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Norwood
Norwood | Charles Portis
9 posts | 10 read | 8 to read
Out of the American neon desert of Roller Dromes, chili parlors, country music, and girls who want to live in a trailer and play records all night comes ex-marine and troubadour Norwood Pratt. Sent on a mission to New York he gets involved in a wild journey that takes him in and out of stolen cars, freight trains, and buses. By the time he returns home to Texas, Norwood has met his true love, Rita Lee, on a bus; befriended the second shortest midget in show business and the world's smallest perfect fat man; and helped Joann the chicken with a college education, realize her true potential in life. As with all Portis fiction, the tone is cool, sympathetic, and funny.
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The_Penniless_Author
Norwood | Charles Portis
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#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. My tolerance (ok, enjoyment) of having wildlife on my property, which is why our tiny parcel (less than a quarter-acre) has a groundhog, two rabbits, a skunk, a racoon, a possum, and a few dozen types of birds that regularly visit the backyard. 😁 (Not to mention the neighborhood cats.)

2. Tagged

Care to play? @RaeLovesToRead @IuliaC @BarbaraBB @CBee @dabbe @Yuki_Onna @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm @julesG

RaeLovesToRead That is too cool! You should share that insanely fluffy pic of Linus with the good people of Litsy... it will bring joy to the world! 🥰 13mo
RaeLovesToRead I'll have to have a think about my own quirks 🤔 What would you say my quirks were? I have book-related quirks, but I think most people on Litsy have similar haha 13mo
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead Every non-book-related "quirk" I come up with turns out, upon closer examination, to just be the fact that you're English. ? 13mo
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TheSpineView So cool that your yard is a wildlife sanctuary! Thanks for playing! 13mo
dabbe Will do; thanks for the tag! Glad so many “pets“ live on your property! 🧡🖤💜 13mo
The_Penniless_Author @dabbe More like "frequently visit" than live. If they all tried to set up house in my yard they'd be shoulder to shoulder! ? 13mo
CBee @The_Penniless_Author jealous! We feed the birds (and inadvertently, squirrels 🐿️ 😂), but I‘d love to live somewhere that wildlife could visit my backyard more! I‘d probably just adopt them all though, which could be a problem 😅🤔 13mo
RaeLovesToRead So I don't have any quirks?!!! 😨🥺 13mo
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead None I'd care to discuss in a public forum, no. 😂 13mo
The_Penniless_Author @cbee You wouldn't think we'd get so many animals if you saw where we live (in the middle of a typical small-town street, surrounded by neighbors with similarly small properties), but I think the fact that we don't spray our lawn and let a bunch of different grasses/weeds grow there makes it like a buffet for them. Plus we have a wooded area nearby, so they can slink in and out unnoticed. 13mo
CBee @The_Penniless_Author I love that you‘re just letting it be wild! That‘s awesome 😊 13mo
Yuki_Onna Thank you for the tag, Randall! I'll do it next week, because I need to think about my quirks first... 😅 12mo
Suet624 That‘s wonderful! Yesterday I was an unfamiliar cat to the hood proudly trot down the middle of the street with a mouse in its mouth. 12mo
32 likes13 comments
review
The_Penniless_Author
Norwood | Charles Portis
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Pickpick

It's a shame, I only discovered Portis about a year ago and I'm already more than halfway through his oeuvre. Five novels is not a large output for a writer, but having only read three so far he's already one of my all-time favorites. Norwood was his first, and like most first novels it's a bit shaggier and less ambitious than those that came later. But the signs are all there, specifically his pristine dialogue, maybe the funniest I've ever read.

