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    Eventide
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    Eventide
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    Eventide
    Audiobook8 hours

    Eventide

    Written by Kent Haruf

    Narrated by George Hearn

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    One of the most beloved novels in recent years, Plainsong was a best-seller from coast to coast-and now Kent Haruf returns to the High Plains community of Holt, Colorado, with a story of even more masterful authority.

    When the McPheron brothers see Victoria Roubideaux, the single mother they'd taken in, move from their ranch to begin college, an emptiness opens before them-and for many other townspeople it also promises to be a long, hard winter. A young boy living alone with his grandfather helps out a neighbor whose husband, off in Alaska, suddenly isn't coming home, leaving her to raise their two daughters. At school the children of a disabled couple suffer indignities that their parents know all too well in their own lives, with only a social worker to look after them and a violent relative to endanger them further. But in a small town a great many people encounter one another frequently, often surprisingly, and destinies soon become entwined-for good and for ill-as they confront events that sorely test the limits of their resilience and means, with no refuge available except what their own character and that of others afford them.

    Spring eventually does reach across the land, and how the people of Eventide get there makes for an engrossing, profoundly moving novel rich in the wisdom, humor, and humanity for which Kent Haruf is justly acclaimed.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 4, 2004
    ISBN9780739309414
    Unavailable
    Eventide
    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 Eventide

    4/5

    537 ratings47 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I continue to love Haruf's straight-talking, "tell it like it is" approach to story telling. In this sequel to Haruf's debut novel, Plainsong, we are back in the fictional township of Holt, Colorado, roughly 2 years later. I call Holt a township as the story also captures the farming community, through the McPheron farm. Continuing his quietly expressive writing style, Haruf takes this story up a notch. We are introduced to new characters, get to revisit with familiar characters and, if you are like me, emotionally experience some really heart-wrenching, "unexpected punches to the gut" scenes. Not all outcomes are cheery, but Haraf's writing captures a snapshot of small town life, so it is not surprising that some of the events have a sad/ negative resolution or remain unresolved. That is life. Haruf's message remains steady and true: The ability to accept/overcome loss, face adversity or just carry on with life after it has kicked you to the curb, can be helped along with the comforting power of family/ friendship/ community. Another wonderful story and I am looking forward to starting the third book in the trilogy, Benediction.
    • 5/5
      With the lone exception of the too predictable return of Hoyt Raines to the Wallace trailer,Kent Haru has composed a perfect book. Readers may be moved to feel as deeply for the landscapeas for the carefully evolving characters.
    • 5/5
      Digital audiobook performed by George HearnContinuing the story of the residents of fictional Holt, Colorado, the novel features some of the same characters that readers came to love in Plainsong. The McPheron brothers see Victoria Roubideaux move off their ranch to begin college; Maggie Jones once again displays the compassion and good sense that make her such a wonderful teacher; Tom Guthrie and his boys make an appearance as well. And social worker Rose Tyler finds that the burden of helping people who sometimes cannot be helped is made a little easier with a strong shoulder to cry on. New characters move the story of the town and its residents forward: a young boy helps his aged grandfather, a woman with two girls tries to find her way now that her husband has left, and a couple with limited resources have difficulty caring for their two children. Life can be hard in Holt. Accidents cause injury and death. Alcohol fuels violent tendencies and foolish behavior. Misunderstandings lead to wounded egos and bruised sensibilities. Then again, there are scenes of tenderness and caring that touch my heart and give me faith in humankind. People rise to the occasion and help one another without thought to payback or obligation. Couples find humor in their situation, or reach out to comfort one another. People made hard decisions and move forward with courage and grace in the face of adversity. And I just have to comment on how Haruf paints the landscape. I felt the bitter wind of a December midnight, saw the weak sunlight on wide open fields, smelled the squalor of an unkempt trailer, or relished in the sights and sounds of a spring afternoon. I came late to the party when it comes to reading Haruf. But better late than never. As I came to the end of this novel I found myself mourning his passing all over again. A week or so after I finished listening to the audio, I picked up the text and read it again, cover to cover. George Hearn does a fine job narrating the audiobook. He has the perfect pace and tone for this quiet novel. He really brings these characters to life; I particularly love how he voices the McPheron brothers.
    • 4/5
      This is part two in a trilogy starting with Plainsong. Once again we spend time with the McPheron brothers and other residents of Holt Colorado. The writing style is slow and gentle; the subject matter less so. I think preferred the first book because the ending of this one left me sad more than the sense of community in Plainsong
    • 5/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book and found it entrancing. Did not want the book to end.
    • 5/5
      Haruf returns to the locale and many of the characters of "Plainsong", with a still powerful but less engaging story in this semi-sequel. There's really no plot arc here, just a series of scenes, the most powerful involving Raymond and Harold McPheron. This feels like the middle volume of a trilogy, with all the weaknesses that so often implies.
    • 4/5
      This picks up the thread of Victoria Robideuax and her infant daughter, the McPheron brothers, and to some extent, Tom Guthrie where we left them at the end of Plainsong. It also gives us new characters with intertwining tales of poverty, struggle, love and despair. It is all so perfect, so real and true...unsentimental but compassionate portraits of people we all might know, or think we do.
    • 5/5
      The Plainsong trilogy is so sweet and heartwarming. There is sadness too, just like real life, but overall the story is leaving me with a warm and pleasant feeling. I'm immediately on to the final book!
    • 3/5
      Sequel to Plainsong and set in the same small town of Holt, Colorado, this book continues the story of residents we have come to know in the first book. It is character driven, slow paced, and written in sparse poignant prose. We revisit the McPheron brothers and social worker Rose Tyler. The young woman the brothers took in, Victoria, goes off to college. There are a few new stories of a people we had not met before, such as Luther and Betty Wallace and their two children, living in poverty. An alcoholic uncle moves in with them and wreaks havoc with their lives.

