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Swap the books you've read, for some you haven't!
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Nora, Nora: A Novel by Anne Rivers Siddons
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Nora, Nora: A Novel by Anne Rivers Siddons
Review: I have to say, being from the south and having a 12-year old daughter, I can so relate to this book. My mother recommended it when she heard me complain about my daughter growing older and more difficult. I laughed at the similarities of Peyton to my Elizabeth.
I also love the idea of someone entering a childs life and offering a new perspective and unconditional love. Peyton could not get it from the other adults in her life and she needed it so desparatly. I think sometimes parents are to close to the situation and must stand back and allow others to fulfill a certain need for them and offer love.
I wanted more, but maybe the rest of the story is for me to finish...Ready to read another by Ms. Siddons!
Review: I didn't expect to like this book, as I'm getting tired of To-Kill-a-Mocking-Bird-rip-off-coming-of-age stories set in the South (see The Little Friend). But this is an enjoyable light read. No, it's not Austen, Bronte, Maugham, etc. but do you expect that from Siddons? If you don't mind historical inaccuracies, this is funny and moving and surprisingly engrossing.
Review: OK, OK, I've read the reviews, and I agree this book is seriously flawed. Yes, it's part Auntie Mame, part To Kill a Mockingbird and part The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
I don't care. I simply raced through this book, enjoying every single derivative page, wincing in some parts, but smiling most of the time. Other reviewers have described the plot in detail, so I will only add my small comments: Small-town Southern motherless girl on the cusp of puberty in the early 60s (well before the hippies) meets free spirited, wild as the wind, too good to be true cousin Nora, who has been everywhere, done everything, seen everyone...and comes roaring into town in her bright pink T-bird. She changes young Peyton's life, the life of Peyton's sad, widowed father, and the lives of just about everyone in the town.
Is there a message? I don't really think so. I just went along for the whirlwind, enjoying it immensely as a highly pleasurable summer read. Don't look for deep insight, but if you need something to take along to the beach, Nora, Nora is perfect.
Review: This is a very well-written novel, told through the eyes of a young motherless girl, that gives a very personal glimpse into what life was like in a rural town in the 1960's, when civil rights was on the rise. The characters were well-developed and very likeable; my heart reached out to Peyton, and Nora was like a breath of fresh air. As I started reading it, I thought the book had a "To Kill A Mockingbird" feel to it, and it was interesting that later on, Nora used that book as a discussion topic in her English class.
My only criticism of this book was that it was too long and drawn-out in parts. It could have been 75-100 pages shorter without losing any substance or depth, and that would have made it much easier to read. As well, after emotionally investing so much of myself into the story, and as a sucker for happy endings, I felt the conflict at the end of the story was unnecessary and I would have liked it better ifthe story had been tied up more 'neatly'.
*In an unexcusable editing error on page 284, they are dining in an Italian restaurant and order scungelli, accurately described as delicate browned medallions. At the end of the meal, Peyton asks what kind of fish scungelli is, and Nora replies that it is squid or octapus. Hmmmm - Nora, squid is calamari. Scungelli is conch or snails. Further emphasizing this error, Nora then says that next time she will take Peyton to a French restaurant for escargot so she can try snails. Hmmm - Nora, she already had snails when she tried the scungelli!
Review: I run hot and cold with Siddons's book....several of them have never enticed me past page 50. I had no expectations when I started "Nora Nora" so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.
The characters in this book were wonderful and fully fleshed-out. I actually missed them when I had finished the book!
Poor lonely Peyton was a disaster waiting to happen...and when her cousin Nora entered the picture, Peyton did not realize how much spirit she would bring into her life and the life of her brooding father.
While sometimes predictable, the wonderful characters and setting carried this story along and made it a good reading experience.
Review: Delivery is great the book was just not as good as I thought it would be.
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