In the small town of Holt, Tom Guthrie, a high school teacher, fights to keep his life together and to raise his two boys after their depressed mother first retreats into her bedroom, and then moves away to her sister's house. The boys, not yet adolescents, struggle to make sense of adult behavior and their mother's apparent abandonment. A pregnant teenage girl, kicked out by her mother and rejected by the father of her child, searches for a secure place in the world. And far out in the country, two elderly bachelor brothers work the family farm as they have their entire lives, all but isolated from life beyond their own community. From these separate strands emerges a vision of life--and of the community and landscape that bind them together--that is both luminous and enduring. Plainsong is a story of the abandonment, grief, and stoicism that bring these people together, and it is a story of the kindness, hope, and dignity that redeem their lives. Utterly true to the rhythms and patterns of life, Plainsong is an American classic: a novel to care about, believe in, and learn from.
I read this book years ago at the height of Haruf's popularity. I really liked it then. Since reading it I've been introduced to some incredible authors and as I approached this book for the second time I was sure it would not measure up. While reading it I kept thinking I would put it down because it was not very exciting. But it was the lack of excitement that kept pulling me along. I'm glad I finished the book and the further away from it I get the more I like it. OK, the ending is too tight and there are some flaws we can talk about but the fact that Haruf has achieved a plainsong is the brillance of the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with DeAnne. I have to admit that at first I did not get into the book, however the more I read it, the more I liked it. It is different from the books we have read recently in that it is “not complicated”. I really liked the characters Victoria and the two old boys. I found them very endearing and am so glad the book had a happy ending. Personally I like endings all tied up nicely. In the beginning I found the two young boys of no interest at all, however as the book progressed, I found myself liking them also. Once I realised the book was not going to be a thrill seeker nor fast moving, I was able to get into the flow of the book and enjoy it for what it is, an enjoyable read.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of simple writing that is beautiful, descriptive and transportive; this novel is a great example of just such writing and I've enjoyed it thoroughly. Another book I may not have ever read had it not been for the book club!
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