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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
This sweet and heart-warming novel follows Norman who is grieving the loss of Jax, his best friend and part of his comedy duo. Living with his single mother Sadie, Norman has never known his father. Determined to help her son Sadie resolves to face her messy past and support her son through his grief. Together, Norman and Jax dreamed of performing at one of the biggest comedy events, the Edinburg Fringe festival, but now with the help of his mother and a band of friends made along the way. Norman takes a trip to the festival in search of his father and learns to build his confidence in delivering a one man show.
I love the mother/son dynamic in this book and was completely engrossed with listening to it.
I love the mother/son dynamic in this book and was completely engrossed with listening to it.
I was pleasantly surprised here, liked it way more than I expected.. I loved it.. it's sweet and sad and funny.. it's kind of A Man Called Ove meets Wonder. I loved all the characters here, loved the story, loved the writing style. For a debut novel, the author's really come out the gates flying. I'm really happy I gave this book a chance
This book was so cute. It gave me major Fredrik Backman vibes.
Norman's best friend passes away and he has to learn how to cope but also be more confident without his #1 supporter around. He decides he wants to hunt down and find his dad. Only problem is, his mom has no clue who it could be.
With the help of a friendly old man, Leonard, they set off on their own little adventure and meet some really... interesting... people along the way.
I would 100% read this again. It was funny, heart warming, and just a really enjoyable read.
Norman's best friend passes away and he has to learn how to cope but also be more confident without his #1 supporter around. He decides he wants to hunt down and find his dad. Only problem is, his mom has no clue who it could be.
With the help of a friendly old man, Leonard, they set off on their own little adventure and meet some really... interesting... people along the way.
I would 100% read this again. It was funny, heart warming, and just a really enjoyable read.
medium-paced
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman seemed to have the right ingredients - quirky characters, a special mother and son relationship, a heartbreaking drama, a path of healing, and authentic friendships - but it felt like something went wrong in the blending process and the final product was a bit bland.
In this book, readers are introduced to twelve year old Norman and his mother, Sadie. Norman was part of a comedy duo but his best friend, the funnier half of that duo, passed away suddenly. In an effort to help her son cope, Sadie sets out on a journey with Norman to find his father. But Sadie isn’t really sure who he is, as there were a lot of candidates!
I did like the way the author showed how off our own self-perceptions can be. While this certainly can be true for those who think too highly of themselves, in this case, Sadie and Norman didn’t see themselves as special, while they were perceived so much differently by each other. Getting both perspectives was really helpful in that.
I also did enjoy the most touching aspects of the book. There were some thoughtful moments, although they weren’t as emotionally compelling as I’d hoped they would be. There was also some meaningful character growth and I felt this was well-done as the story closed.
But - and I know I’m just being repetitive with this type of complaint - Sadie and Norman sounded exactly the same. I could sort of accept it, as Norman was a product of Sadie’s influence and he was seemingly precocious, but it still bugged me that they felt like the same character.
Additionally, the story dealt with some very serious and traumatizing topics (take that as a trigger warning), but the author attempted to lighten the load with humor. I can appreciate this, as I often use humor to cope with (or deflect from!) the seriousness of an issue. However, what one person perceives as funny may fall flat on another. I know some people think I’m hilarious (and thank you to the two of you, if you’re reading this), while others clearly do not. So, when I say that I found this both flat and distasteful, I realize some readers might appreciate the humor more. There were a few moments when I did laugh, but most of the humor didn’t work for me, and I was especially unimpressed with the word usage and overall characterization of one of the dad candidates. I know it was meant to be funny, but I thought certain descriptions were unnecessary and in poor taste.
My final gripe is simply that the pacing could have been better. Since the story is just shy of 400 pages, I think it could have benefitted from being slimmed down a bit. My interest in Norman’s situation waned as it all dragged on.
For some readers, Norman Foreman will be a delightful read. It simply wasn’t as special for me as I’d anticipated. It did remind me a bit of the writing of Fredrik Backman. If you’re a fan of his books (I am!), you may want to give this one a try. It might work better for you than it did for me!
In this book, readers are introduced to twelve year old Norman and his mother, Sadie. Norman was part of a comedy duo but his best friend, the funnier half of that duo, passed away suddenly. In an effort to help her son cope, Sadie sets out on a journey with Norman to find his father. But Sadie isn’t really sure who he is, as there were a lot of candidates!
I did like the way the author showed how off our own self-perceptions can be. While this certainly can be true for those who think too highly of themselves, in this case, Sadie and Norman didn’t see themselves as special, while they were perceived so much differently by each other. Getting both perspectives was really helpful in that.
I also did enjoy the most touching aspects of the book. There were some thoughtful moments, although they weren’t as emotionally compelling as I’d hoped they would be. There was also some meaningful character growth and I felt this was well-done as the story closed.
But - and I know I’m just being repetitive with this type of complaint - Sadie and Norman sounded exactly the same. I could sort of accept it, as Norman was a product of Sadie’s influence and he was seemingly precocious, but it still bugged me that they felt like the same character.
Additionally, the story dealt with some very serious and traumatizing topics (take that as a trigger warning), but the author attempted to lighten the load with humor. I can appreciate this, as I often use humor to cope with (or deflect from!) the seriousness of an issue. However, what one person perceives as funny may fall flat on another. I know some people think I’m hilarious (and thank you to the two of you, if you’re reading this), while others clearly do not. So, when I say that I found this both flat and distasteful, I realize some readers might appreciate the humor more. There were a few moments when I did laugh, but most of the humor didn’t work for me, and I was especially unimpressed with the word usage and overall characterization of one of the dad candidates. I know it was meant to be funny, but I thought certain descriptions were unnecessary and in poor taste.
My final gripe is simply that the pacing could have been better. Since the story is just shy of 400 pages, I think it could have benefitted from being slimmed down a bit. My interest in Norman’s situation waned as it all dragged on.
For some readers, Norman Foreman will be a delightful read. It simply wasn’t as special for me as I’d anticipated. It did remind me a bit of the writing of Fredrik Backman. If you’re a fan of his books (I am!), you may want to give this one a try. It might work better for you than it did for me!
Geweldig. Grappig.
Lees het, het zal je leven veranderen, of misschien ook niet, maar je weet maar nooit.
Lees het, het zal je leven veranderen, of misschien ook niet, maar je weet maar nooit.
Absolutely delightful book! Loved all the characters and enjoyed their journey with them! From laughing to having tears in my eyes. Highly recommend
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Oh my heart! Norman utterly captured my heart in this heartbreaking, heartwarming story about love and loss, family and friendship. My heart broke several times while reading and several tears were shed, but oh there were so many smiles too. Norman and his Rolls Royce of a friend Jax are two almost 12 year old, aspiring comedians with a five year plan to take Edinburgh Fringe by storm; a plan that is abruptly curbed by the tragic death of Jax. Normal is devastated and finds himself with an entirely new five year plan. His mother Sadie doubts her parental abilities, grieves alongside her son for the young boy, but also for father. She hadn't come to terms with his death from years previously. Alongside their surprising friend Leonard, the trio embark on a journey to Edinburgh, to take on the fringe Festival via a few stops to locate four possible men, one of whom may be Norman's biological father. The physical journey is only the start of much deeper journeys for the trio and they will have you with them every inch of the way.