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    Benediction: A Novel
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    Benediction: A Novel
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    Benediction: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    Benediction: A Novel

    Written by Kent Haruf

    Narrated by Mark Bramhall

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year

    From the beloved and best-selling author of Plainsong and Eventide comes a story of life and death, and the ties that bind, once again set out on the High Plains in Holt, Colorado.

    When Dad Lewis is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he and his wife, Mary, must work together to make his final days as comfortable as possible. Their daughter, Lorraine, hastens back from Denver to help look after him; her devotion softens the bitter absence of their estranged son, Frank, but this cannot be willed away and remains a palpable presence for all three of them. Next door, a young girl named Alice moves in with her grandmother and contends with the painful memories that Dad's condition stirs up of her own mother's death. Meanwhile, the town's newly arrived preacher attempts to mend his strained relationships with his wife and teenaged son, a task that proves all the more challenging when he faces the disdain of his congregation after offering more than they are accustomed to getting on a Sunday morning. And throughout, an elderly widow and her middle-aged daughter do everything they can to ease the pain of their friends and neighbors.

    Despite the travails that each of these families faces, together they form bonds strong enough to carry them through the most difficult of times.  Bracing, sad and deeply illuminating, Benediction captures the fullness of life by representing every stage of it, including its extinction, as well as the hopes and dreams that sustain us along the way. Here Kent Haruf gives us his most indelible portrait yet of this small town and reveals, with grace and insight, the compassion, the suffering and, above all, the humanity of its inhabitants.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 26, 2013
    ISBN9780385363624
    Unavailable
    Benediction: A Novel
    Author

    Kent Haruf

    Kent Haruf is the author of six novels (and, with the photographer Peter Brown, West of Last Chance). His honours include a Whiting Foundation Writers' Award, the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Award, the Wallace Stegner Award, and a special citation from the PEN/Hemingway Foundation; he was also a finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and The New Yorker Book Award. Benediction was shortlisted for the Folio Prize. He died in November 2014, at the age of seventy-one.

