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Plainsong – the unisonous vocal music used in the Christian church from the earliest times; any simple and unadorned melody or air
This definition perfectly describes this gentle, unassuming yet impactful novel. Haruf introduces us to several residents of the small town of Holt, Colorado: Tom Guthrie, a high school teacher struggling to raise his two young sons (Ike and Bobby, ages 9 and 10) after their mother leaves; Victoria Robideaux, a pregnant teenager forced to try to make it on her own; th ...more
This definition perfectly describes this gentle, unassuming yet impactful novel. Haruf introduces us to several residents of the small town of Holt, Colorado: Tom Guthrie, a high school teacher struggling to raise his two young sons (Ike and Bobby, ages 9 and 10) after their mother leaves; Victoria Robideaux, a pregnant teenager forced to try to make it on her own; th ...more
I would've finished Plainsong in one sitting if I didn't have to be an adult with things to do. It takes place in Holt, Colorado over the course of about a year. Short chapters made it incredibly easy to 'just read one more' and fly through the whole book. Each chapter is from the perspective of the various characters that overlap into each other's lives-a high school teacher, his two sons, a pregnant teenage girl, the woman who helps her, and two older brothers running a farm together. The writ
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Lovely character study of small town life in the plains of Colorado, far from the glitzy ski mountains, where life can be difficult despite simplicity of the way of life . None of the characters are good or bad, they are real people who excel in some ways such a being a good dad or a good student but fail in other relationships. Tom Guthrie is a high school teacher and maybe not a great one though I can certainly relate and had a that difficult student and the ask to just help him pass through.
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Plainsong centres around the inhabitants of Holt, Colorado, in particular Tom Guthrie, his sons, Bobby and Ike, and their largely absent mother; Victoria Roubidoux, thrown out by her mother when she got pregnant, befriended by HS teacher Maggie Jones; and the McPheron brothers, old unmarried farmers who befriend Victoria.
It is simply but beautifully written, graphic in parts, harrowing in others. The very matter of fact style none the less makes for an emotional read.This is the first of a tril ...more
It is simply but beautifully written, graphic in parts, harrowing in others. The very matter of fact style none the less makes for an emotional read.This is the first of a tril ...more
I read this book long before I became a goodreads member. It is my benchmark of a beautiful story.
Jul 29, 2009
Lisa
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J
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Sep 14, 2014
Jim Townsend
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Dec 29, 2014
ilovebakedgoods (Teresa)
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Nov 19, 2018
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