Plainsong
by Haruf Kent
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 147)
Read in April, 2008
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 te...more
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Read in November, 2003
recommended to Jeremy by:
Momrecommends it for: Midwesterners
I have found no modern author more capable of grasping a dialect as Kent Haruf. The entire culture of western Nebraska/easter Colorado is captured in the pages of "Plainsong".
Haruf uses no quotation marks, which gives the page a stark and clean look that is confusingly unsettling. Much like the bare landscape of the area he writes about, it's as if the sudden clarity of the scene is too stark.
The story is actually the intertwining of three stories. Having a rural, farming family I ...more
Haruf uses no quotation marks, which gives the page a stark and clean look that is confusingly unsettling. Much like the bare landscape of the area he writes about, it's as if the sudden clarity of the scene is too stark.
The story is actually the intertwining of three stories. Having a rural, farming family I ...more
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A series of small town characters...including a pregnant high school girl, two old bachelors, a teacher and his two young boys...that the author brings together as one at the end of the novel. Haruf does a great job of capturing the feeling of people in a Midwest town. Wonderful atmosphere but not long on plot. Effective coming-of-age scenes despite the smut.
The author doesn't use any quotation marks, which drove me buggy at first until I got used to it.
The author doesn't use any quotation marks, which drove me buggy at first until I got used to it.
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Read in March, 2005
recommended to Margaret by:
My friend Jeanrecommends it for: Appreciators of simplicity
The title signifies. This is a story of ordinary people plainly told. The prose is spare and beautiful, and the characters are decent people who try to live virtuous lives. The main characters are a teacher and his family, a female student who is pregnant and unmarried, and two middle-aged brothers who run their family farm. Together, they find their way.
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Read in July, 2007
Jericho and I listened to this book while we were driving to Florida. It was pretty uneven. We'd just be ready to give up on it, when something interesting would happen so we'd keep listening. Looking back, I can barely remember what it was about. Don't waste your time.
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Read in April, 2008
A serious tale of life in a small Colorado plains town. I was just in the mood for something in this genre with a local connection. The story is serious for all concerned - teen pregnancy, parental separation - but there is also a sense of what makes news in small towns. Livestock issues, unruly teenagers, etc round out into a nice short read.
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You know, it's always wonderful when an author tries to make something meaningful out of the ordinary detritus of life, especially small town life. Except when he just ends up with a load of detritus. I just couldn't care about these characters.
Swing and a miss.
Swing and a miss.
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Read in April, 2008
It took me a while to get fully into this book. I was confused by the different story lines and didn't see exactly how they all came together. And they didn't totally come together for me until the last chapter. But it's another very moving book from this author.
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Jen by:
Book group
I can't recommend this book because of the language and some sex scene descriptions. However, having said that, I enjoyed reading about simplicity of life in a small town. The old McPheron brothers were my favorite.
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Read in October, 2007
recommended to Liz by:
Professorrecommends it for: mature readers
This book, although graphic at times, was a great story about the loss of innocence and the indescribable love that people have for one another, even when they are not related.
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I think Kent Haruf is a remarkable author - I've loved this book for years and recommend it to friends. His characters and the small towns they live in are so REAL.
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Read in January, 2001
It's been so long since I read this book that I don't remember details. I do remember loving every minute of it. Perhaps I should read it again?
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Probably one of the better choice of my older book club. It's a novel with many heartbreaking moments. Not exactly a feel good book.
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i loved, loved, loved this book. it was so simply written but so charming.
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Read in June, 2008
This was recommended and I am just starting it........will let you know.
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I really enjoyed this book. A story told that will never leave you.
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Read in January, 2004
It speaks of life and compassion and quirky, real beauty.
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Julie by:
used book store owner
I really liked this story, and the way it was told.
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