FFB: NORWOOD, Charles Portis

 Norwood, Charles Portis

This was Portis' first book and I can see the growth that took place in his writing between this and TRUE GRIT.

The book follows its protagonist on a misadventurous road trip (driving a car across country) from his hometown of Ralph, Texas, to New York City and back. During the trip, Norwood is exposed to a comic array of personalities and lifestyles.
Right from the get-go the dialog in this is terrific. Norwood is a likable character and his eventual romance a winning one. But somewhere along the line it ran out of steam for me. The desire to keep the ball in the air with humor and oddball characters and situation for the length of the book felt forced or strained.

If I had read this before reading TRUE GRIT, would I have enjoyed it more? I am sure I would have. But TG is such a tour de force that anything would pale in its wake. And this one did.

DOGS OF THE SOUTH awaits me but I think I will let it sit a while longer.

Short Story Wednesday:Hinges, Graham Swift

 (from 2022)

 

Graham Swift is one of my favorite writers. He won the Booker Prize for LAST ORDERS and was short listed for several other books. MOTHERING SUNDAY, WATERLAND, SHUTTERCOCK and LAST ORDERS have all been made into films.  

In this story, the two adult children of a man who died taking his golf clubs out of the trunk have gone to a minister to tell him about their father's life so he will have something to say, (about a man he didn't know) at his funeral. Funny how often this seems to happen in stories.

The woman thinks back over her father's life to an incident when she was nine and her father had called a carpenter to fix the hinges on their door. Although the carpenter was far from a young man, she is attracted to him--the first time she has experienced anything like this. And it becomes apparent that "Joe Short" is something of a Lothario in their neighborhood.

At the funeral, she considers telling this story, how her father held her hand while they waited to have their front door put back on. But in the end, she reads the poem that appears on the program. Of course, it is the writing that makes this story work. There is no eureka moment, no mystery solved, no problem overcome, just people going through a situation we have all gone through so its familiarity is soothing. And perhaps gaining some insight into their life (and ours). 

George Kelley

TracyK 

Kevin Tipple 

Jerry House

Monday, Monday

Enjoying reading THE BIRDWATCHER. I am sure someone mentioned it to me but can't remember who. Really enjoyed the films streaming on PRIME: GOOD ONE and TOUCH. Also watching BLACK TULIP on PBS, which is stretched out way too long. It has been so cold here I have hardly been out of the house although I began rewatching with two friends: BRIDESHEAD REVISITED. I don't remember the Oxford students as being quite so obnoxious as they seem now. Having trouble getting into so many TV series. Lots of podcasts. Especially enjoy BACKLISTED, a British one.

What are you up to?

FFB:WHERE MEMORIES LIE, Deborah Crombie

Thinking of Tracy today and the fires in CA. Hope she is safe.

Where Memories Lie: Deborah Crombie 

(from TracyK)

Description from my paperback edition:

A lifetime ago, Erika Rosenthal and her late husband, David, fled to England to escape the Nazis—which is all Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Gemma James truly knows about her secretive friend's past. But Erika needs Gemma's help now. A family heirloom, stolen during their flight, is being sold at a prestigious London auction house. Who has had it all these years? And was Erika's husband's death more sinister than it appeared?

The two  protagonist's of this series, Inspector Gemma James and Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of Scotland Yard, are living together and both have one child from a previous relationship. This novel, the 12th in the series, begins with the discovery of the long-lost piece of jewelry and then gets combined with an investigation into the death of an employee at the auction house. Are the two related? Also included are flashbacks to the previous investigation of the death of Erika's husband (in 1952) which was eventually ruled to be suicide.

My thoughts:

This type of story that blends a current case with an older case and includes multiple points of view is usually appealing to me. The Holocaust and the pain that remains for the Jewish victims who lived through it is a compelling basis for the story. I enjoyed those aspects of this novel. There were many plot threads, some related to the crimes, some not. Gemma's mother has a serious illness and her relationship with her father is uncomfortable; more background of Erika's life before and after she left Germany are revealed; there are upsets in the balance of relationships in the various police teams. These all felt realistic but there were too many unrelated threads for me. The book is not that long and some of these separate elements seem like padding, not fully developed parts of the story.

Other views:

This review at Reviewing the Evidence is very good, both in exploring the good points  and pointing out the bad points of this book and Deborie Crombie's books in general.  I agree very much with this statement from that review:

Deborah Crombie's James and Kincaid series is something of an enigma in that the entries within it tend to vary quite substantially in terms of quality. Fortunately this is one of the better efforts. There are quite substantial soapy elements here which will appeal most to series aficionados; anyone coming to this as their introduction to Gemma and Duncan might find them not only intrusive, but also feel that they are missing out.

Summing up:

I highly recommend the first books in the series. I read the first eight books back in 2002 and loved them all. After that point, I found the emphasis on the home life and trials and tribulations of the couple and their children to be distracting, and to detract from the main plot. I don't see how these could be read as stand alone books, since so much of the couple's history informs the situation in each book. However, I can tell from the many reviews I read on the books in this series that the family life of Duncan and Gemma are the main drawing point for many readers. Thus I would caution that many readers will find these elements to be positives, not negatives.

Possibly it is my love for the earlier novels that leads to my criticism of the later novels. I expect much more from the author. I also like the character of Duncan Kincaid more than Gemma James, and the focus of the most recent books that I have read seem to be on Gemma.

Why do I continue to read this series by Deborah Crombie when I have reservations about them? First, because I still have some books in the series. Mainly, because I love the maps in the later books, created and illustrated by Laura Maestro. I have bought two of the later hardcover books solely because of the maps. Seriously. If you are interested in the maps, you can read about them at Deborah Crombie's website.

Short Story Wednesday: "Stunts" Ace Atkins from THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR, 2024

 Ace Atkins uses two characters from his Quinn Colson novels in this delightful if sad story.

Jason Colson is a stuntman for actors like Burt Reynolds and he is being feted at the end of his career in this tale of a meet and greet for movie fans. It's the details and the characters that make his story work so well. It makes you want to hunt down Colson's appearance (and also his daughter's) in the series. 

TracyK

GeorgeKelley 

Kevin Tipple 

Jerry House

Monday, Monday

 

A friend had an extra ticket so I saw A BEAUTIFUL NOISE-a very weak book, but the music and choreography was good. I was in the minority among a sea of adoring fans. Sold out at the huge Fisher Theater. 

Finished Megan's book EL DORADO DRIVE, which was great. Of course, I am her mother and it takes place in our hometown. But still, that kid can write. Also finished THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig, which I didn't much like. Magical realism has always eluded me.

Loved the movie EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS with Andre Holland. I think I rented it on Amazon. He should be nominated for an Oscar but the movie is probably too small. 

Watching VERA and SHETLAND, one episode at a time. I have never had to wait for them before. (Britbox)

Josh and Julie had me over for a birthday brunch and I fell getting up from the table. Big bruise but no real injury. 

How about you?