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By: WELL 020
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2025-05-19 10:30:45 |
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Some members loved this book, others found it 'underwhelming'. Good discussion! |
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By: SOUTH 001
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2024-12-16 14:30:23 |
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We all loved this easy read and subject. |
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By: NELS 062
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2024-04-29 13:23:37 |
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Another wonderful book by Kent Haruf. Enjoyed by almost all for its exquisite writing. The spare, minimalistic, 'bare bones' words made the reader fill in the missing words. Profound literature makes you think about yourself and the decisions you make. |
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By: RANGI 012
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2023-12-14 14:14:32 |
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We thought it was a very pleasant, sweet, gentle book exploring loneliness and connectedness. Thank you - it was a fabulous book for our first book. We will miss Abbie and Louis. |
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By: CHCH 077
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2023-10-29 18:12:43 |
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Everyone enjoyed this book. Several also watched the movie. There was a great discussion and we would recommend it if you want a shorter, gentler read. |
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By: TIMAR 022
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2023-01-09 11:22:28 |
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Everybody enjoyed this story. |
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By: MAST 003
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2022-06-08 13:40:21 |
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We loved the simplicity of this book - the writing as well as the theme. And of course, the depth of the messages and the resulting emotions. Some were unsure about the ending, felt it was too heart-breaking. But most felt it was fitting, and just positive enough! We all felt inspired by the message of "go for it", even at the last chapter of life, and encouraged to ignore societal expectations. A very poignant, perfectly told story. |
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By: ASHB 004
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2022-03-30 13:58:56 |
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We all absolutely loved this book. The writing was spare and beautifully crafted. The book became even more poignant when we learned Haruf had finished it shortly before his death. We thought the characters so honest and realistic - we could relate to them and the situation they were in. Now we're all going back to read the 'Plainsong' trilogy! |
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By: HAMIL 062
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2021-05-05 17:04:57 |
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Provoked mixed reactions for our group with some people really disliking it and others loving so scores ranged from 2 to 5. Those who liked it found it courageous, sweet, tender and moving. Those who disliked it found it unlikely and shallow, bogged down in small domestic detail and annoying. Some disliked the lack of punctuation which made it difficult to follow who was talking. It provoked good discussion about older peoples needs for companionship, and elder abuse/bullying by children. We were all agreed that the son, though damaged from his childhood, was unkind and horrible to his mother. |
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By: WHITBY 002
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2019-09-24 15:57:13 |
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A delightful book, lovely story, simply written yet conveyed a lot. Slow paced but you could really savour it. Great discussion on the topic of loneliness and the need for companionship, and while we admired Addie's courage, couldn't imagine any of us taking this action! |
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By: CHCH 480
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2019-07-03 15:37:49 |
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All members of the group able to relate to the loneliness of older people. A feeling of sadness that human nature (the son's greed) gets in the way of happiness, plus the use of the child as bargaining power. Some found the use of dialogue without punctuation unusual/challenging. This was our first book and provoked lively discussion. |
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By: CHCH 092
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2018-11-12 17:34:48 |
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Simply written but good at creating a "movie" picture in your mind. Best read after seeing the movie. The English teachers in our group didn't really like the lack of speech marks !!! |
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By: AUCK 071
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2018-08-29 12:51:27 |
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Beautifully written and very poignant. Raised so many issues for discussion - very thought-provoking. |
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By: CHCH 459
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2018-08-23 09:35:54 |
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Our group, 9 out of 10, were not fans of this book. While the premise of the story was appealing You are never too old to need/find companionship the majority of the group struggled with the lack-lustre dialogue and lack of speech marks. While there were sweet moments, overall we felt like the characters were underdeveloped and we struggled with the slow pace. On the plus side, it is a short book, so to give it a chance is not a huge investment. |
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By: AUCK 006
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2018-04-27 14:27:16 |
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What an enchanting read! A couple of members were confused by the title but we all read it with gusto! It is a book that is suitable for all ages. Our group, as older readers (dreadful thought) could empathise with Addie and Louis, and the impression was that several members would think about the idea seriously - although probably not act on it!! Although the book itself was a very quick read, the questions triggered some very serious discussion, especially regarding children's response to their 'older' parents having an emotional life, not necessarily sexual but in a companionable way. |
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By: DUNED 058
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2018-04-27 14:22:00 |
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We all gave this book 9 or 9.5, as we thought it was charming, warm, funny and sad all at the same time! |
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By: AUCK 058
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2018-04-27 14:18:38 |
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The group all enjoyed the book and thought that it was well written. There was a lengthy discussion with many personal anecdotes about relationships (or friendships) among older people. |
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By: HAVE 005
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2018-04-27 14:16:21 |
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I think I could say that this is the most popular book yet! Excellent clear writing, and a very good topic. A tragedy! read it! |
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By: METH 001
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2018-04-27 14:07:54 |
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A beautiful story. Wow! What a great discussion this book instigated!! |
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By: AUCK 088
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2018-04-27 14:05:35 |
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Not a very demanding read. We discussed the likelihood of a woman of Addie's age asking a man to share her bed to talk - mixed opinions! We also debated the giving in to emotional blackmail from Gene - he probably needed Addie more than she needed him. The ending was a nice touch though. |
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By: CHCH 292
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2018-04-27 14:03:10 |
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The majority of us enjoyed this book. It provoked a range of emotions and a lengthy discussion, especially about the ending; Gene's role and Addie's perceived capitulation in order to still see her grandson. |
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By: AUCK 332
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2018-04-27 13:55:08 |
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All of our group enjoyed this book. Being mostly of an older generation we found it easy to relate to, and empathise with, the main characters. A delightful read. |
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By: TEPUK 006
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2018-04-27 13:52:24 |
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A sweet little story of love for family clashing with the human need for companionship. |
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