      There is no plot to tie everything together, other than these characters are living in the same community and surrounding area. It is about ordinary people living their (mostly unhappy) lives. People come and go. They live and die. The overall tone is one of melancholy. It is difficult for me to read about child abuse, so I did not like this one quite as much as Plainsong.
    • 4/5
      The story of Holt, Colorado continues, and again is told in short episodic vignettes in quiet, simple prose. Victoria and Harold and Raymond are back in this book, but other characters are new, including Luther and Betty June living in a trailer with their children who are being abused by Betty June's Uncle Hoyt, as well as their social worker Rose.Again, a quiet read, though some evil things are going on under a veneer of calm.3 1/2 starsFirst line: "They came up from the horse barn in the slanted light of early morning."Last line: "And still in the room they say together quietly, the old man with his arm around the kind woman, waiting for what would come."
    • 4/5
      Not as moving as Plainsong, but in the same vein and an interesting story.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful novel about the little bits of tenderness that make our often cruel world tolerable.
    • 5/5
      Oh why did I wait so long to follow up with the sequel to Plainsong. I just love Kent Haruf's writing; it's a big squidgy bear hug between the pages. His characters are full of such warmth and heart I couldn't care less what direction the book goes in - I just want to keep on reading and reading.Life's always a little hard going in Haruf's novels, but he's a glass half-full kind of guy so his writing is full of compassion rather than depression. If you're feeling a bit out of sorts, reading his work is the equivalent of someone singing Soft Kitty and feeding you chicken noodle soup. This isn't earth-shattering literature, and it might be a bit too wholesome for some tastes, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.4.5 stars - a great prescription against Trump-esque moral vacuousness if ever you need a pick-me-up.
    • 5/5
      I love the way this guy wrote. Haruf wrote like Hemingway, minus the macho and ego. EVENTIDE is the beautiful sequel to PLAINSONG. BENEDICTION,the third book about the ordinary folk of fictional Holt, Colorado, was published in 2014,just a few months before Kent Haruf died. Once I've read that, I will have read all of Haruf's books. I only wish there were more. Like his other books, this one will make you cry. My highest, HIGHest recommendation.- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
    • 5/5
      Kent Haruf is a superb storyteller. The narrator of this audio edition is marvelous, perfectly suited to the setting and characters of this heartrending and heartwarming story. The second volume of Haruf's trilogy is populated with his characteristic range of loving, hateful, pitiful, heroic and ever so human inhabitants of the high plains town of Holt, Colorado. What a magnificent novel. I have come to know and care about the main characters, which is a tribute to the writing!
    • 4/5
      After reading Plainsong not too long ago, I knew I had to catch the sequel and find out what else Kent Haruf had in mind for the denizens of Holt, Colorado. After quite a few false starts and failed attempts, being completely unable to find time to sit down and read, I brought it with me on this past trip to San Francisco determined to dig in and get through it. I started immediately after sitting down on the plane and was nearly done by the time we touched down. Once I finally got into the hotel, I took an hour to polish it off before setting out to register with my conference.Great book. Having been prepared for the odd choice in dialogue quotation (or lack thereof) from the first book, it wasn't nearly so jarring this time around. Forgivable, even. And I noticed better editing this time, too. I didn't stumble across a single comma splice.The characters in this book were every bit as rich as those in the first. A few overlaps - the McPheron brothers and Victoria play a major role with Tom and Maggie as minor support - and a wealth of newcomers: Luther and Betty June Wallace (parents who don't understand how to be parent), DJ (a child who doesn't understand what it's like to be a child), and Rose, the social worker struggling to help Luther and Betty June who finds love in an unexpected place.This is not a sequel, rather just another Holt story, existing on its own. It is sad in places, frightening in others, jubilant through the spotted misery. In every sense, as life splatters us with a rainbow of affections and sorrow, so does Haruf upon his characters. Okay, that sounded cheesy, but I'll leave it because although I wasn't prepared for some of the tragedy in this book, after finishing, it all rang true. Such is life.I liked this one better that the first, though I'm hard pressed to explain why. There was more going on in the first novel, but this one was more concise. Both leave us with hanging threads, unanswered questions, but these didn't bother me as much. If I were to attempt to explain, I might guess that Haruf's got a third in mind, so he wrote this one knowing that. But when he wrote the first, it was just an exercise in getting lots of random thoughts, characters and scenes down on paper, thus leaving it a little discombobulated. I just think he crafted this one better.But if you're reading this and are a little confused as to what these Holt, Colorado, stories are, by all means, start with Plainsong and then work your way on to Eventide. You won't be disappointed.Invisible Lizard's Unusual Oranges
    • 5/5
      „Ich will das Gefühl haben, dass ich den nächsten Schritt auch allein kann.“ (Zitat Seite 348)

