126 reviews for:

Norwood

Charles Portis

3.77 AVERAGE


Nice and compact - no longer than necessary. Felt like it could have moved on at the end of the book to tell a larger, continuing story (I was enjoying the characters so much), but better that than just wanting it to be over, which happens with so many other books. Leave 'em askin' for more - a sound strategy.

Dialogue was great fun, of course, even if not up to the quotability high-water mark of True Grit. (What could be, after all?) Most of the characters spoke with the unselfconscious and unintellectual abandon of seven-year-olds, and they took just as little offense to each other's thoughtless remarks; I found that particularly refreshing.

Audiobook narrator: just okay. tended to make the characters sound more annoying than was probably necessary. His southern accent used for his Arkansas characters slipped into the mouth of the New York Jew; that was a missed opportunity.

adventurous lighthearted reflective 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: Yes

Too brief, desperately wanted more. Not as funny as marketed but a great encapsulation of post-war malaise from infrequently perceived salt-of-the-earth characters
adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is the first Charles Portis book I’ve read, and I’m still not completely sure what to think. It was hilarious in parts, witty in parts, and down right confounding in parts. The confounding part was basically the entire story (completely character driven) that just refused to conform to any sort of expected plot points. But the writing is so good that it didn’t matter.

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read. I enjoyed it enough to grab his more well-known books and keep exploring his work.

You know––I love this book. It's not for everybody, but Portis has a wonderful way of creating universal yet region characters...
adventurous medium-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
funny inspiring reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced