Review: Plainsong by Kent Haruf
by Jenners • 10/11/2009 • 3.5 Stars, Fiction, H Authors, Literary, P Titles • 17 Comments
Title: PlainsongISBN: 0-375-70585-6
Publishing Info: Vintage Contemporaries, 1999
Number of Pages: 301
Book Category: Fiction
- Tom Guthrie—a teacher at the local high school whose wife has become distant and unreachable
- Ike and Bobby—Guthrie’s two sons, who are confused by their mother’s distance and looking for a way to recapture her love and attention
- Victoria Roubideaux—a high school girl who finds herself pregnant and cast out of her home by her mother
- The McPheron Brothers—two older bachelor brothers who live on a farm outside of Holt and keep mostly to themselves.
- Maggie Jones—a single woman who teaches with Guthrie and cares for her elderly father and serves as the glue that begins to bind these individuals together.
Each of these characters alone has a voice that is aching to be heard and understood. And as they move ever closer together to form a type of family of their own, their voices and lives begin to intertwine and harmonize together in a way that is true, touching and beautiful.
The unisonous vocal music used in the Christian church from the earliest times; any simple and unadorned melody or air (e.g., Gregorian chant is type of plainsong).
I didn’t fully appreciate the meaning of the title until the end of the book. But upon finishing the book, the title just made so much sense and was so fitting. In the book, each of the character’s individual lives comes together to become part of a bigger whole—with each voice complementing and harmonizing with the other voices. At its heart, this book is about seeing a new community being formed from lives that were previously lived separately and parallel.
The book is both simple and subtle. It doesn’t hit you over the head with things. Rather, it lets you experience the lives of the characters through simple narration and dialogue. Even the dialogue is unadorned with quotation marks (and sometimes attribution). I could see that some readers might find this book a bit slow-paced or even frustrating. But if you stick with it until the end, you’ll appreciate the author’s skill in giving you much more that you thought you were getting at first glance.
Frankly, I was surprised at how satisfied I was by the end of the book. I struggled to get into the story for a little bit and found the shifting viewpoints a bit off-putting at first. It was almost like drifting from character to character like a ghost—getting a little bit here, leaving for awhile, and then coming back and getting a little more. Once you adapt to the rhythm of the book, though, it turns into a rich and rewarding read.
And for those of you who care about such things, Plainsong was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Why and Where I Got The Book
This was my P book for the A to Z Challenge. I got the book via Paperback Swap.
I'm super late commenting but I guess you reviewed this before I discovered your blog. I love your review. It truly is subtle but the end is worth it. I loved the McPheron brothers!
I didn't like this one, but good review nonetheless.
I read this a couple of years ago and thought it was wonderful – I loved the McPheron brothers!
I appreciate your honest assesment of this book as a subtle and slower-paced then some. I like books like this very much but I agree that they aren't for everyone. It's helpful to know that a book is a little slower paced and subtle when starting out, I find myself more relaxed then while reading it.
Thanks for a great review!
I remember when this came out. Thanks for reminding me it is one I'd like to read, I do love a good cup of tea.
I never read this book, but sure have seen it around over the years. I loved what you said :
"Think of Plainsong as a cup of tea—it takes time to steep and brew and you drink it slowly but, at the end, you're filled with warmth and satisfaction." — sounds beautiful – great review.
Love your review! I normally don't like slow building books, but this sound like it would be worth it!
From your description, I would have to say that the title is fitting. A few of the members from my book group could not stand it though. They had trouble with the lack of quotation marks. I'd give it a go based on what you said here though.
So glad you liked it and read it. As you know, I really loved the novel and was totally lost in its world.
A book club read for me – this was enjoyed by all us 10 women and 1 man. A very touching read. Thanks for that review.
I was thinking 'lovely review' too. Jill just got here first. Really, you made me want to read this book. I love books that let me get to know people, even if they are made up people. I also like what you had to say about the title. I always wonder how authors/publishers pick those words.
What a lovely review. But it sounds like it should have been called Fugue rather than Plainsong! :–)
I read this book many years ago. I believe, also, there was a tv movie based on this book and I'm pretty sure I saw that too.
In reading the comments before mine, I want to bang my head against a wall. why? cuz someone just mentioned that "An Unfinished Life" is a book (of course it is!) and I have that movie waiting to watch! Actually, I started to watch it a couple weeks ago but the dvd was broken so they sent me a complimentary copy (zip.ca). Oh, how I hate finding out that movies I've seen are books! I like to read the book first THEN watch the movie.
Oh well Ill just have to wait long enough that I forget the movie.
The book sounds good. Congratulations on your new domain! I've added it to my reader.
It might not be for everyone, but it sounds interesting to me!
I heard Kent Haruf at the SLC Book Festival a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I bought and read this book and liked it. That same year I heard Mark Spragg talk about his book, An Unfinished Life. I highly recommend that one, especially since you liked Plainsong.
As long as there is a suitable amount of tension I'll read just about anything. This doesn't sound quite like my cup of tea…but probably cause I don't drink tea.