The Plain Sense of Things - (Flyover Fiction) by Pamela Carter Joern (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In prose as clean and beautiful as the stark prairie setting, The Plain Sense of Things tells the stories of three generations of a western Nebraska family. These tales of sorrow and hope are connected by the sinews of need and flawed love that keep families together. A farm wife struggles to support her children after the death of her second husband; a young woman grapples with the shift from girlhood to motherhood; World War II wreaks havoc on those left behind; and a failing farmstead breaks a family's heart. Amid hardship and change, these interwoven stories illuminate the resilience and dignity--and the subtle sweetness--of a life lived in clear view of the plain sense of things. Download a Study Guide (PDF).

Review Quotes

"A moving family saga full of memorable characters whose struggles to survive the hardships of rural Nebraska life will haunt the reader."--Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife-- (8/28/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"Pam Joern works her quiet, penetrating magic to tell a deeply moving story of endurance and family love and loyalty. The Plain Sense of Things is a novel with a capacious heart. Joern depicts a hardscrabble Midwestern world whose simplicity and starkness are deceiving. Her characters are complex, passionate, memorable. We grow to love them because Joern loves them, and this is clear in how beautifully and quietly she listens to their lives and their silences. Nebraska has found its chronicler and the world a first-rate storyteller."--Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies -- (11/29/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"There is a lovely solemnity to the lives of these characters--a hardness that Joern knows is alloyed with an abiding tenderness. That undercurrent is carried along in deceptively simple prose, writing that is stunningly clear."--Jane Hamilton, author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World-- (10/18/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"As with Joern's previous novel, The Floor of the Sky, Joern's writing is evocative and riveting, revealing her deep respect for those who live, and even thrive, on the plains."--Helene Williams, Historical Novels Review-- (2/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"Immerse yourself in her novels and discover the truths she writes about."--Glenda Martin, Minnesota Women's Press-- (1/22/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"Joern has a gift for illuminating a character's inner life without speaking over much of it. She adeptly mixes past and present tense, effectively linking past and present, story and memory. . . . Kudos to the University of Nebraska Press' Flyover Fiction series for bringing Joern's work to light. May there be more forthcoming."--Pamela Miller, Minneapolis Star Tribune-- (11/30/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"The clarity and honesty of Joern's prose impart a quiet intensity to this novel about three generations of a family enduring a hardscrabble existence in western Nebraska. Shaped by place and by each other, strong, flawed characters struggle through love and pain to create rich and dignified lives well worthy of our attention."--Tripp Ryder, Carleton College Bookstore, Shelf Awareness

"With clean, polished and illuminating prose, Joern takes us through the highs and lows, marriage, divorce, children, disappointments, triumphs and sibling rivalries of several generations of one Nebraska clan. . . . It's a saga to be read again and again by an author who's already made a name for herself."--Barbara Rixstine, Lincoln Journal Star-- (7/4/2009 12:00:00 AM)

"Set against the backdrop of the Nebraska prairie, Joern's powerful second offering follows three generations as they navigate the greater part of the 20th century. . . . Evocative prose elevates Joern's excellent portrayal of the family's evolution and brings a warmth and richness to a stark landscape."--Publishers Weekly-- (6/9/2008 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Pamela Carter Joern's debut novel, The Floor of the Sky (available in a Bison Books edition), was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and winner of the Alex Award and the Nebraska Book Award. Joern is a playwright, the winner of a Tamarack Award, and the recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board writing fellowship. Visit her Web site at pamelacarterjoern.com.