Eventide

This is a writer who takes the reader's breath away with his sparse text of incredible character portrayal and the difficulty of putting one foot in front of the other. Holt, Colorado is a small town with a lot of people who are struggling. Haruf does not shy away from in-depth portrayals of ordinary people living against the odds of finding material satisfaction, and few skills and limited opportunities to make a living.

The characters are sharply drawn, and while it may be the readers first reaction to blame those who live in poverty and cannot find a way out, the author has a wonderful way of telling the stories of those trying to overcome the odds, while helping others in worse condition than they are.

There is redemption in some of show more the strong, caring people of Holt who care, and help when they can. This is a book that will stay with me a long time.

My first read of 2026 definitely deserves Five Stars. show less

Oh why did I wait so long to follow up with the sequel to Plainsong. I just love Kent Haruf's writing; it's a big squidgy bear hug between the pages. His characters are full of such warmth and heart I couldn't care less what direction the book goes in - I just want to keep on reading and reading.

Life's always a little hard going in Haruf's novels, but he's a glass half-full kind of guy so his writing is full of compassion rather than depression. If you're feeling a bit out of sorts, reading his work is the equivalent of someone singing Soft Kitty and feeding you chicken noodle soup. This isn't earth-shattering literature, and it might be a bit too wholesome for some tastes, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4.5 stars - a great prescription show more against Trump-esque moral vacuousness if ever you need a pick-me-up. show less

After reading Plainsong not too long ago, I knew I had to catch the sequel and find out what else Kent Haruf had in mind for the denizens of Holt, Colorado. After quite a few false starts and failed attempts, being completely unable to find time to sit down and read, I brought it with me on this past trip to San Francisco determined to dig in and get through it. I started immediately after sitting down on the plane and was nearly done by the time we touched down. Once I finally got into the hotel, I took an hour to polish it off before setting out to register with my conference.

Great book. Having been prepared for the odd choice in dialogue quotation (or lack thereof) from the first book, it wasn't nearly so jarring this time around. show more Forgivable, even. And I noticed better editing this time, too. I didn't stumble across a single comma splice.

The characters in this book were every bit as rich as those in the first. A few overlaps - the McPheron brothers and Victoria play a major role with Tom and Maggie as minor support - and a wealth of newcomers: Luther and Betty June Wallace (parents who don't understand how to be parent), DJ (a child who doesn't understand what it's like to be a child), and Rose, the social worker struggling to help Luther and Betty June who finds love in an unexpected place.

This is not a sequel, rather just another Holt story, existing on its own. It is sad in places, frightening in others, jubilant through the spotted misery. In every sense, as life splatters us with a rainbow of affections and sorrow, so does Haruf upon his characters. Okay, that sounded cheesy, but I'll leave it because although I wasn't prepared for some of the tragedy in this book, after finishing, it all rang true. Such is life.

I liked this one better that the first, though I'm hard pressed to explain why. There was more going on in the first novel, but this one was more concise. Both leave us with hanging threads, unanswered questions, but these didn't bother me as much. If I were to attempt to explain, I might guess that Haruf's got a third in mind, so he wrote this one knowing that. But when he wrote the first, it was just an exercise in getting lots of random thoughts, characters and scenes down on paper, thus leaving it a little discombobulated. I just think he crafted this one better.

But if you're reading this and are a little confused as to what these Holt, Colorado, stories are, by all means, start with Plainsong and then work your way on to Eventide. You won't be disappointed. show less

Eventide is the second of Kent Haruf’s Plainsong novels set in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. As with the first book, Haruf focuses on just a few people and places them in situations common to small, rural communities. Eventide continues the story of cattle ranching brothers Harold and Raymond McPheron, and introduces two new families: Luther & Betty Wallace struggle with poverty and basic parenting skills; young DJ Kephart lives with his grandfather and shoulders burdens normally borne by an adult; and Mary Wells is raising two daughters while her husband is away working in Alaska.

Haruf had an amazing ability to sketch a character in a way that quickly conveys their very essence and creates emotional investment in their story. show more And their stories are, indeed, emotional. Some people form new relationships, others suffer loss, still others are seeking someone to fill emotional voids in their lives. Children are bullied or even abused, and some find friends that bring solace. A few situations brought tears to my eyes; call me crazy but for me that’s a sign of a really good book. Also, that I zipped through it in about two days because I couldn’t put it down.

It won’t be long before I read the third book in this series. show less

Kent Haruf is among the most down-to-earth writers I have ever encountered. His books are simple and beautifully written, but also complex and gritty. He introduces you to people who become embedded in your heart, then he lets you witness the way life can tear at good people, how the evil people can sometimes win the battle, but he gives you to understand that they will never win the war. Why? Because the good people are always out there fighting, showing up, standing firm. He spares you none of the pain, but he also shows you the love and kindness.

The thing I love the most about Haruf is how true he is. Not a single word, not a single character, not a single situation feels contrived or out of place or false. You could be rubbing show more elbows with any of these people any time. There is a kind of hope in that knowledge that is hard to describe. If he told me each of them was based upon a real person he knows, I would not be the least doubtful.

I fell completely in love with the McPheron brothers in Plainsong. I was so excited to know that they would be included in Eventide as well. The book opens, They came up from the horse barn in the slanted light of early morning. The McPheron brothers, Harold and Raymond. Believe me when I say I smiled broadly and felt like I was in the company of friends.

One other thing Haruf is the master of is realistically depicting children. I find this is a rare talent. Few writers can project a child’s thoughts without error. Haruf’s children react as children, not small adults and not empty minds. They aren’t bundles of innocence but there are many things that occur that they do not completely understand, they are strong and vulnerable at the instant, and they are always individuals and not types.

Eventide might even exceed Plainsong in many ways, and it could stand alone as a read, but it would reduce its impact not to read these books in tandem. They are part of a whole that should not be separated or missed. show less

I continue to love Haruf's straight-talking, "tell it like it is" approach to story telling. In this sequel to Haruf's debut novel, Plainsong, we are back in the fictional township of Holt, Colorado, roughly 2 years later. I call Holt a township as the story also captures the farming community, through the McPheron farm. Continuing his quietly expressive writing style, Haruf takes this story up a notch. We are introduced to new characters, get to revisit with familiar characters and, if you are like me, emotionally experience some really heart-wrenching, "unexpected punches to the gut" scenes. Not all outcomes are cheery, but Haraf's writing captures a snapshot of small town life, so it is not surprising that some of the events have a show more sad/ negative resolution or remain unresolved. That is life. Haruf's message remains steady and true: The ability to accept/overcome loss, face adversity or just carry on with life after it has kicked you to the curb, can be helped along with the comforting power of family/ friendship/ community.

Another wonderful story and I am looking forward to starting the third book in the trilogy, Benediction. show less

Haruf takes us back to tiny Holt, Colorado, returning a couple years after the events of Plainsong, to pick up some of the same threads and weave in a few new ones. Though not quite the soaring triumph the first one was, this book still stands on its own as a deeply rooted portrait of people doing the best they can in tragic or terrifying or desperate circumstances.

We don't read much of the characters' thoughts, at least not explicitly, but Haruf's pitch-perfect dialogue and blocking create complete sketches of the kind, lonely old rancher, the impoverished and simple young parents, the neglected children, without relying on a stock of stereotypes.

Using a fine brush on a broad canvas, Haruf's microcosm of desolation and hope succeeded show more again at breaking and mending my heart over and over before the 300 pages were spent. show less