Rating: 
Summary: Loved it
Review: I read this book this weekend at the Lake and loved it!! The characters were so well written, I felt as though they could be my neighbours. I can't wait to read more of Mr. Haruf's work.
Rating:
Summary: When is his next book out?
Review: I can't wait until another of Haruf's books is published.
I've read all 3 now, and they are all great.
They are fun, easy & quick to read.
And there are great stories in all of them.
I really recommend Kent Haruf.
Rating: 
Summary: yawn
Review: What is up with "no quotation marks". Is this guy too cool to use the symbols for our English language. Hey, I think I'll write a book with no commas or periods. People would think I am so modern and stylin'. Everyone would think I am a legend.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not buy.
Review: This novel was terribly written, with a boring, monotonous story. I wouldn't have finished it if I didn't have to read it for school. If you want to read a good book, don't buy this.
Rating:
Summary: Pointless and immature
Review: I picked up a copy of Plainsong because it was described as "uplifting" on the cover. I forced myself to finish it, waiting to soar, but in the end only appalled by how pointless it was. I would hesitate to call this a character study, since two lead characters (Victoria Roubideaux and Maggie Jones) seem to completely lack any personality whatsoever. Victoria wanders through the novel like a stunned ox. I wondered what era she was supposedly from, lacking any knowledge of what is a reality for far too many teenagers today-- teen pregnancy. I learned more about that subject in Madonna's three minute pop song "Papa Don't Preach" than in this entire novel. Haruf displays an apparent knowledge of ranching, in lengthy and gruesome detail. Not only was this not uplifting, it made me wonder just what sort of reader would actually read every word of a grotesque description of an autopsy on a horse. If he knows ranching, Haruf apperently only has a Reader's Digest understanding of the teaching profession. When a male high school student misbehaves, the teacher, Tom Guthrie, takes him out into the hall and slams him up against the lockers. Please. This may have been the norm when Haruf went to high school, but is wild fantasy in today's litigious American classroom atmosphere. Add to all this a gratuitous and improbable sex scene, and you have an aimless, pointless novel with about as much intelligence as the McPherson brothers, who were apparently so named because their IQ's are the same as the McPherson struts on your car.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Plain Read
Review: This book started off with promise as it introduced the characters and illustrated the setting of the town of Holt for the reader. This might be a small, sweet town but the main characters have the morals and depth of a raunchy big city.
The characters of Guthrie and Maggie who later in the book just have sex for no apparent reason as did the school secretary one night with Guthrie (still a married man, mind you) just turned me off. There was no love there at all.
The McPherson brothers were interesting characters. Victoria, the pregnant girl was a surprising character. She starts out practically in denial of her pregnancy until her mom orders her out of the home and she is played as a sweet, forlorn character when taken into Maggie's home. Then she goes to the McPherson brothers to live and just when she gets real settled into their lives to the point of them actually buying her a baby crib, she up and literally rides off with the boyfriend that dumped her because he shows up one day in the school parking lot! She tells no one of her whereabouts, even after all that everybody has done for her! I tired of her immediatlely at that point. She does come back, but from then on the story is so that it doesn't make me care about any of the characters anymore, even Guthrie's 2 poor young boys. I expected more of this book but was let down.
Rating: 
Summary: Life's Nuances Perfectly Captured
Review: When I first purchased Plainsong, I didn't think the book would equal the hype which had surrounded it. Thus, I wasn't too surprised when it didn't reach those lofty levels. However, while I didn't find it equal to the hype, it is still a very entertaining reminder that there are great stories to be found in simple everyday living. Haruf clearly understands that life is made up of a series of little triumphs and little setbacks, instead of the grand drama that is common in most novels. He conveys this knowledge with a sparse writing style that mirrors the landscape where the story is set. The style appears at first glance to be very simple. However, it becomes clear that the language powerfully and convincingly conveys a multitude of actions and emotions going on underneath the surface. Nowhere does this quality become more apparent than in the development of the characters. Initially, they are so recognizable that one is tempted to call them stereotypes. However, Haruf uses simple, powerful language to flesh out his characters through their everyday exchanges with each other. By taking this action, the reader is able to more clearly focus on their shortcomings and their goodness. The result is that their successes and failures seem more personal and realistic. Plainsong has such a comfortable tone that one feels at the conclusion like they have been on a vacation in the book's setting. Don't get me wrong, it's not a perfect book (some of the plotting, particularly the "kidnapping", felt a little forced). But, it does possess a wonderfully accessible style that allows for the development of fascinating characters in recognizable situations. In this era when people seem to have less time to do anything, this paean to life's nuances is a gentle reminder that the most powerful moments in our existence are often the most common.
Rating:
Summary: Everyday Life
Review: The novel is exactly what it says it is, plain. The style reflects this with short and to-the-point sentences from the third person point of view. The lack of quotation marks keeps true to the style, but it can find the reader lost at times. Despite this, the novel gives the reader a good glimpse into small town life with characters that seem real enough to live next door to you. The problems they face are real too, not overly dramatized. Small town life is not so bad with neighbors like these. From the simple McPheron brothers to the young soon-to-be mother, Victoria, we see a bit of everyday life mixed with extraordinary characters. As far as the plot goes, the shifts in point of view are appreciated because we get into the lives of many different characters. However, there are moments when readers will become fascinated with one character, reading only the chapters that are about that character and leaving many gaps in the mind. The plot (or, rather, several sub-plots) reflects small town life without confusing the reader too much. The way the novel goes off in different directions keeps the reader anxious for the ending. The novel shows that despite the evil in life, good still triumphs, one way or another. You can choose to focus on the bad, but the characters in this novel who are good have the faith and determination to make it through the trials and tribulations that come with life.
Rating:
Summary: Astounding.
Review: Kent Haruf, Plainsong (Vintage, 1999) Sometimes the simplest stories are the best. Haruf paints a picture of half a year in a small Colorado town, intertwining the lives of seven people into one powerful novel. While it wouldn't be accurate to call the book plot-driven, it's not your typical character study, either; too much goes on. Haruf's book inhabits the same literary terrain as does Cormac McCarthy's wonderful novel Child of God; it's a character-based book that reads too well to be a character-based book. The main plot thread, if there is one, concerns Victoria Roubideaux, a sixteen-year-old high-school junior who gets pregnant and is thrown out of her house. Her story touches that of the rest of the folks the book centers on, including two of her teachers, the two sons of one of those teachers, and a pair of brothers who have never known anything but the farm upon which they were born and raised. It is partially Victoria's plight that brings about the changes in these characters, but it's also just the way life goes; you live, you experience things, you learn from them. That's the way it's supposed to be, anyway, and Haruf creates a controlled world in his small town where the hand of the creator is, at least, invisible. This lends the book a fascinating realism, as if there weren't enough here in the simple stories of the simple people portrayed to keep you going anyway. I doubt there are more than a handful of people who haven't already read this book; hopefully, they'll get around to it soon. ****
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and I do not even enjoy reading. I did not like the fact that it took a while to get to the interesting stuff. This book goes through rough times as well as real life situations, and almost anyone can relate to. Victoria is a year yonger than me and I would not want to be in her "shoes". Even though she struggles she still has the love from the people that do care about her. In the future I will try and read another one of Kent Haruf's books.
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