Rating: 
Summary: A Great Novel
Review: This is a remarkable novel. By its end the characters have become friends (though there are a few that you might want to avoid). But each character is as real as any real person I've known. Haruf creates small town Plains life in ways no other writer has. There's a truth, a beauty and a resonance to his writing that mirrors the landscape of the high plains. The people sound right, the land looks real and life in Holt feels as though you had just dropped in. You know Haruf knows this place and and has lived with these people, and you trust him as you would a very good friend. He is neither condescending nor sentimental, it's just the news, and the news, though very difficult from time to time, is still the news of caring people trying to care for each other. The story, like Plainsong, keeps you nervously turning pages and the beauty of the writing slows you down. I'm waiting for the next installment - and the thought of waiting another four years or so simply sends me back to Plainsong.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous sequel
Review: This is an excellent followup to "Plainsong". Both "Eventide" and "Plainsong" are not the typical books that I am used to reading. I usually choose books where there is at least one character that I can relate to. This book takes place in Holt, Colorado and a lot of the characters are poor and have had more than their share of grief in their lives. Kent Haruf writes so well that I could not put this book down. I cried during the sad parts and felt chills running through me during the happy scenes. Even though I couldn't personally relate to any of the characters I still absolutely loved this book. His writing is unique and I am hoping and praying that there is another sequel in the works. Love this book and this author!
Rating: 
Summary: Quiet evening...
Review: This is not Kent Haruf's major achievement. Other readers have felt that Haruf was "marking time", using material he did not use in Plainsong... it seems possible. While the atmosphere of Holt and surrounding territory is strongly created, so much trivial detail - and the author's very annoying punctuation (or lack of) - are major detractions to me. If this "fill in" leads to a development of, say, the DJ character - who is here rather left out in the cold at the end - it will have been worth it. But Eventide seems very much made up of scraps from the writer's desk...
Rating:
Summary: Eventide
Review: This is part II of Plainsong. The main characters are the same, and new ones are added. I becamed so attached to the brothers, that when a disaster occurs on the ranch I cried. I just wasn't expecting it. I was furious with Kent Haruf. The social worker, Rose, plays a vital part of Raymond's life, and she has a difficult problem to solve for some of her clients. I loved this as much as Plainsong. But, readers really should read Plainsong first to fully understand Eventide. I hope the author writes a part III. I am not ready to leave this town.
Rating:
Summary: "Every living thing in this world gets weaned eventually."
Review: Three years after the author's previous novel, Plainsong, concluded, the author returns to Holt, Colorado, continuing the story of Raymond and Harold McPheron, elderly ranchers who lived in almost complete isolation until they agreed to provide a safe haven for a scared and pregnant teenager, three years ago. With other familiar characters from Plainsong also returning in minor roles, the novel then broadens to focus on three additional families, whose new stories the author deftly juggles and interweaves. Somewhat more thoughtful and complex than Plainsong, Eventide quickly engages the reader with its unpretentious style, revealing dialogue, and often heart-tugging scenes of difficult lives.Luther and Betty June Wallace are some of Haruf's most beautifully drawn characters. Extremely limited in their understanding, they receive professional assistance in everything from budgeting to parenting classes, anger management, and lessons in cleanliness. DJ Kephart, a small eleven-year-old whose responsibilities make him seem much older, is an orphan, now living with his elderly, often bed-ridden, grandfather, for whom he does all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. He and his neighborhood friends, Dena and Emma Wells, whose father is in Alaska, spend their free time turning an abandoned shed into a playhouse, a peaceful, make-believe home where adults do not intrude. Suddenly, separate acts of fate, involving the McPheron brothers and each of these three families, upend all their lives and set in motion a series of events which will change them forever. Death, illness, injury, abandonment, abuse, and the arbitrary harshness of fate all contribute to emotional crises the characters must find the strength to overcome. As Raymond McPheron says, simply, these acts of fate and disaster are "things you don't get over," but, as he notes while he is separating cows from their calves, "Every living thing in this world gets weaned eventually." Deliberately simple in style, but polished and graceful in its realization, the novel is full of the love and travail, the effort and failure, and the kindness and cruelty that fill the lives of these plainspoken, often endearing, characters. Vibrant, almost lyrical descriptions of the land and nature are seen in the context of sudden emergencies arising on the ranch, and every scene of tenderness and love is juxtaposed against scenes of cruelty and inhumanity. A master at evoking emotion, Haruf tugs at the heartstrings of even the most stoic reader, drawing the reader into scenes of warmth and poignancy, only to jolt him/her with new scenes that kill the sentimentality. Life can be cruel, fate can be capricious, and things do not always turn out "right," but Haruf's characters somehow soldier on, with the reader right beside them, heartstrings thrumming. (4.5 stars) Mary Whipple
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely pointless!
