Reviews

Blix by Frank Norris

msand3's review against another edition

3.0

2.5 stars. How did the author of [b:McTeague|168655|McTeague|Frank Norris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309203270l/168655._SY75_.jpg|2749418] and [b:Vandover and the Brute|609599|Vandover and the Brute|Frank Norris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348234285l/609599._SX50_.jpg|596082] suddenly transform into Booth Tarkington? This is not a great piece of literature by a long shot (how many times can Norris use the dialogue tag “vociferated”?); even so, one can’t help but be captivated by Norris’ lighthearted yarn of youthful hope and burgeoning love. And “yarn” is just the word, since the novel seems to emphasize the unifying power of storytelling: Condy is trying to begin his career as a writer of adventure stories, Blix invents stories in two letters to bring together two people who had published personal ads in the “lonely hearts” column of the paper, and Captain Jack captures the heart of his future wife (and captures the imagination of Condy and Blix) with his tall tales of the high seas. Norris’ short novel -- published in installments in a woman’s magazine -- is a love letter to romance, youth, and storytelling. It’s total escapist fluff, but at least it’s enjoyable fluff.