Some books arrive with fireworks. Plainsong arrives more quietly, carrying the wide sky, hard ground, and long silences of eastern Colorado.
Written by Colorado author Kent Haruf, the 1999 novel takes place in Holt, a fictional small town on the High Plains east of Denver. Haruf created Holt from his knowledge of northeastern Colorado, drawing from the rhythms, landscapes, and close-knit communities that shaped that part of the state.
Within that seemingly simple setting, several lives begin to unravel.
Tom Guthrie, a high school teacher, is trying to raise his two young sons as their mother withdraws from the family. Seventeen-year-old Victoria Roubideaux discovers she is pregnant and suddenly has nowhere to live. Outside town, elderly bachelor brothers Harold and Raymond McPheron have spent most of their lives working their family farm.
These people have little reason to become a family.
And yet, gradually, they do.
The McPheron brothers’ decision to welcome Victoria into their home becomes one of the novel’s emotional anchors. They do not arrive equipped with perfect words, parenting experience, or a grand plan. They simply recognize that someone needs a place to land, and they make room.
That is where Plainsong becomes especially meaningful for Centennial readers.
Centennial may look very different from Haruf’s fictional farming town, but the central question travels easily across Colorado: What makes a collection of houses become a community?
Haruf’s answer is refreshingly unsentimental. Community is not created because everyone agrees, has matching backgrounds, or naturally understands one another. It forms when people notice who is struggling and decide that another person’s difficulty is not automatically someone else’s problem.
That might mean checking on an older neighbor after a storm, helping a family going through a difficult season, welcoming someone new to the neighborhood, or simply recognizing when another person needs companionship more than advice.
Haruf knew Colorado deeply. Born in Pueblo and raised on the northeastern plains, he became one of the state’s most celebrated literary voices, repeatedly returning to the fictional Holt in his novels. His writing captures the quiet beauty of the High Plains and the emotional weight carried by people whose lives may look ordinary from the outside.
Plainsong became a national bestseller and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, but its lasting power is smaller and more intimate than any award.
It reminds us that family sometimes arrives without warning.
A teenager needs somewhere to stay. Two farmers open a door. Children need stability. Neighbors begin paying attention.
And slowly, almost imperceptibly, separate lives begin forming something larger.
For Centennial readers, Plainsong offers a beautiful Colorado reminder: strong communities are often built through ordinary acts of showing up.
Purchase Plainsong by Kent Haruf on Amazon.
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Anyone else think the world would be better if we all welcomed people like the McPheron brothers do? Book sounds like a needed reminder.
I like that Haruf doesn’t make a big speech about community, he just shows it happening. Makes me want to pay more attention in my own neighborhood.
We’re glad that resonated with you. Haruf’s subtle approach lets the everyday actions speak for themselves, inspiring us all to notice, and care, a little more in our own daily lives.
Wish there were more stories set in Colorado that capture real life like this. Too many books act like the mountains are all that matter.
Haruf's descriptions are beautiful, but it's how he writes about people that moves me most. These ordinary characters feel real.
Terry WhitmanI agree, his characters really stay with you. It’s almost like you know these people from somewhere.
The idea of forming a family by choice, not by blood, really hits home. The world needs more of this kind of understanding.
As someone who moved to Centennial from Chicago, I wish it were easier to get to know neighbors here. Not always simple, even in small places.
Thank you for sharing your experience, it truly can take time and some effort to build connections, but as Haruf shows, even small gestures can make a difference in creating community wherever you are.
It all sounds nice, but sometimes these stories can ignore the hard side of small towns. Hope he gets into that too.
My granddad grew up near Yuma. He said the biggest thing was always looking out for neighbors. Looks like this book nails that vibe.
I love quiet books like this, where not much happens but everything changes at the same time. Putting Plainsong on my TBR.
To be honest I’d never heard of Haruf before. Glad to see Colorado authors get some love though.
Nice reminder that family isn’t always about blood. My best friend was basically raised by her neighbors out east after her parents split. Happens more than people think.
It’s easy to say community matters but harder to DO it. Hope enough folks are inspired by this story to actually show up for each other.
Sounds like a good book club pick, especially for people who want to discuss real life challenges. Anybody read Haruf’s other books?
Great idea! Haruf’s other books, like 'Eventide' and 'Benediction', return to Holt as well, following many of the same characters and themes of everyday grace and resilience.
I work with teens in Centennial and honestly wish more people realized how big a difference it makes just noticing someone. This book sounds like a lesson we still need.
Loved the way the article mentions the Colorado landscape. Haruf makes you feel like you're actually there. Great rec for hometown pride.
Kind of wild how relevant this feels today. So many people still don’t check in on their neighbors. Maybe we all need this reminder.
I read Plainsong a few years back, and it stuck with me. The McPheron brothers are unforgettable. Glad to see it getting attention locally again.
I'm skeptical. Sometimes stories like this end up being way too slow for me, but maybe I'd be surprised.
That’s a fair concern, ‘Plainsong’ does move at a gentle pace, but many readers find its quiet moments and gradual character connections surprisingly powerful and rewarding.
I wish more books focused on everyday folks instead of flashy drama. Ordinary kindness is so underrated. Anybody know if there’s an audiobook?
Never read anything by Haruf, but Holt sounds a lot like the towns I grew up near in Nebraska. Now I'm curious how the story wraps all these people together.
I remember when my neighbors brought soup over after my mom got sick. Small things really do add up in a community. This book sounds like it gets that right.
I've always thought the high plains have their own kind of beauty. Sounds like Haruf really captures that. Might have to give this one a try.