Where You Once Belonged (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Why is strapping, impulsive Jack Burdette, legendary bad boy and ex-football hero, promptly thrown into jail when he returns to Holt, Colo., after eight years on the run? The reader discovers the answer halfway through this deeply affecting novel. Earlier, we learn how Jack has abandoned his pregnant wife, two small sons, a girlfriend and piles of unpaid shopping-spree charges, but his sins against the town prove to be even more serious. The story is narrated by the editor-publisher of Holt's weekly newspaper; he is transformed from rueful, detached observer to tragic participant in the events, which inexorably unfold to a stunning climax. Haruf captures small-town people with a sharp humor and sympathy worthy of Edgar Lee Masters's Spoon River Anthology . Not a word is wasted in his brooding drama, which conceals a tender love story in its bruised heart.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Setting dominates Haruf's brief, unhappy novel of stilted lives and desperate actions. Holt is a small wheat-farming community in rural Colorado, its people passive observers of life as if living it were for others. The flat, dusty land that surrounds the town engulfs it in a prison of calm. Narrator Pat Arbuckle, editor of the local newspaper, records the action but is himself unable to act. His counterpart, Jack Burdette, is pure motion. A former local football hero long used to being observed and having his way, he operates on instinct and nearly destroys the town, which is no match for his cunning and brute force. This is an effective second novel from the author of The Tie That Binds. Recommended.
- Joseph Levandoski, Free Lib. of Philadelphia
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Vintage Contemporaries ed edition (March 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375708707
• ISBN-13: 978-0375708701
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,554 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful, overlooked novel, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Where You Once Belonged (Hardcover)

Now that Kent Haruf is finally receiving some long overdue attention for his current (excellent) novel "Plainsong" perhaps the publishers will see fit to re-issue this, his wonderful second book. It is written in the same low-key style as "Plainsong", with the same warm attention to detail, but builds to one of the most devastating, heart-rending conclusions in all of literature. I will give away no more. Not only is this book out of print but, incredibly, it was never issued in paperback! Just read it and don't put it down until the last page.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quality Writing, Enjoyable Reading, January 15, 2001

By	Bryan Bickford (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews

As I've worked my way backwards through Kent Haruf's catalog of books, I've become increasingly impressed with the seeming simplicity of his writing and how he lets his characters come alive on their own terms instead of his. This allows the reader to understand the characters quirks and motivations in a way that reminds us of relationships with real people. We don't know everything about someone the first time we meet them, instead we learn what they want us to know and draw other conclusions from their actions and what other people let us know about them. In Where You Once Belonged, that is exactly how I grew to know Jack Burdette and the people in Holt, Colorado whose lives he so deeply affected.

Like Plainsong and The Tie That Binds, the reader is drawn into a seemingly simple story that simmers with local personality and an undercurrent of conflict. Slowly, Haruf lets you in on the complexities and even when the story here doesn't seem as compelling as his later work, you know there's more going on than you're being told. That Haruf can make the reader believe it's for the better not to know is a testament to his unique storytelling style.

I don't think Where You Once Belong is as powerfully told as Haruf's next books, which earns it a strong three star rating, but I would highly recommend it to any reader who already knows his style or appreciates subtle stories of lives not too unlike our own.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where did all the editors go? he didn't pull it off..., May 13, 2003

By A Customer

Okay, I really like Kent Haruf's style of writing. I really like Plainsong, and I really wanted to like Where You Once Belonged. But the ending just ruined the whole thing. He just couldn't pull it off, I guess. Now don't get me wrong, I don't need to have a happy ending to like a book, in fact there are many many books among my favorites in which the endings weren't happy. The problem with this book is this:

First of all, the way the book was written demanded that much of your view of it be decided upon the conclusion....which in turn demands that the conclusion be very well written (not necessarily happy). This brings me to the second part of my problem with this book. The ending bothered me not as much for what happened at the end, but because of the insincerity of it. It made me feel like the author was trying to write a "cool" ending and make a really meaningful story, but that he didn't take the time to make sure that it was written well enough to be halfway plausible.

My reaction was "you've gotta be kidding, you expect me to believe that?" I am a great lover and collector of books, but this was one that I'd never read again, and never ever recommend to anyone I know, so consequently, my copy of this book now lies at the bottom of the Carribean Ocean! I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because I do like Kent Haruf's other writing, and I'm hping for better in the future.

I don't want to give away the ending in case you want to read it, but the main character acted like he didn't even care about what happened in the end...so why should I? (I'd like to believe it's the fault of editors, but...?)