      Inhalt:
      Mary Wells hat zwei Töchter, Dena und Emma. DJ, elf Jahre alt, hilft ihr bei der Gartenarbeit. Seine Mutter ist vor Jahren gestorben und er lebt bei seinem Großvater, in einem Häuschen im Norden von Holt, Colorado. DJ und Dena schaffen sich in einem alten Schuppen einen Rückzugsort, wo sie lesend ihre Freizeit verbringen. Joy Rae und ihr kleiner Bruder Richie leben mit ihren Eltern in einem Wohnmobil. Rose Tyler vom Sozialamt kümmert sich um die Familie. Victoria Roubideaux zieht mit ihrer kleinen Tochter Katie nach Fort Collins, um dort ihre Ausbildung als Grundschullehrerin abzuschließen. Für die McPheron-Brüder, sie sich in den beiden letzten Jahren wie eine Familie um Victoria gekümmert hatten, ist es nicht einfach, wieder alleine zu sein.

      Thema und Genre:
      Der Roman spielt in der fiktiven Kleinstadt Holt, in der abgeschiedenen Weite Colorados. Es geht um den Alltag von einfachen Menschen, um einzelne Schicksale und darum, einander zu helfen. Thema sind Familienbeziehungen, fehlende Eltern und wie Kinder versuchen, mit der Situation klarzukommen.

      Charaktere:
      Die etwas ruppig wirkenden McPheron Brüder sind liebenswerte Einzelgänger mit einem großen Herzen für die Probleme anderer. Auch Rose Tyler versucht zu helfen, wo sie kann und ist besonders aufmerksam, wenn es um Kinder geht. Kent Haruf versteht es, sich in jede seiner Figuren einzufühlen und er nimmt sich Zeit für Details.

      Handlung und Sprache:
      In diesem Roman geht es nicht um Spannungsbögen und Höhepunkte. Der Autor erzählt Geschichten, manchmal leise, manchmal sehr hart und traurig, realistisch, aber nie deprimierend, sondern immer mit einem positiven Ausblick. Irgendwie schaffen es seine Protagonisten, sich in das Leben einzufügen und ihren Platz darin zu finden. Das Kleinstadtleben in Holt besteht aus vielen Einzelschicksalen, doch man kennt sich, die Wege der einzelnen Protagonisten kreuzen sich und man hilft einander.
      Die poetische Sprache und in diesem Fall auch die Übersetzung sind wunderbar zu lesen. Ereignisse wechseln ab mit Schilderungen, Gefühle finden sich als Metapher in Beschreibungen der Natur wieder.

