Our Souls at Night
Book description
'Absolutely beautiful' The Times
'Luminous' Ursula K Le Guin, Guardian
'I loved Our Souls at Night' David Nicholls
Addie Moore's husband died years ago, so did Louis Waters' wife, and, as neighbours in Holt, Colorado they have naturally long been aware of each other. With their children now far away…
Why read it?
3 authors picked Our Souls at Night as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Kent Haruf wrote Our Souls at Night as he was dying. What happens in it? Not a lot. It’s much easier to write stories in which things blow up, plot devices creak, and an ending ties everything up neatly. This quiet, elegiac novel is not that.
Addie and Louis, elderly neighbors, begin sleeping together because the nights are long and they are lonely. Her young grandson, Jamie, visits. Louis gives him a catcher’s mitt and brings home a shelter dog, Bonnie. Their grown children interfere. Complications ensue. And there are no quotation marks to indicate dialogue.
Yet, here I am…
From MJ's list on aging, family, and relationships.
Kent Haruf’s final novel opens with lonely widow Addie Moore appearing on the doorstep of her neighbour, widower Louis Waters, with a proposal: that they spend the night together rather than sleep alone. Addie says, “The nights are the worst. Don’t you think?” I bought the book based purely on that intriguing premise. Unsurprisingly, what begins as a chaste relationship, built on friendship and a way to make sense of the past, soon develops complications. There is gossip (naturally), and their adult children disapprove (naturally), but Addie and Louis prove that age is no barrier to finding love or enjoying…
From Joanna's list on older characters who will warm your heart.
Who can resist this tender love story of the widow, Addie Moore, and the widower, Louis Waters? This is the book Kent Haruf promised his wife he’d complete before he died, and now we have the gift of his sharp insights into the nature of love in our later years along with his crystalline prose. I’m a romantic at heart, and this book reinforced my faith in the power of love. The humanity and the dignity of these characters will stay with you forever, not to mention the gentle humor that comes from two senior citizens trying to make their…
From Lee's list on small-town America.
Want books like Our Souls at Night?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 64 books like Our Souls at Night.
Browse books like Our Souls at Night
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in Colorado, grandparents, and widower?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Colorado, grandparents, and widower.