"Where You Once Belonged" by Kent Haruf.
An interesting story set in a small town rural America.
The main character, Jack Burdette is hard to understand, let alone summarise.
The plot takes unexpected twists and turns.
The Goodreads entry has a good summary of the plot.
The Book Club discussion revealed a disparity of opinions wider than normal; from “loved it” to “couldn’t get on with it”, illustrated very well by the pre- written comments:
Started this one twice.
First time I took an instant dislike to the main character, Jack Burdette. So put the book down and read another BC book.
Picked it up again and my disdain and dislike was confirmed.
So when he married Jessie Miller around p 74, my dislike was cemented in place and I lost all interest in the subsequent story.
Wanda Jo's revenge was pathetic.
The book had echoes of “Of Mice and Men” which was more poignant and better written.
and
His writing style is similar to Mary Lawson and Elizabeth Strout describing ordinary small town life in north America.
He tells a good story developing his characters well and their interaction with the community of this small town.
It's just about ordinary people getting on with their lives but occasionally doing extraordinary things.
There a community rhythm to it all and I find it amazing how he can develop a story out of practically nothing
The book is well written with keen observations about individuals within the town
and I think he is very positive about people in general so although there is a sadness to this story one always feels with his books that life goes on.
Loved it.
Various detailed comments from club members were noted including:
On the positive side
- Loved the writing.
- Good book, well written, liked the language.
- The story stayed with me
- Brilliantly written
And:
more negatively
- Jack Burdette is a troubled, unpleasant character. A bit of a “ne’er do well”.
- Jack Burdette had the potential to become a criminal mastermind.
- Struggled to get going
- Not a nice subject, not an easy read.
- Nasty distressing story
- Misery everywhere
And:
interestingly
- The book is an exposition of “melancholy”.
- Dancing when pregnant?
- The landscape is an important component
- Does living a distance from the sea affect one’s character?
Doorly score:
(5,4,3.5,4.5, 2.5, 5, 4, 5, 3, 4, 4, 3.5) – average 4.0.
PC. 2023
Kent Haruf’s trilogy is worth reading.
The Kent Haruf trilogy consists of the novels: Plainsong, Eventide, and Benediction.
All three books are set in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado, and can be read as a series or individually.
The novels explore the lives of ordinary people and the human capacity for love and kindness.
|
