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jamesyoungman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
indoorg1rl's review against another edition
4.5
Norman and Jax were a legendary comedy duo in the making, with a five-year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they were fifteen. But then Jax died. Norman’s mum Sadie discovered her grieving son’s revised plan: ‘Find Dad’ and ‘Get to the Edinburgh Fringe’, and she was determined to get Norman through this devastating time, so they set on a pilgrimage from Cornwall to Edinburgh - to honour Jax and to track down a few maybe-fathers on the way . . .
First of all, I love the fact that this book was titled ‘The Funny Thing…’ featuring a stand up comedian, but then proceeded to talk about grief, finding identity, and coming-of-age 😁.
I had loved Julietta’s other book before reading this one, so I had expected exemplary writing, and I wasn’t disappointed. Julietta’s expertise in telling a heartfelt story without it being too sappy was evident. I loved Norman’s ways of dealing with grief, finding answers and staying true to himself. I loved Sandy’s constant contemplations and adjustments to make sure she did the best for Norman. The emotional dance between Norman and Sandy was beautiful to watch, and it was what a mother-child relationship should look like.
This was my kind of road-trip fiction. Being a fan of found-family trope, I loved seeing Norman and Sandy ‘collected’ friends along the way. The meetings with all the maybe-fathers made me chuckle a few times. Even Jax had a good amount of ‘presence’ throughout, being a dead character! This was just the right balance of fun and heartbreak for me. Highly recommended!
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Heart-breaking and heart-warming, genuinely funny mother-son adventure.
Two narrators, each alike in their pathos and humour, in fair Edinburgh, where we lay our scene...
I was swept up in each of these two narrations - the story grabs your heart straight away and gives it a tentative squeeze, then never quite lets go of the wringing... Norman's best friend has died. Aged 11. Yes, 11. The pair of them had a plan - to hone their double act, study the comic greats, and perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. Well, Jax and his larger-than-life personality may not be around any more, but Norman is, and he wants to honour his best friend. Even if he was the straight man of the pair with no comic timing whatsoever.
Norman's mum Sadie is devastated for her son. Already struggling with self-doubt and psoriasis, he's got HER for a mother, the woman who forgets all his appointments and doesn't even know which of four possibles was his actual father. Yes, 4.
But she knows his dream. And impulsively, she promises to help him fulfil it. Oh yes, and find his real dad for him as well.
With an 80-something colleague, a Google search and a car, they are off on a road trip round the country in search of fathers, venues and punchlines.
This is the sort of book you recognise early on for what it will be - a quirky, loveable, warm and funny journey with characters you can't help but recognise and feel for. The multiple setpieces that bring adventure and surprise mount up, with some truly insane moments at times, and the back and forth between mother and son does work wonderfully for showing each viewpoint and the contradictory views. I'm not sure which I preferred - I empathised more with the mother, but enjoyed the growth of Norman more as a pre-adolescent.
This had some moments that made me laugh out loud, I regularly wanted to see this on a screen, and I loved the cast of characters and idea for this .
Wonderful debut, won't fail to touch you.
With thanks to LoveReading, for providing a sample reading copy.
Two narrators, each alike in their pathos and humour, in fair Edinburgh, where we lay our scene...
I was swept up in each of these two narrations - the story grabs your heart straight away and gives it a tentative squeeze, then never quite lets go of the wringing... Norman's best friend has died. Aged 11. Yes, 11. The pair of them had a plan - to hone their double act, study the comic greats, and perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. Well, Jax and his larger-than-life personality may not be around any more, but Norman is, and he wants to honour his best friend. Even if he was the straight man of the pair with no comic timing whatsoever.
Norman's mum Sadie is devastated for her son. Already struggling with self-doubt and psoriasis, he's got HER for a mother, the woman who forgets all his appointments and doesn't even know which of four possibles was his actual father. Yes, 4.
But she knows his dream. And impulsively, she promises to help him fulfil it. Oh yes, and find his real dad for him as well.
With an 80-something colleague, a Google search and a car, they are off on a road trip round the country in search of fathers, venues and punchlines.
This is the sort of book you recognise early on for what it will be - a quirky, loveable, warm and funny journey with characters you can't help but recognise and feel for. The multiple setpieces that bring adventure and surprise mount up, with some truly insane moments at times, and the back and forth between mother and son does work wonderfully for showing each viewpoint and the contradictory views. I'm not sure which I preferred - I empathised more with the mother, but enjoyed the growth of Norman more as a pre-adolescent.
This had some moments that made me laugh out loud, I regularly wanted to see this on a screen, and I loved the cast of characters and idea for this .
Wonderful debut, won't fail to touch you.
With thanks to LoveReading, for providing a sample reading copy.
literarylegend's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This book had me feeling every emotion, the characters are so very relatabl & the story has just enough whimsy to balance some pretty heavy subjects, without diminishing their importance.
aally_ddenford's review against another edition
3.0
great story, just didn't quite connect to it as much as i would've liked
abbie234's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kgreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
lserver362's review against another edition
5.0
Such a touching story with a fantastic set of characters. Deep, heartfelt, and funny.
beckygstewart's review against another edition
5.0
I recently read a review for another book (I can’t remember which). It said something like: this book breaks your heart and slowly pieces it back together. That’s a great description of this book. Heartwarming as hell, highly recommend.