Plainsong

by Kent Haruf

Assignment: #3 of popular novel annotations
Publication info.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999. 301 p.
Genre & Format: Drama; Novel

Awards/Reviews: New York Times Book Review and SLJ

Grades: 8 and up

Summary: A small community in Colorado is revealed through seven characters that come into each other’s lives. There are two teachers, a pregnant high school girl, two boys who miss their mother, and a couple of old bachelor brothers that are much less like the curmudgeons they seem. It weaves their stories to show rural life; its woes and its joys throughout. The story feels strong and arid, much like the Colorado plains landscape, including the constant need to leave for Denver that is felt throughout the cattle lands of that region.

Comments: The dialogue allows characters to describe themselves, while the narration offers glimpses of insight to keep the reader going. I was happy with how some things turned out, but it is not just a sappy happy ending. I can’t wait to read the sequel to see how these people get on after Plainsong.

Booktalking ideas: Perhaps go with the angle that all kids in Iowa feel like they need to “get out” to the big city where there is something to do.

VOYAesque Rating: 5Q 4P