Review: What made Kent write this? Plainsong was an absolute gem -- stunning and self-contained. There was no need to write a sequal -- and this book seriously damages the wonderful feeling I had about this author. What was muted and understated in Plainsong feels merely shallow and undeveloped here. There's no addition to the perfectly formed characters of Plainsong that cried out for this nonsense. Granted, it's pleasant enough to read -- but in comparison to the shimmering brilliance of Plainsong this book feels like a cheap way to cash in on a good thing. Do yourself a favor if you really loved Plainsong -- SKIP THIS!!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Readable Sequel (3.5 stars)
Review: While much of the light that infused Plainsong is absent from Haruf's sequel, there is still a lot of merit to Eventide as a novel in its own right. I was happy to be reintroduced to some of the endearing characters from Plainsong; it occurs to me that Haruf simply could not forget them himself and was compelled to continue their stories. The McPherson brothers are unforgettable and, while I was hoping to see a bit more of Ike and Bobby Guthrie, I was impressed with the introduction of several new characters. Haruf not only has talent in creating narrative atmosphere, he also has a knack for writing characters who have distinct light and dark sides. The ending felt a bit abrupt and I can't help but wonder if Haruf is not only planning a third book, but a more lengthy series.
Rating: 
Summary: grit, integrity and honesty...
Review: While the main characters from Haruf's PLAINSONG begin this book, the MacPheron brothers (whom I adore!!) this is not truly a continuation of that novel. EVENTIDE is the story of several families that give the word dysfunctional a brand new definition. (This is a much sadder book than PLAINSONG.) In this novel several fammilies in a small town face unrelenting hardtimes and truly have their backs up against the wall. Not all the families cope with the situations that face them. Some make the worst decisions possible leading to more pain and suffering. For others it is a hard scramble just to keep their head above the proverbial water. One of the bright spots of this novel is Rose, she is interesting , real and an absolute delight. Raymond MacPheron however is the shining star of this novel, his grittiness, his integrity and his desire to lead a meaningful life give this novel it's inner light. Kent Haruf creates with an honest heart, an open soul and a simplicity of the written word.
Rating:
Summary: What happened to Haruf?
Review: With gift certificate in hand, I boldly purchased a hard copy of the book, eager to take up and continue the experience of reading "Plainsong." I read, I waited, I wondered, I grew frustrated, I abandoned hope. To say I was disappointed in this new book by Kent Haruf would be an overwhelming understatement. If "Plainsong" spoke to me in bold and archetypal terms of grace--unmerited kindness and love, "Eventide" dispenses cheap grace with its two-dimensional, stock and stereotypical characters and predictable events. Who cares about any of these Holt folks? Who can even tell them apart? Maybe it's just not feasible creating Plainsong II.
Rating:
Summary: Kent Haruf is an incredible author.
Review: You know from his other books that he has lived in Holt, Colorado. You can tell by the way he uses the harshness of the weather and the reality of what it takes to make a living to offset the kindness and goodness of most of the characters. Like real life, not everyone in this book is good and kind, but it has a redeeming quality you can't get past. I live in Fort Collins myself and the mere mention of the various places visited in this book are enough to make me want to read all of Haruf's titles. I will also wish they do not end. I want the very best for Raymond McPheron and Victoria Roubideaux and Rose Tyler. These have become real peole to me. A book like this makes me see my life and where I live it from a new perspective and with a new appreciation. I've known a few men and women like these and their simple kindnesses among each other are what life in most of small-town America is really made of.
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