Plainsong

Rating:
Summary: Emotional
Review: I laughed and cried! I sat down and read this book in one sitting....I just could not stop! I was up way past midnight and it stuck with me for days afterwards; and probably for life.

I was very touched by this story and the characters. I think Mr. Haruf is a fine author....keep up the good work sir, you have talent!

Rating:
Summary: Plainsong is a great American novel.
Review: I'm glad Kent Haruf's Plainsong was the last book I read in the just-ended century. It testifies to the solid state of American literature as we closed things out. Plainsong deals with a small Colorado town where the lives of a few people have gotten a little messy. Some folks use these circumstances to torment; others serve as lifelines. (I don't want to give away too much plot, but the McPheron brothers almost steal the show.) Although gritty in places, Plainsong is mostly tender and hopeful. If your favorite authors include the likes of Ivan Doig, Willa Cather, Raymond Carver, and Larry McMurtry, you're probably on to something here. If you're looking for a pot-boiling bodice-ripper, this ain't it.

Rating:
Summary: A Cormac McCarthy Rip-off
Review: I'm surprised that more reviewers have not commented upon the fact that Plainsong in style, if not substance, is a blatant imitation of Cormac McCarthy, right down to the lack of quotation marks and the McCarthyesque dialogue. Far from being written in simple language, as the author himself maintains, Haruf's style is portentous and overblown, disguising a very thin story line. Like Ernest Hemingway to an earlier generation of writers, Cormac McCarthy is widely and easily imitated, but just as there was only one real Hemingway, so there is only one real Cormac McCarthy.

Rating:
Summary: A Slice of Life
Review: If you were raised or currently reside in a small, rural community you will have no trouble putting faces on the characters in this book. Most scenes that occured in Holt, Colorado (and not in Denver) could have been drawn by Norman Rockwell. It is a timeless book because the story is about ordinary people with ordinary dreams and ordinary problems. Will Ike and Bobby grow up to be the next McPherons?

Rating:
Summary: I've read better
Review: I have to say that I was really disappointed after reading this book. I believe that Haruf had a good idea and theme to write this book on, but did a horrible job of putting it all together. I felt like I was thrown a bunch of characters and plots that weren't related, and was expected to make up my own story. I liked the cover and think that it will look nice in my library, but that's probably where it will stay. I won't recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Plain truths--Plain spoken
Review: As a countrywoman, I have to say Kent Haruf has written a surprising book. He nailed cows, and not many can these days. His stark accounting of the horse's death was sparce, but for those of us who know livestock the picture bleak was plain to see. The boys rode double afterwards, no instant gratification of replacement. The quiet and observing plains people bear study, these still waters truly run deep. Their actions speak volumes. Thank you Mr. Haruf, wisdom stares quietly at us from the pages of Plainsong.

Rating:
Summary: Plain Wonder
Review: Plainsong is a pure wonder of a book. The McPherson brothers, Victoria, the pregnant teen who comes to live with them on their farm, Guthrie and his sons, and all of the other characters are as sharp and true as a snow storm on the high plains. Thank you, Mr. Haruf, for an unforgettable reading experience.

Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: Haruf does a masterful job of storytelling with a prose which reminds me of Cormac MacCarthy. The dialogue amongst the characters is as powerful as you will find in any novel written in the last decade. This guy is a great writer and has found a way to weave a magical story for readers of all backgrounds and experiences. This is a great book!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty cover, filthy prose
Review: The cover on this book is beautiful, but I was sorely disappointed with the content. The plotline is weak (never did figure out how all the characters come together), the language is filthy and negative in a lot of sections, including an immoral, disgusting, and irrelvant sex scene. On the positive side, it did show some of the characters helping each other and enforcing proper moral values. However, with all of the wonderful literature out there, don't waste your time or money on this book.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic dialogue...
Review: In some ways this book reminds me of "All Over but the Shoutin'" by Rick Bragg, though this is no autobiography as his was. This is a marvelous book. I can't understand one reviewer's comment that there was a lull of about 20 pages. There was no lull for me. I was swept along and read it at one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

Some will praise the book for its prose and language and images; others will be captured by its morally uplifting people who are at times tested in the midst of tension and ugliness. For me, I was most enchanted with the reality of the dialogue. So natural; so real--in no way contrived. It's the way people in a small, rural town--all of whom know each other--would naturally interact. I can't wait to recommend it to others.