Plainsong Audiobook By Kent Haruf cover art

Plainsong

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Plainsong

By: Kent Haruf
Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
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Kent Haruf has received prestigious awards, including a special citation from the PEN/Hemingway Foundation for his finely-tuned works. Before the opening chapter of this novel, Haruf offers a definition. Plainsong is “any simple and unadorned melody or air.” Direct yet elegant, Haruf’s Plainsong is a hymn to the breadth of the human spirit.

A high school history teacher in a small Colorado town, Guthrie is raising his two young sons alone. Thoughtful and honest, he is guiding them through a world that is not always kind. Victoria, one of his students, is pregnant, homeless, and vulnerable to the scorn of the town. When Guthrie helps two elderly ranchers take the young woman into their home, an unlikely extended family is born. As the chapters of these people’s lives alternate throughout Plainsong, loneliness and need are transformed into nourishing bonds. Narrator Tom Stechschulte captures the subtle changes that bring the men, women, and children together. His performance highlights every shading of this superb New York Times best-seller.

©1999 Kent Haruf (P)1999 Recorded Books, LLC Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Sagas Small Town & Rural Heartfelt
Compelling Storyline • Richly Drawn Characters • Quiet Evocative Writing • Heartwarming Small-town Tale
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every chapter simple and engaging with every character being someone we could champion or hope would change

every chapter.. simple and engaging, with charater

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Thoroughly enjoyed this simple relaxing book. Would recommend this book. Looking forward to listening to the next one!

Enjoyable read

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I have always enjoyed the brevity of the language when characters are speaking. It seems like a beautiful relic of another time. I really like these people. Great Storytelling and a highly recommended book.

Timeless Storytelling

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If you’re thinking about this book, just do it. The narration is perfect and sets a tone that captures the spirit I think the author was trying to convey.

An indescribable tale that captured me fully

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I finished this book the weekend the author died. My sympathies to the family. It the author lived his life as thoughtful as his writing he was a wonderful being I am sure.

The characters and the proses are beautifully crafted, I loved the writing. But if you listen, expect a very subtle overlay of simple stories that unfold slowly. There is no big dramatic moment, anywhere; rather it is beautiful writing about people you could know, trying to figure out their lives that occasionally intersect.

Interesting -

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If you are here for a very well written story and do not care much about a story being a cliche, then this is for you. However, it does take place in an older setting, with extremely well written story-writing. The areas that make me not like it are more of a bias, when in whole it is actually a great story. There are a lot of dark and graphic portions in this book so keep an eye out, this book is not for anyone under 18 unless for educational purposes. The writer is very in depth with how they write, and the consistencies and character design makes sense and has a lot of depth as well.

Unbiased rating, it is an aquired taste.

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This is a pitch-perfect reading of one of my lifetime-top 10 works of contemporary fiction.

Haruf died too soon. He was an author who mastered the art of telling stories through character.

PLAINSONG was his breakthrough work. It changed my life when I first read it nearly 19 years ago. It remains as fresh and relevant as ever. Haruf's prose shimmers like cut glass, and his power to evoke character and place is nearly unparalleled.

It is antidote to the meanness of American Life now and a love song to the American West.

Splendid Reading of a Favorite Novel

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Too bad that there are not more of these. That are well written and crafted. 15 years in, this book seems like it will age well.

A story of… faith in human nature

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i loved the personalities and their full and in deep insights. i will recommend it to others.

interesting book about some gripping personalities

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From start to finish, this book delivers with its characters, storytelling style and excellent narrator. I loved it!

Wonderful

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