Eventide

By: Kent Haruf

Narrated by: George Hearn

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2004 Kent Haruf (P)2004 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Eventide] possesses the haunting appeal of music, the folksy rhythms of an American ballad and the lovely, measured grace of an old hymn . . . Mr. Haruf's understated prose, combined with his emotional wisdom and his easy affection for his characters turns [the novel's] events into affecting drama. In mapping the postage-stamp-size world of Holt, he has limned the loneliness of the people there and their resilience and capacity for hope."--Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

"There's a decency that shines in the very accuracy with which [Haruf] describes the ordinary. Scene after scene, from cattle auction to back-booth seduction . . . flows by us as clear as spring water, proof that truth, like virtue, has its own reward."--Michael Harris, Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Eventide is a lovely novel, all the more for its uncomprimising realism, its eschewing of the magical pallative of happy endings, its recognition that decency carries its own unique rewards."--Joan Mellen, Baltimore Sun“Highly charged and compassionate . . . Every action in Holt casts a long shadow, and the gist of Haruf’s story is what happens when those shadows touch . . . Haruf’s writing draws power from his sense of character–its limitations and its possibilities–and how it propels action.”–New Yorker

I really cared about the characters in this book.

I read this novel almost straight through without stopping. I am now attempting to get a copy of "Plainsong", to see what may have come before. It was hard to leave these folks, at the various stages in their lives. There is ample material for a sequel(s).
I enjoyed the background descriptions of the settings and of life on the plaines. The narrator, George Hearn, was a great match for this story .

Welcome Back to Holt!

A beautiful and quiet continuation of Plainsong. Simple and eloquent full of daily heartaches and triumphs. Loved this book, but recommend you listen to Plainsong first.

A worthy successor to Plainsong

Another character-driven tale of Holt, Colorado, narrated with skill and passion by George. Hear.

Multiple stories are skillfully intertwined, as they were in Plainsong, but the pace is faster and more suspenseful. Parts may break your heart, but there is always redemption in Kent Haruf's novels.
Recommended.

Good but not as good as his first book

I enjoyed listening but expected to love it as I did the first book. Don’t know if I will continue with the series.

Wonderful story

I loved it! What a nice story in a time when we need something besides violence and terror in our lives. The characters are so likeable. Looking forward to the next installment. Meanwhile, I'll get Plain Song. Not having heard Plain Song was not a problem, though.

Good story about small town life

What this book imparts is a quintessential view of American agrarian working class people. It is set in Colorado and speaks of small town life, I would guess in the 1970s or 80s. (One family has a microwave.) It is not plot oriented, so if you want lots to happen, look elsewhere. The picture it draws is astoundingly perceptive. The characters have very ordinary lives, but it is the perfection with which they are drawn that is so fantastic.

I cannot think of another book that delivers such astoundingly perfect dialogs. The sentences are short. What these characters say to each other is what ordinary people DO say to each other. The sentences are often composed of one or two words, or just a phrase. The dialogs are varied – between two elderly brothers, between the husband and wife of a family on welfare, a social worker and those she is trying to help, between children, between friends and enemies, the rants of a child abuser. Absolutely all of these dialogs are pitch-perfect. Either Kent Haruf, the author, has a fantastic memory for conversations he has heard or he has used a tape recorder.

The narration by George Hearn, could simply not be better. He delivers the dialogs with perfect pacing. His pauses speak volumes.

This book is the second of a trilogy. The first one is "Plainsong". I read that years and years ago and gave it too four stars. "Benediction" follows “Eventide”, but I have not chosen to pick that up immediately. I want to explain why because I believe it says something about what you can expect from this book. I need a break; I can take only so much. While there is subdued humor in the lines, the book essentially shows the struggle of daily life for many, many ordinary people. Their lives do have moments of happiness. The nice things are rather mundane, but still very beautiful….but maybe you have to look hard to see them. Also, the audiobook format of “Benediction” has a different narrator, and I absolutely cannot imagine listening to a similarly told story with a less competent narrator. The three books are stand-alones; they do not have to be read together, so I will wait! This was so special I don’t want to lessen my appreciation of it with another.

Have I explained properly so you know what this book offers you? Great writing about ordinary people. Superb dialogs. You will come to love some of the characters. For me it was Raymond.

No great drama but very authentic day to day life.

Would you consider the audio edition of Eventide to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version

What was one of the most memorable moments of Eventide?

The death of one of the brothers.

Have you listened to any of George Hearn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not quite as enjoyable as Benediiction

If you could rename Eventide, what would you call it?

Life is Like That.

loved this book...on to the next Kent Haruf book

amazing reader of this continuation story...looking forward to the next book by kent Haruf which I have already downloaded

Beautiful Writing, Lovely Story

Where does Eventide rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I read Plainsong first, and its story about a small town and an earlier (though not necessarily simpler) time drew me in. By the time it was finished I found myself wanting more--right away! Fortunately for me, Eventide picks the story up again. It isn't exactly a sequel, but is set in the same small town with some of the same homespun but highly engaging characters, working with challenges of loneliness and loss. Not exactly haunting in its beauty, but definitely one that will stay with you for a while.

I loved this sequel!!!

After reading "Plainsong" I couldn't wait to get to the second in the trilogy and I was not disappointed. The amazing characters return and it provides some proper closure. Fabulous!

Kent Haruf wrote with all story and emotion in mind. He leaves out some of the poetry, but that becomes an art form in itself.

George Hearn had big shoes to fill and I'm glad to say he wears the same size.