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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I really wanted to like this story. Maybe it’s because I listened to it rather than read it. There were times when I thought about not finishing it. The characters were great, but the story was slow. Sometimes I’d want to give it two stars and sometimes it was three, especially as it was ending. So, I’ll meet in the middle and give it 2.5 stars.
My book club chose this book and this time I read it (rather than listened to it) and it was every bit as good as the first time. And, again, it's a book that will make you cry - in a good way!
Do you need a "Feel good" book? This is it. Norman is a delight and his best friend Jax is someone everyone needs in their life. Sadie and Leonard (mom and elderly friend) do their best to make sure Norman makes it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Oh, and the narrator, Katherine Parkinson, sounds enough like the British actress, Nicola Walker, that I'd listen to her read the telephone book! (For those of you too young to know a phone book, it's a large book with lists and lists of telephone numbers for people and businesses, that was dropped on porches once a year. Waaay before cellphones!)
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Adored this book. Positive and uplifting. Same kind of feels as A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant is absolutely fine. Swapping the narrative between mother and son worked well.
Thanks to Mira Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman for an honest review.
Things that will make me love a book:
Quirky characters that are better together.
Found Family
The Underdog wins
Elderly main or strong character
Oh my heavens. Julietta Henderson has given us a gift. I feel like I have spent time with close friends that I don't want to part ways. I laughed out loud, I sighed, I cried, I smiled and I hurt.
Henderson has written a strong character driven book that deals with some difficult topics while balancing them with humor and strength.
Sadie is a single mom who is trying to balance life when her son's best friend, the Rolls-bloody-Royce of best friends, dies. Norman and Jax had 5 year plan to perform as a comedy duo at The Fringe. Now without the other half of the duo, the plan has changed but must go on. Enter Leonard, an elderly co-worker of Sadie's who concocts a plan to get Norman to The Fringe. Then they embark on a roadtrip like no other to get Norman to The Fringe to perform.
I cannot recommend this book enough. This book is just what I needed at just the right time. I could read books like this all day every day. I will be watching with great anticipation for more fabulous works from Henderson.
Trigger warnings may include: suicide and sudden death
Things that will make me love a book:
Quirky characters that are better together.
Found Family
The Underdog wins
Elderly main or strong character
Oh my heavens. Julietta Henderson has given us a gift. I feel like I have spent time with close friends that I don't want to part ways. I laughed out loud, I sighed, I cried, I smiled and I hurt.
Henderson has written a strong character driven book that deals with some difficult topics while balancing them with humor and strength.
Sadie is a single mom who is trying to balance life when her son's best friend, the Rolls-bloody-Royce of best friends, dies. Norman and Jax had 5 year plan to perform as a comedy duo at The Fringe. Now without the other half of the duo, the plan has changed but must go on. Enter Leonard, an elderly co-worker of Sadie's who concocts a plan to get Norman to The Fringe. Then they embark on a roadtrip like no other to get Norman to The Fringe to perform.
I cannot recommend this book enough. This book is just what I needed at just the right time. I could read books like this all day every day. I will be watching with great anticipation for more fabulous works from Henderson.
Trigger warnings may include: suicide and sudden death
This was such a sweet book. And whilst it is heart warming, it weaves through tough concepts like disappointment, loss & grief but was done in a charming and tender way. A great holiday read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Grief
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Suicide
Minor: Bullying, Dementia
Absolutely wonderful. There's a fabulous balance between heartwarming and gut wrenching, with an all encompassing gentle humour.
The narrative is split between Norman; 12 years old, budding straight man who is bereft when his best friend, and partner in comedic crime dies. And Sadie; self depreciating mother of Norman who repeatedly brought me to tears with her lack of self worth.
I laughed and I cried at their adventures. I love the characters that we meet along the way and the development in our protagonists.
The narrative is split between Norman; 12 years old, budding straight man who is bereft when his best friend, and partner in comedic crime dies. And Sadie; self depreciating mother of Norman who repeatedly brought me to tears with her lack of self worth.
I laughed and I cried at their adventures. I love the characters that we meet along the way and the development in our protagonists.
This book is charmingly human. There are two narrators -- Norman and his mother, Sadie. Norman is a 12 year old who has just lost his best friend, and Sadie is 32 years old, worrying about her son and trying to figure out a way forward.
The path they choose is to pursue Norman's dream of doing stand-up comedy with the help of Sadie's elderly coworker, Leonard.
As a mother of nearly the same age as Sadie, I related so much to her worries and feelings of inadequacy. So many of these themes I'm presenting sound horrible to read about, but Juliette Henderson has done an amazing job of weaving beauty and humor into the tough experiences of life.
As Norman, Sadie, and Leonard travel to the big comedy show, they meet a delightful cast of interesting characters who become their found family.
As heavy as parts of this story may seem, it is a fun and easy read.
The path they choose is to pursue Norman's dream of doing stand-up comedy with the help of Sadie's elderly coworker, Leonard.
As a mother of nearly the same age as Sadie, I related so much to her worries and feelings of inadequacy. So many of these themes I'm presenting sound horrible to read about, but Juliette Henderson has done an amazing job of weaving beauty and humor into the tough experiences of life.
As Norman, Sadie, and Leonard travel to the big comedy show, they meet a delightful cast of interesting characters who become their found family.
As heavy as parts of this story may seem, it is a fun and easy read.