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    Reviews for Benediction

    4/5

    404 ratings56 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Benediction is told in the beautiful, simple prose of Haruf's other novels. It is a lovely, sad story at the center of which an old man is dying, while being tenderly cared for by his wife and daughter, and honored by the people of his community. Their individual stories intertwine and overlap, the bitter and the sweet. And life goes on.
    • 5/5
      A book about life and death, about the illness, about the difficulty in taking always the right decision, about the terderness from family, neighbours, friends; the anger froma family, neighbours, friends... all of that and more is Benediction. Holt again! I enjoyed this town.
    • 4/5
      While Benediction is the third book in Haruf's Plainsong trilogy, this story is set some 20-30 years after the second book and has a completely different cast of characters, so the common ground in the trilogy appears to be the setting of small town Holt, Colorado. That, and the quiet desperation that haunts certain characters in all three books. Beyond those similarities, [Benediction] reads very much like a stand alone novel. It takes on a more meditative/ reflective/ melancholy posture, but still employs Harauf's sparse prose. The story weaves through multiple story lines - some connecting, some not - but in the end, this is a story about how some actions, no matter how thoroughly repented, cannot be erased. Sometimes we are denied the very redemption we seek. For these reasons, this is a harder hitting story and really brings home the saying "Time is always shorter than we think". Of the three books in the trilogy, I have to say, this one did not quite stand up against well against the first two books, mainly because, with its billing as the final book in the trilogy, I went in with certain expectations. It really should have been left as a stand alone novel. That way, the book can stand on its own merits and not be compared/ contrasted with the earlier books, like I did.
    • 4/5
      Ostensibly this is a story about Dad Lewis, a 77 year old man who still works and runs his Hardware store. He has just been given a terminal cancer diagnosis with a short time to live. This is actually a lot of little stories which are pretty much about sadness, sadness, more sadness, loneliness, unfulfilled dreams, disappointment and growing old. There are a very few brighter spots in the story, but they are brief moments. Unlike his other novels I didn't take a particular interest in the characters or their lives with the exception of Reverend Lyle, who was a fish out of water in rural Colorado.Like his other books, Haruf ignores conventional punctuation for dialogue which for the most part is not a problem once you get used to it. However, there are a few times where it is difficult to discern who is speaking or if the sentence is dialogue, a thought or a statement. Even upon repeated re-reading. Only a minor annoyance but one I thought I would mention. A larger bother for me was how the novel ends. It is unfinished and many things are left unresolved. The drama at the end was a diversion from what the author should have worked on. Dad Lewis's life was finished but I was left wondering what the point of this all was. Of the five Haruf novels I have read this seems the weakest.
    • 4/5
      If there is such a thing as beautiful sadness, that's the feeling this book left in my heart. The story of a man in his final days, dying of lung cancer, facing this challenge with the same grace and practicality he has applied to his life. It's just a simple picture of good people up against trouble; some of them deal with it well, and others aren't particularly equipped to deal with it at all. It's a story that I feel I have lived in myself, and I saw an awful lot of my own father in Dad Lewis. It also reminded me quite a lot of Marilynne Robinson's [Home], although in this case, the prodigal son never does return.
    • 4/5
      I have mixed feelings about this novel, the third and last in the Plainsong trilogy. The reader is taken to another portion of Holt, Colorado with new characters and with only a fleeting mention of a former. First we meet "Dad" Lewis. He's just received a very bad diagnosis and only has weeks to live. His wife and daughter care for him as do, in typical Holt fashion, his neighbors. His son is estranged with little chance he'll see his father one last time. Preacher Lyle and his family are also new to Holt, freshly delivered from his former parsonage in Denver. I thought Rev Lyle captured Holt perfectly when he said, "If you have love you can live in this world in a true way and if you love each other you can see past everything and accept what you don't understand and forgive what you don't know or don't like. Love is all." That's a beautiful sentiment but doesn't fit Benediction. "Dad" is narrow minded and unforgiving. In another example, Lyle's parishioner's don't want to listen to another side. They walk out of his church when his view point differs from their own. They withdraw to their comfort zones and go about as before, which isn't bad but rather than converse with him, question his reasoning, attempt to understand, they banish him. Overall, still a well written story, just different. Goodbye, Holt, Colorado.
    • 5/5
      Haruf did it again. What a gorgeous conclusion to the Plainsong series.
    • 4/5
      ' "I'm afraid I don't have very good news for you", the doctor said'By sally tarbox on 19 October 2017Format: Kindle EditionA simple, stark narrative telling of the final weeks of an elderly man suffering from terminal cancer in a smalltown American community.There are very beautiful moments and very sad ones as family members visit and neighbours - with their own problems - drop in. Some things work out - but this isn't a sentimental fairytale, and some things never do. Some have no easy solution.While we grow fond of retired hardware store owner, Dad Lewis, he's by no means a saint - he's made some unwise choices in life, which come back to haunt him. An estranged gay son, a harsh response to a dishonest employee which had repercussions - but he's done good things too and is much loved.Very beautifully written and sad.
