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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I'm going to re-read a bunch of cult favorite Charles Portis in 2015 and have started with his short first novel, Norwood, a fiendishly funny book that is part sincere, part outlandish and charming as all get out. In fact, this remains one of the funniest books I've ever read, as the title character gets into all kinds of odd situations on his journey from Ralph, texas to New York City. Published in the mid 1960s, Portis perfectly captures the quirky ways of many, many people as they interact with one another. What sets the humor to another level is the straight-faced sincerity that Portis plays the comedy. It's kind of a Southern dead-pan with Norwood dealing with eccentrics and reacting to them with an earnestness that makes the comedy even more rewarding. What a debut.
adventurous
funny
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I don’t usually like road books but this was so fucking funny omg
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was expecting True Grit and instead I got an odd 60's deadpan comedy about an incredibly (impossibly?) gullible ex-marine on a road-trip across America. It's very brief and probably wastes most of the more interesting characters (I wanted more of the midget and counting chicken) while focusing too much on the love interest.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The more I think about this, the more I like it. I'd never heard of it (I don't think?) until I saw it mentioned on some book list about a month ago and since then I've seen mentions of it popping up all over the place, so maybe it's being re-discovered? Certainly not the book I expect from Portis, of whom I know little save True Grit (and even that I haven't read, just know the very basic outline of), but I intend to remedy that. It's funny and meandering and definitely Of It's Time, but I liked it tremendously.