Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

2 reviews

loukie's review against another edition

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dark hopeful sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 Kent Haruf’s Plainsong trilogy was quiet and understated, meaning for me it was best saved for when I was in the right reading mood. It is a very loose trilogy. All three novels take place in the town of Holt, Colorado and some characters appear in more than one book, but each centres on a different group of characters. I suspect they could be read as standalones and out of order with very little lost apart from a degree of immersion. The writing is unadorned but surprisingly affective and Haruf captures both people and place in a beautiful but melancholic way. They are decent ordinary people dealing as best they can with the hardships life has thrown at them and others.

Plainsong is the first in the trilogy and possibly my favourite. I found the theme of found family to be well-done and enjoyed seeing teen mother Victoria grow into herself and work out what she wanted from her life as much as I enjoyed seeing the batchelor McPheron brothers open up to the world after they agree to take her in.

 
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