      Fazit:
      Der Autor erzählt die Geschichten des einfachen, kargen Lebens der Menschen in einer Kleinstadt. Einfühlsam erzählt er von ihren Problemen. Als Leser fühlt man sich in der poetischen Sprache geborgen und bedauert, am Ende des Buches diese Kleinstadt irgendwo in der weiten amerikanischen Ebene und ihre Bewohner wieder verlassen zu müssen.
    • 5/5
      This will be placed somewhere near the top of my list of favorite books. Real, raw and wonderful. The characters are amazing. Somehow simple things, like two characters grocery shopping, are beautiful the way Haruf writes them. I will be moving quickly on the Benediction and probably through everything else he has written.
    • 2/5
      Weakest in trilogy. Sentimental. Sense the author as puppeteer of outcomes in spite of bleakness of some of the characters's lives. Had I read this first - would I have read the others? Nope? The Macpherons are borderline stereotypes, familiars of dozens of films. Hoyt is a baddy straight out of Huck Finn. The women are either: saints, tarts or put-upons. Glad he saved his real ammo for book 3. The End.
    • 5/5
      Spare, haunting, unresolved, apt. Like the best of us.
    • 5/5
      What I like about this book is the way it describes a community, covering a diverse range of situations. It is not unrealistically hpeful about the future. In fact many readers may find that they yearn for a more positive conclusion . . . or even for a conclusion at all! However Haruf recognises that life is not predictable, and that the good intentions of a few people can't always be converted into happy outcomes.
    • 3/5
      I didn't like this one quite as well as "Plainsong" but my actual rating would fall closer to 3.5 stars. I was delighted to be back with the McPheron brothers and the people of Holt County. They are all so real. Haruf writes in a way that is both simple and beautiful.
    • 4/5
      More of Holt, Colorado. This is as well written as Plainsong, albeit sadder and, in some sense, more suspended in terms of story resolution. You'll find the return of several familiar characters as well as be introduced to several new ones, some of whom are as appealing as the old, while some just make your blood boil.There is that same wonderful quality of feeling like you're present in the lives of these people. It continues to amaze me how well Haruf can create an image of a person in the reader's mind with even the briefest of scenes. When reading the first book, the word that kept coming to mind was resonant; with this one, it is compassionate.And, yes, I'm aware that saying albeit might make those who've read the book smile.
    • 5/5
      This sequel to Plainsong is every bit a good as the first. I can't seem to get enough of Kent Haruf and his picture perfect portrayal of the Midwest. I'm a coastal person, but I have come to appreciate the way of life of the inhabitants of Holt Colorado and its environs. Eventide brings back the wonderful McPheron brothers, their ward Victoria and her daughter, we meet the hapless Wallace family in their dilapidated trailer, we meet Rose the social worker, and we see the hard-working, plain, loving, and giving way of life of the plains ranchers and small town merchants. It's another perfect piece of writing. I simply can't get enough of Haruf's plain and simple scene setting and lyrical prose. There is not a wasted word, nor a wasted scene. His characters are real, the story is true to life, and although parts can be called extremely sad, they are simply statements of life as it is. The hope and grace he portrays in his characters keeps the story from being maudlin, and leaves the reader looking for more. If you haven't discovered this superb writer, run to your bookstore or library. You won't regret it.
    • 4/5
      The sequal to Haruf's beautiful book Plainsong. Usually sequals aren't as good as the original but this is one of the few exception. Haruf's writing is so lyrical that it pulls the emotions from you.
    • 5/5
      Author Kent Haruf returns to the small rural town of Holt, Colorado with Eventide. In this high plains town we meet many of the characters that we grew to love in his previous book, Plainsong. Life has moved on from the last book so it was wonderful to catch up with the characters while at the same time being introduced to some new ones. Haruf allows his story to unfold naturally and while there is both sadness and hardship in this community, he also shows the sympathy and understanding that exists there as well. Children play an important part in his stories and he realistically captures their earnest dignity and empathy which makes them the heart and soul of the story.It’s hard not to compare the writing in these books to music, both Plainsong and Eventide deliver a symphony of wisdom, humanity and humor as the author captures the ebb and flow of life on America’s plains. His flawed but oh-so-human characters with their convergent narratives and muti-textured stories blend together in a melancholy yet calming manner.Eventide is the perfect sequel to Plainsong. In his unique style, Kent Haruf delivers a pitch perfect novel of haunting beauty and grace.
    • 4/5
      Haruf's writing is spare and lyrical, like a sort of music. Everyone should read him, I can say with certainty that he is one of my favorite authors.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is book 2 of the loose trilogy by Kent Haruf which began with 'Plainsong'. How have I never heard of these wonderful books until recently?? GREAT American fiction, beautiful writing, not a word wrong or out of place. These books will be read for generations and people will understand about life in small communities in the far mid-West of the USA during the 20th/21st Centuries. True classics.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is the second in a series set in Holt, Colorado. The story centers on two old bachelor brothers, Raymond and Harold McPheron, who own a cattle ranch. In the first book they take in a pregnant teenager, Victoria, who changes their lives completely. She expands their world and fills it with a love they've never experienced. Early in this story she's moving away with her two-year-old daughter Katie to attend college in a town several hours away. The lives of the McPheron brothers intersect, and contrast, with other townspeople who have some serious problems of their own, including grief, loneliness, bullying, abandonment, and abuse. At the same time, many of these same characters show great bravery, independence, strength and dignity. It was satisfying in a way I don't think I have the ability to explain. I read the first books years ago and it seemed sad, and sweet and has haunted my memory ever since. This is the same. It's a quiet book, but compelling and impossible to forget.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I love this book!

      1 person found this helpful