far in. The book rotates between Guthrie, a teacher; his two young sons Ike and Bobby; a pregnant teen Victoria and two elderly bachelor brothers, the McPherons, in small town Holt, Colorado.
The author writes the dialogue without quotation marks. Now, believe it or not, I love it when authors play with style and interweaving narratives. I loved Chaon's Await Your Reply with seeming unconnected narrative strands that eventually come together. I jus More...
The author writes the dialogue without quotation marks. Now, believe it or not, I love it when authors play with style and interweaving narratives. I loved Chaon's Await Your Reply with seeming unconnected narrative strands that eventually come together. I jus More...
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Jul 16, 2010
Jessi
rated it:
Summary: A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver. In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl -- her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house -- is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work
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Apr 22, 2010
Emily
rated it:
Using beautiful, stark language evocative of the Colorado High Plains, Mr. Haruf eschews unnecessary paragraphs, words, even punctuation - you won't find a single quotation mark in the book - but draws incredibly touching portraits of individuals and relationships. I especially loved the growth and willingness to learn and change that Victoria and the older brothers, Raymond and Harold, showed. The relationship that developed between the pregnant teenager and the two hardened old cattle ranche
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Oct 11, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Story Overview
The setting is the small town of Holt—located in the prairie not too far from Denver. The type of town where people know each other's business and papers are still delivered by boys on bicycles. Yet as much as people know you in a small town, they don't really know you or what goes on behind closed doors or closed mouths. In this small community, we get inside the minds and lives of several Holt residents—all of whom are suffering from some form of loneliness, sadness or More...
The setting is the small town of Holt—located in the prairie not too far from Denver. The type of town where people know each other's business and papers are still delivered by boys on bicycles. Yet as much as people know you in a small town, they don't really know you or what goes on behind closed doors or closed mouths. In this small community, we get inside the minds and lives of several Holt residents—all of whom are suffering from some form of loneliness, sadness or More...
Dec 19, 2010
Adam
rated it:
I just finished reading this book in two sittings, running through half of the book each time. It isn't so much that the story compelled me to continue, it is just such simple language that it reads easily and quickly. Still, I found myself skimming so much of the book without actually missing any plot developments that it almost felt like reading Cliffs Notes.
Plainsong is a snapshot of a rural town, complete with the necessary lives intersecting to weave a community story fabric. The More...
Plainsong is a snapshot of a rural town, complete with the necessary lives intersecting to weave a community story fabric. The More...
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Sep 18, 2010
George
rated it:
Well, here we go again with five stars. I guess if you've read the thing four or five times, it merits five stars. Maybe not. But I'll stick with that assessment.
Kent Haruf is a western writer. No, more precisely, it is the broad, arid spread of the Colorado northeastern plains that, I would like to believe, provide Haruf with the curt, sharply-honed utility of his writing. What kind of muse could live on such unforgiving earth? A tough one; one able to get to the meat of the thing, More...
Kent Haruf is a western writer. No, more precisely, it is the broad, arid spread of the Colorado northeastern plains that, I would like to believe, provide Haruf with the curt, sharply-honed utility of his writing. What kind of muse could live on such unforgiving earth? A tough one; one able to get to the meat of the thing, More...
Jul 09, 2009
Tim
rated it:
Plainsong is a well executed novel that displays Kent Haruf's understanding of people and love for the Great Plains. The novel centers around a few different characters with the chapters named simply for whose section of the story is being told. These characters include: Victoria Roubideaux - a pregnant teenager without many options, Guthrie - a local teacher trying to raise his sons as his marriage disintegrates, the McPheron brothers - two old bachelors who raise cattle, and Ike and Bobby -
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May 02, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
I had always meant to read this book (as it is set in the eastern plains of Colorado where my maternal family is from) and I was thrilled to see it pop up in our book club's to-read list. I'm not sure what I expected, but this wasn't it. I was pleased with the book, the writing style was great (besides the lack of quotation marks - I loathe that), the characters full, and the story interesting. But, I don't think I expected it to be so harsh. My expectations were corralled by the quote from the
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Jun 07, 2010
Persephone
rated it:
This isn't a mystery novel, it's a sketch of a certain place in a certain time. The place is Colorado. The time? Well, for me, that was part of the fun. In the opening chapters, we met young boys with paper routes, a young girl in a short skirt, teachers labouring over "dittos" in a staffroom where there's smoking and casual male chavinism. Sixties, I thought.
Later in the novel, there was a mention of Nancy Reagan so I had to adjust the period. Late seventies, perhaps? More...
Later in the novel, there was a mention of Nancy Reagan so I had to adjust the period. Late seventies, perhaps? More...
Mar 29, 2010
Jaclyn
rated it:
I desperately wanted to like this book. It came highly recommended from two friends, and it was a National Book Award finalist. However, for me, it was not a winner. Haruf’s gift is his ability to set a scene – I could see the dusty cowboy boots, hear the rumble of a diesel truck on the gravel, and smell the fresh hay mingling with the cool night air. What lacks in Haruf’s writing are his characters. The writing leads you in, captivates your every sense, and then leaves you looking around wo
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