The Everlasting Story of Nory

Think [b:The Little Prince|157993|The Little Prince|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367545443l/157993._SY75_.jpg|2180358] or possibly [b:The Elegance of the Hedgehog|2967752|The Elegance of the Hedgehog|Muriel Barbery|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347755370l/2967752._SY75_.jpg|1531887] (I didn't finish it, but iirc it's akin). Children's worlds reflect those of adults. Children's observations illuminate adult issues. Eleanor, Nory, is, in many ways, a typical little girl - she has friends, she is not brilliant, she is not angelic, she does mean well, she has a happy family... she is quite likely the best contemporary philosophers' show more Everyman we could imagine.

Or, maybe this is Baker's self-indulgent Cute Kid collected anecdotes. After all, the dedication is "For my dear daughter Alice, the informant." And it is cute, and hilarious, and can be enjoyed even if not read with any *L*iterary depth.

The appeal (or lack thereof) will depend on the reader. I liked it. I think I'd have loved it if we were a more hip, urbane family, the kind who at least consider the value of private schools, sabbaticals, travel abroad, creativity, history.... Readers who cannot stand anything remotely twee will despise this.

"'Don't count your bad lucks before they happen.' That was a saying that she had made up. It was kind of like 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch,' except the opposite."

"Nory's mothers contribution was teaching Nory and Littleguy about everything, and how it's important to be honest and not hurt people's feelings. Nory's father's contribution was writing books that help people go to sleep."

Nory is compiling a book of projects for kids, and includes "Make a Tree, every time you do something good hang a card on a branch saying what you did. It may make you happier."

Nory is obsessed with Achilles and his near-invulnerability. "So Achilles would not be able to kill as many people after they had cut off his foot, since he would have to fight hopping to and fro, or rolling around in a wheelchair, or a wheelchariot, going 'Charge! Rip, slash, stab, rip,' at people and then frantically pushing the wheels."

"Littleguy had gotten into the usual habit of walking up to a stranger in a toystore and saying 'Hello, I'm shy.'"

Nory's made-up story about the Burning Rain is incredible, but too long to quote here.

...So, yes, I do recommend it. And I will be hanging onto my copy and hoping to reread it someday.
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About to start my second read. I see a lot of people seem to think this is a kid's book. Gimme a break. It wasn't intended to be and never will be. Some kids may discover and like it, and that's fine, but don't think that you need to access your inner child to appreciate it... s/he likely won't appreciate it nearly as much as adult you could.

Done with my second read. I have to admit, it's paced at the rate of the thoughts of a bright & beloved child of nine... which makes it a bit tiring for me! But I still love it... so creative, so joyful, with subtle themes about friendship, honor, etc. This time it reminds me just a bit of another book that I adored when I was a youngster: [b:Mister God, This is Anna|50807|Mister God, This is Anna|Fynn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403183760l/50807._SY75_.jpg|49605] but this is just *more.*

I love the mother's idea of distracting thoughts when fretting is keeping you awake: plan the furnishings of a dollhouse, room by room, including details of colors, materials, accent decor.... I also like that the parents had minor roles. And that Nory and Littleguy love each other (it does help that they're not too close in age).

I could pull quotes, but I wouldn't know which to choose or how to stop adding more. Just, if you have any interest at all, read this yourself. If you can't find it at your library (and you live in the US) PM me and I'll ship it to you... I want it to go to a good home. show less

The author has succeeded in capturing the voice of a nine-year-old girl with remarkable accuracy, but the novel's story is almost as rambling and pointless as the protagonist's compositions found throughout the text.

If you are the type of person who generally finds children to be charming, you will likely be utterly charmed by this book.

If however, you are like me, and find most children to be tiresome, you will find this book tiresome.

The writing really does brilliantly capture the voice of a precocious child. Points for craftsmanship.

Nicholson Baker's children's book....for adults. It's not that the language is rough (it's not) or that there's anything particularly graphic (I could have done without one dream sequence however), it's more the train of thought. Although I don't know if "train of thought" would be the proper term since the train is rarely on the tracks. In typical Baker style, he's all over the place with observations of the commonplace, but in this case, from a little girl's point of view. It didn't really work until about two-thirds of the way through when he cut down on the random a little and followed a steady storyline. I'm glad I read on to that point, I almost put the book down before that. It didn't make the book great, but it at least made it ok.

Nicholson Baker is an amazing writer, with a talent to write a variety of stories in different styles. The writing in this book is excellent, with Mr. Baker using the voice of a nine-year-old girl in a highly believable manner. Unfortunately, the concept is more intriguing than the story, which I found rather boring.

This novel is told from the point of view of a nine-year old American girl spending her first term in an English school. It's a sweet concept and the author has a good ear for how young girls talk and write - complete with mis-heard words and spellings.
Sweet it is, but it lacks a coherent story arc, apart from Nory's growing friendship with bullied Pamela. It would have been nice to set it against the run up to an event such as a school play to give some pace. Mostly it's just a day by day account together with Nory's rather weird stories she makes up in her mind, and a little repetitive.

"The Everlasting Story of Nory" by Nicholson Baker is as fleeting as a child's imagination. Baker's book consists entirely of vignettes from a nine year old American girl living in England life and the stories that she creates. Baker is quite good at capturing the conversations and thought process of a young child but there is not much of a plot. I only read about half of the book because the descriptions of Nory's every day life were just too banal for my taste.