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path111
Apr 24, 2016path111 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Plainsong derives its title from the unadorned and restrained religious chant which could be pictured in early morning prayer set in the low light and echo of a chapel. No, it's not a religious book (at least strict sense). But it's this aura that pervades the story of simple lives unfolding in the cattle ranch plains of eastern Colorado. A trusted teacher tells a young pregnant student, "It's time for you to wake up now". Responsibility falls upon her, and is taken on by others in the community. You come to know and love them all in their own no-frills way of dealing with their abandonment and unannounced summons. Even the unique light of the winter plains and its ubiquitous wind are characters in the simple narrative. The reader meets these folk in their troubled and generous hearts. I am better for having met them in my brief stay with them in this touching book.