    • 4/5
      Audio version with Mark Bramhall, the King of Narrators. Lovely story at face value, but should also be considered as a primer for someone who is considering Hospice as a path to a dignified death with a loved one. I'm no expert, but I think it is pretty on. I am starting to laugh at myself because I keep saying that I can't stand super sad stories, but the numbers of them keep ticking up. Maybe it is because I am aging. But I still dropped a book about abuse this week like a hot potato, so I know I haven't totally gone over. The echoes of my recent conversation with a priest came back at one point. The premise of what turned out to be a very unpopular sermon would have been great to go over with him, especially because he told me that the world was essentially divided into Christianity and Islam, and Islam wants to destroy Christianity. I think it would have made for an interesting chat if I could have asked him if he prayed for Isis.
    • 5/5
      With only a handful of noble characters, Kent Haruf writes a beautiful story about a local hardware store owner at the end of his life, being comforted by his wife, his recently returned daughter, and the relief that hospice can provide. In the few weeks that the narrative takes place, we get a warm portrait of Holt, Colorado and the trials of a few of the people who had come to know Dad Lewis. This is the fourth time I have visited Holt, Haruf's chosen setting, and Dad Lewis, like the McPheron brothers of Plainsong and Eventide, is a noble, hard working curmudgeon with soft undertones. The narrative alternates among the back story of his daughter, a couple of his neighbors, and a new preacher in town. It also shows the consequences of some hard decisions that Dad has made over the years. Since the author's death last year, I have realized that my periodic journeys to this town are limited, but treasured excursions.
    • 5/5
      Somehow Kent Haruf has escaped under my radar until now. It may be late in the day to discover him (especially after his recent tragic death) but I'm glad I have.
      He writes with the same style and content as some of my favourite American authors - Anne Tyler, Jane Smiley and Richard Russo. Tales of small town America and the largely 'uneventful' lives of ordinary people. In this case, Dad Lewis, the owner of a hardware store, dying of cancer, and his family. I said 'uneventful' but events from the past and the present creep in, most of them sad or tragic. And yet, by the end of a book filled with death, the final message is life affirming.
    • 4/5
      Life goes on in Holt, Colorado,and this time it includes death. "Dad" Lewis, long-time proprietor of the hardware store, husband, father, upright citizen, and of course flawed human being (redundancy though that is), faces the end of his life with his memories and most of his family around him. As always, Haruf's work is plain as a barn and tight as a new-strung wire fence
    • 4/5
      This third volume of the Plainsong Trilogy, although it is also set in Holt, Colorado, does not have even the tenuous connection of overlapping characters that united the first two volumes of the trilogy. It shares the setting and the quiet prose style, but we are introduced to an entirely new set of characters.Dad Lewis is dying of cancer. He and his wife Mary are estranged from their son Frank. Their daughter is back to help through Dad's illness, but will Frank even know his father is ill.Alice, the young girl who lives next door, has lost her mother and lives with her grandmother Berta May. Alene, a retired school teacher, has returned to live with her mother Willa on her farm a bit out of town. They visit with Dad Lewis, and also befriend Alice and try to help her through the loss of her mother.There is a new preacher in town, Reverend Hyle, and he has become deeply unpopular with the congregation because he is speaking out against the war. Over the course of the novel, as Dad Lewis's health declines, Reverend Hyle loses his job and his family.So once again, a quiet slice of life in Holt, Colorado. Even though we meet entirely knew characters, I liked this book as much as the first two.3 1/2 starsFirst line: "When the test came back the nurse called them into the examination room and when the doctor entered the room he just looked at them and asked them to sit down."Last line; "And in the fall the days turned cold and the leaves dropped off the trees and in the winter the wind blew from the mountains and out on the high plains of Holt County there were overnight storms and three-day blizzards."
    • 5/5
      A book about regrets I don't regret reading. Haruf speaks to the small town in all of us.
    • 4/5
      Approaching death, Dad evaluates his life lamenting his failings particularly with his son. The situation also impacts numerous other town members.
    • 5/5
      Boy oh boy, for a short little book this thing made me cry no less than FIVE TIMES. Good grief. Talk about great writing. I've heard people describe this as a book about "nothing" but christ, to my mind it was a book about *everything*. It is such a thorough little snapshot of life, of a group of lives, beginning and ending, coming together and ripping apart, from youth to old age. The dialogue was so incredibly natural, and I'm not just talking about vernacular language, but the way it flows and crashes and stumbles between the characters. Plus the sense of place is really unique to me, that although your in a very specific area and part of the U.S., it feels like it could be anywhere really. Haruf has a gift for storytelling, and used it to it's utmost here with this book.
    • 5/5
      Haruf is a master of understatement. Thee is no overt drama, just the telling of the interactions, small and large, real and wished for, which make up the days of our lives. Strengths are real characters and relationships, rebirth and death and acceptance.
    • 5/5
