Plainsong (1999)

For a book filled with so much sadness, it was utterly beautiful. ( )

I first heard of this novel on LT way back when, and I'm not sure why I waited so long to read it. I knew I would love it - in fact, I collected hardcovers of all three books in the trilogy because I knew it would be just my thing. And the first volume did not disappoint. It follows several denizens of Holt, a small town on the eastern plains of Colorado. Nothing hugely momentous happens, but the various perspectives give us a complete picture of life and struggle in a small town. Haruf treats his characters with such respect, imbuing them with dignity and worth, that one understands the inherent value of the Everyman, not the larger-than-life Doer of Great Deeds, but the average person trying to achieve nothing more than a good life. There is conflict and death and ugliness, but what stands out more are the tenderness and quiet moments that constitute the best parts of life.

A lovely, gentle novel with unforgettable characters. ( )

3.5 The size and stillness of the high plains fill this understated book. Worth it for the gift to the doctor. ( )

Beautiful story of the people in a small town in the west. A marriage disintegrating with the mother going a little mad who moves away leaving two young boys in the care of their father. A teenage girl who gets pregnant by a guy who abandons her - she then goes to live with two old bachelor brother ranchers in an unlikely and touching alliance - relationship and other normal people in the town whose simple lives seem as resonant and piercing as the best characters in literature.

This is a good book. It is well written in a solid and peaceful, beautiful way, reminding me a little of Dan O'Brien. There is a little, quiet, human humor. Haruf conveys the feeling, and the tribulations, of life in rural Colorado. I don't entirely connect with the characters, though; perhaps they are missing some quirkiness or diversity. They are a bit flat and predictable—realistic and believable, but bland. ( )