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The_Penniless_Author
Norwood | Charles Portis
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#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Norwood had to get a hardship discharge when Mr. Pratt died because there wasn't anyone else at home to look after Vernell.

review
AlaMich
Norwood | Charles Portis
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Mehso-so

I‘m not sure what to say...I did this on audio because I‘d read some reviews that said the audio version was not to be missed. So the narrator was good. The book itself was a little bonkers. The author also wrote True Grit. It didn‘t help that I listened before bed and fell asleep before the timer went off. So every night I had to back it up, and after awhile I just lost the plot. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Bookzombie I have started putting a bookmark in the audio when I set a timer in case I fall asleep before the timer turns it off. I never know if I‘m going to just pass out or hear it all. Lol. 7y
AlaMich @Bookzombie I need to start doing that. 👍 7y
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
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CherryPie
Norwood | Charles Portis
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1. Kitchen stuff.
2. Library loans and amazon older buys or freebies. On a no buy diet.
3. Original. Would rather go faster but I usually stick to the more artistic performances that sound terrible altered.
4. I like whoever is performing Norwood (sounds like Boyd Crowder). Dislike awkward and unpolished narrators. Picky, picky.
5. Current listens, always. Norwood and Clockwork Orange.

#audiobookinquiry @Chelleo #kitchenlisten

britt_brooke How is A Clockwork Orange on audio? I read it a few years ago in print and it took a minute to get used to the language. I might consider audio for a reread. 7y
CherryPie @britt_brooke I really like it but I like performances. Sounds like the character. Flows really well. Recommend. 👍 7y
britt_brooke @CherryPie Good to know - thanks! 7y
AlaMich I‘ve heard that Norwood is excellent on audio. 7y
25 likes4 comments
review
ValerieAndBooks
Norwood | Charles Portis
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Pickpick

This was a quick read. If you liked True Grit (as I did), you'll recognize the author's style and humor. Norwood takes place in the 60s or so (published 1966) in the South. So, unfortunately the n-word is used occasionally in conversations 😑. Otherwise, though, I liked it; but True Grit is much better.

Letter P for #LitsyAtoZ

vivastory I love Portis. I'm reading his books sporadically since he's published only a handful. 7y
ValerieAndBooks @vivastory I know what you mean--only five novels, so I have just three more to go 😥. Plus I believe there's one non-fiction collection as well. 7y
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ValerieAndBooks
Norwood | Charles Portis
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"Plaything of love " ?. Enjoying the banter in this novel (his first) by the same author who wrote True Grit.

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ValerieAndBooks
Norwood | Charles Portis
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Book mail just arrived 😊! But no free bookmark-- I kept looking over and over for it 😢. The mailer flap was very loose. Anyway, looking forward to this one!

Bookdodger You will enjoy it! I love Portis' writing style. 8y
Leniverse I ordered two books from Book Depository recently. They arrived on the same day, but in separate envelopes. Only one of them came with a bookmark. 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Bookdodger I enjoyed his True Grit so much that I just had to find something else by him 😊! 8y
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ValerieAndBooks @Leniverse maybe it depends on the packager's mood that day 😊. The last time I ordered from them, it was two books. Each arrived in its own envelope, and the bookmarks were both the same 🤷🏻‍♀️. Their prices are good so it's okay. 8y
Amandajoy I've had that happen before. It bums me out since that's a big reason I order from them. 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Amandajoy yes, it is a bummer-- the free bookmarks make the long wait time of shipping more tolerable. Ah, well! 8y
Bookdodger @ValerieAndBooks wasn't TG wonderful?? I was so upset when I saw the John Wayne movie because his was the only true character and they changed the story some. Loved the new version though because both the casting and the screen writing were true to Portis' work. His other books are different from TG but still very good in their way. 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Bookdodger I was leaning towards the newer adaptation when I get around to watching, and now you've convinced me! I have Norwood very high on my TBR -- possibly this weekend 😊 8y
60 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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quietjenn
Norwood | Charles Portis
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I'd never heard of this book until about a month ago, but since then I've seen mentions of it all over the place. So some other people, because suddenly there are half a dozen reserves on it and this is the only copy in the county. Anyway, it's funny and I just read like half of it in the bathtub.

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