Helpful Score: 6
I remember picking this book up from a library shelf and starting to read, and I couldn't stop.
Terrific opening of an absolutely gripping story that is not a whodunnit but a whydunnit.
In my opinion, Kent Haruf is the best living American writer (with Cormac McCarthy a close second), and this book, combined with the best-selling Plainsong, confirm it.
Terrific opening of an absolutely gripping story that is not a whodunnit but a whydunnit.
In my opinion, Kent Haruf is the best living American writer (with Cormac McCarthy a close second), and this book, combined with the best-selling Plainsong, confirm it.
Helpful Score: 4
This the the third book I've read by this author, and I wish there were a whole lot more of his to read. What Proulx, Spragg, McMurtry and James Galvin have done for the West, Haruf does for the Midwest. His characters are true-to-life and unforgettable. His narration style of this book, though different from Plainsong and its sequel Eventide, is unique and plausible at the same time. I agree with another reviewer -- you never want his books to end, and you put down the book wondering what will happen to the characters who remain.
Helpful Score: 1
Haruf's debut novel is so perfect that it's hard to believe he hadn't spent a lifetime perfecting this craft. Everything in it is pitch-perfect -- the demanding sandhill prairies of eastern Colorado, the tough and unsentimental people who struggle to make a living on it, and the strands of responsibility and passion that create the ties of the title.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a sad story about a woman who grew up on a rural farm and lived a life of obligation. The author writes a compelling story as told by a neighbor. It's one of those stories that stays with you as you wonder what you would have done if you were in her place.