      I was saddened to learn of the passing of Kent Haruf earlier this year. With [Plainsong] and [Eventide], he became one of my favorite authors. His ability to capture the details of small town life and especially the voices of the residents is unparalleled. In [Benediction], we return to the small town of Holt, Colorado. The story is primary centered around Dad Lewis, who is dying. As his wife and daughter work to make his final days comfortable, he reflects back on his life. Although he is a respected businessman in Holt, he has some significant regrets, but he also is surrounded by a number of people who love him. What results is a very real picture of a life nearing its end. I cannot say enough about Haruf's unpretentious writing. The story is described as a meditation on its back cover, and that is exactly what it reminded me of - a meditation, a prayer of sorts, a look inside a life.
    • 5/5
      You might think that because this book is about an old man dying of cancer this book would be a downer. I did not find it so. It is beautifully written. The kindness of the dying old man, his friends and neighbors make this book a delight.Although this the third book in the series it has totally different characters than the first two and a totally different time although the original characters are mentioned in passing. This could be a stand alone. Highly recommended
    • 3/5
      There's lots of good stuff here (I've read the Plainsong series) and some touching scenes...though I have to say that the Hemingway-esque "showing not telling" (or, in some cases, "talking not telling") wore a little thin in places, but that didn't ruin the overall experience of the tale.
    • 3/5
      This was going to be the book club book for April, then it wasn't. Since I already had the book, I decided to read it anyway. I have read many books because they happened to be in my hands when I was ready for the next book. I finished it mostly because that is what I do with books I start. It takes a really badly written book to make me stop reading once I've started, and fortunately I haven't had too many of those in my life. But, I was bored with the story. It didn't go anywhere. It didn't shine a light on the human condition in anything like a new way. It's more the sort of book you find at the vacation cabin, left behind by a summer visitor and kept because it is calming for a rainy day when you are trapped inside.
    • 5/5
      I wish I could explain what it is about Haruf's spare narratives of small-town folk and rural neighbors that gets into my mind so effectively. Haruf is a master at evoking the ethos of a place and the people who've made it their home--or this particular place, I should say: the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. His characters content themselves with the quality of everyday life, rarely making grand statements or seeking grand desires, but never losing the sense of commitment that keeps their lives from ever seeming small. I don't know how he does it! But I find his books engrossing, however simple the plotline. For me this is a truly special writer.
    • 5/5
      Wow. What a great book. This Haruf guy can really write. This is a story of fathers and the damage they do to their children, especially their sons. The damage is unintentional and might even be done in the name of truth and right, but nonetheless can destroy a relationship and the life of the child. Maybe when death is approaching you see the negative impact of your life more clearly, but it's too late and you'll die with profound regrets.It's not an optimistic book, so if you're an aging father you might need a stash of blue happy pills to help you through the last few chapters.
    • 3/5
      Worth reading but certainly not uplifting. If I had half stars it would be a 3.5.
    • 4/5
      I felt as though I was right there in the house(s) with this collection of people as I listened to the audio version of this book. You could see them, hear them, feel them in Haruf's descriptions. A small town picture, up close and very personal, beautifully written, and enough to bring tears to my eyes.
    • 5/5
      Another beautifully written, confident, slow-paced (which is good, in his case) Haruf novel - even though many of the characters are unlikeable!
    • 4/5
      No matter who they are, everyone deserves a blessing, a benediction, forgiveness. This quiet story about the ordinary people of Holt, Colorado is given strength and depth by Haruf whose lyrical writing evokes sentiment without being maudlin.
    • 5/5
      A very special book, meant to be read slowly and thoughtfully. The audio production was perfect. The skilled narrator added immensely to the mood of the story.
    • 2/5
      Unfortunately, I felt this book was a huge disappointment. Haruf's "The Tie That Binds" was one of the best books I've ever read. This one was one of the most boring. He needs to give up on Holt and find a new town.First of all, the portrayal of a small town is so stereotypical. As a small town girl from Missouri, the setting and the characters all seem to be what I would consider a "city" view of the small town. But being from a small town does not guarantee that you have a small view of the world.Secondly, I almost quit at the scene of the women climbing into the stock tank naked. As a child I've played in several water tanks (never naked); my father would be mad at me for stirring up all the stuff at the bottom and the cattle wouldn't want to drink until it settled down. And, I can't in my wildest imagine any farm wife or other adult woman climbing in naked especially with a young girl. I suppose that is intended to portray some kind of "natural, free, uninhibited" nature of country women, but just seemed really weird to me.Finally, the characters of Lyle and Frank are so shallow. Was the point of Lyle's sermon and the reaction of the people just another effort to reinforce that small town, small mindedness? And what's with Lyle looking into windows at night. One really doesn't have to be a peeping tom in order to capture the "precious ordinary." [Although I loved that phrase]And it is phrases like "precious ordinary" that Haruf is very good at creating so there are places of really good writing. However, those places seem to be getting fewer and fewer and are getting lost in really mundane and boring plots.
    • 5/5
      This is a lovely, loving portrayal of Dad Lewis at the end of a life he lived with his own brand of integrity. It is also the story of the citizens of his small Colorado town with all their human strengths and weaknesses. The writing is spare and powerful. This is a book I will read again. I hated for it to end.