Nora, Nora

Even though some of the phrases used in this book are familiar to me through the other ARS books I have read (Downtown and Outer Banks), I liked this very much. Nora is a real person and Peyton is drawn so well that it’s almost painful. Others are mere caricatures – aunt Augusta is the nasty old lady, clinging to ancient southern ways, Peyton’s dad is the silent widower, trying to bring up his girl with as little interaction with her as possible, Peyton’s grandmother is a semi-crazy old woman who sees the future in bowls of soup and tells the crows in the town square to go tell the devil.

As Peyton reaches her early teens, she is very afraid to let go of her childhood. She deliberately dresses badly, does nothing stylish with show more her hair and only has The Loser’s Club for friends. The loser’s club consists of Peyton, an 8-year-old black boy called Boot (after the orthopedic boot he must wear because of his club foot) and a much older Ernie who hates himself so much that he cultivates his pseudo-intellectual ways so he can “legitimately” look down on other people. He is pure poison, but Peyton looks up to him because she has no one else. Peyton floats through life with a major inferiority complex and the absolute conviction that she killed her mother.

Of course Nora is just what she needs. Nora is approximately 30, unmarried and a free spirit. It is 1961 and when she comes to Litton (just outside Atlanta) she turns it upside-down. She starts teaching an English class for black and white students together. In this class she has them read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Tropic of Cancer. At first the students go along with hiding this information, but when she has to expel a cheerleader, all hell breaks loose when the cheerleader tells. But by that time, Nora doesn’t care. Half the town loves her and the other half she doesn’t care about.

Eventually though, she screws up badly. She tells off and expels a student whose daddy is a big wheel in town. The girl spills the fact that they were reading Tropic of Capricorn, which the town immediately flips out about because of its racy theme and depictions. She is fired. She is pissed off.
Peyton is secretly hopeful that she and her father will ‘hook up’. Peyton is also very attached to Nora. She agrees to give the valedictory speech at her graduation because Nora coaches her all the way through it and helps edit her speech, which is kind of like an Our Town for Litton. Nora promises to be there on graduation even though she has been the chosen escort of Litton’s own celebrity. The women in town are green with envy and hate Nora even more. But Nora is around less and less. She doesn’t turn up for Peyton’s big speech and Peyton chokes and is laughed off the stage by students and adults alike.

In a towering rage at Nora, Peyton hides in her treehouse. When Nora eventually comes home, many of the towns people have also come to apologize to Peyton. There is quite a crowd gathered when Peyton reveals Nora’s biggest secret – that while in Cuba, she had an illegitimate child with a black man. The child is still there. Nora was forced to leave after her son was hidden by the village that embraced her but still thought she couldn’t raise one of its own.

Nora’s ‘boyfriend’ deserts her and she leaves town. Peyton and dad languish. Life after Nora just seems to have all the air sucked out of it. So they track her down and bring her back – not caring a whit for what anyone thinks. And Nora is happy to be back. Nice happy ending all the way around that is the usual for this author. show less

I don't even know where to begin with this book. The writing was excellent, the story was so good, the themes in the story were so important (and so well handled), and it was very enjoyable.

I loved Nora. She just didn't care, but at the same time she cared so much. I know that sounds weird but I don't know how else to describe her. She stood up for herself, and prided herself on simply enjoying life however it's handed to you. Peyton on the other hand was such the opposite. And while Nora had a huge impact on Peyton's life and the changes in Peyton were drastic Peyton will always be Peyton.

The story touches on so many different issues. First it takes place in the south in the 60s, so there's the racial issues. Then Peyton is in a show more place in her life where she needs the guidance of a woman, but Nora is so unconventional it is question whether her ideals should have influence on Peyton. I can't really give any more because it would take away from the web of the story.

The narrator did an excellent job. While I tend to think it would have been really hard to have a bad narration for such an amazing book Cristine McMurdo-Wallis did a really good job. She had such a dramatic voice and since Nora was such a dramatic person it fit perfectly together. Cristine's voice was just perfect for this one. She was very pleasant to listen to. She also did a great job of staying in character so you always knew who was talking. show less

This novel left me wanting. I couldn't help but compare it to Colony, a book that I absolutely loved. It never did measure up.

The story is one of a young girl who idolizes her cousin Nora, a carefree spirit searching for a place of comfort and safety. Nora seemed to be much older than 30 (more like 60), and her words of wisdom got rather tiresome at times. The characters seemed almost to be caricatures of Jem, Atticus, and Aunt Alexandra of To Kill a Mockingbird fame. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

I have a strange relationship with Anne River Siddons books. They always start off really slow for me, and I have to struggle through the first several chapters. However, they really pay off in the end. I guess maybe there's just too much background and set-up for me. So, I like them, but I wish she'd get to the story sooner.

After a very slow start and an annoying, negative child the book finally starts going about 150 pages in. If you can stay the course it's not a bad book.
I think the whole book boils down to if you expect too much of others you will always be disappointed.

I really loved this book. I may have a bit of a soft spot for this one though, because the main character, Peyton, reminds me so thoroughly of myself. I first read this book in the Reader's Digest Condensed form, then listened to it on audio tape, and then FINALLY got my hands on the actual novel. This is a great, though somewhat formulaic, coming-of-age story. Loved it!

Siddons writes wonderful tales of the South...This story starts in Lyton,Georgia. The year is 1961 and the civil rights movement has yet to reach the little town not far from Atlanta.They still have "colored" and "white" drinking fountains and Brown vs Education is ignored..Peyton a twelve year old girl lives with her widowed father. Something is missing from their lives then along comes Cousin Nora..stirring up the small town.... Is a very good book to read. I enjoyed it