Eventide

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

What this book imparts is a quintessential view of American agrarian working class people. It is set in Colorado and speaks of small town life, I would guess in the 1970s or 80s. (One family has a microwave.) It is not plot oriented, so if you want lots to happen, look elsewhere. The picture it draws is astoundingly perceptive. The characters have very ordinary lives, but it is the perfection with which they are drawn that is so fantastic.

I cannot think of another book that delivers such astoundingly perfect dialogs. The sentences are short. What these characters say to each other is what ordinary people DO say to each other. The sentences are often composed of one or two words, or just a phrase. The dialogs are varied – between two show more elderly brothers, between the husband and wife of a family on welfare, a social worker and those she is trying to help, between children, between friends and enemies, the rants of a child abuser. Absolutely all of these dialogs are pitch-perfect. Either Kent Haruf, the author, has a fantastic memory for conversations he has heard or he has used a tape recorder.

The narration by George Hearn, could simply not be better. He delivers the dialogs with perfect pacing. His pauses speak volumes.

This book is the second of a trilogy. The first one is "Plainsong". I read that years and years ago and gave it too four stars. "Benediction" follows “Eventide”, but I have not chosen to pick that up immediately. I want to explain why because I believe it says something about what you can expect from this book. I need a break; I can take only so much. While there is subdued humor in the lines, the book essentially shows the struggle of daily life for many, many ordinary people. Their lives do have moments of happiness. The nice things are rather mundane, but still very beautiful….but maybe you have to look hard to see them. Also, the audiobook format of “Benediction” has a different narrator, and I absolutely cannot imagine listening to a similarly told story with a less competent narrator. The three books are stand-alones; they do not have to be read together, so I will wait! This was so special I don’t want to lessen my appreciation of it with another.

Have I explained properly so you know what this book offers you? Great writing about ordinary people. Superb dialogs. You will come to love some of the characters. For me it was Raymond.

Completed May 5, 2013 show less

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

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

Sequel to Plainsong and set in the same small town of Holt, Colorado, this book continues the story of residents we have come to know in the first book. It is character driven, slow paced, and written in sparse poignant prose. We revisit the McPheron brothers and social worker Rose Tyler. The young woman the brothers took in, Victoria, goes off to college. There are a few new stories of a people we had not met before, such as Luther and Betty Wallace and their two children, living in poverty. An alcoholic uncle moves in with them and wreaks havoc with their lives.

There is no plot to tie everything together, other than these characters are living in the same community and surrounding area. It is about ordinary people living their show more (mostly unhappy) lives. People come and go. They live and die. The overall tone is one of melancholy. It is difficult for me to read about child abuse, so I did not like this one quite as much as Plainsong. show less