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The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman: The most uplifting Richard & Judy book club pick of 2022 Paperback – February 17, 2022

by Julietta Henderson (Author)

4.4 7,679 ratings

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The inspiring, feel-good Richard & Judy Book Club pick about a small boy with a big heart - and even bigger dreams.

'One of those gorgeous books that completely lifts your spirits and restores your faith in humanity' - Ruth Jones, co-creator of Gavin and Stacey and bestselling author of Us Three

It was a journey they would always remember . . . for a friend they'd never forget.

Norman and Jax are a legendary comedic duo in waiting, with a five-year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they're fifteen. But when Jax dies before they turn twelve, Norman decides a tribute act for his best friend just can't wait, so he rewrites their plan:

1. Look after Mum | 2. Find Dad | 3. Get to the Edinburgh Fringe

Sadie knows she won't win Mother of the Year and she's not proud she doesn't know who her son's father is. But when she finds Norman's list, all she wants is to see her son smile again. So, enlisting the help of eccentric friend Leonard - an 84-year-old veteran with superior planning skills and a thirst for adventure! - they set off on a pilgrimage to Edinburgh, making a few stops to find Norman's dad along the way.

-

'An uplifting tale of love, loss and the redemptive power of humour' - Mail on Sunday
'Charming, funny and cheering' - Beth Morrey, author of Saving Missy
'As moving as it is funny. And it's very funny' - Romesh Ranganathan
'He's wheedled his way into my heart, and I suspect I'll have a Norman-shaped hole there forever' - Clare Pooley, author of The Authenticity Project

Readers are in love with Norman:

***** 'This has everything a feel good book should have. I loved it'
***** 'Norman is one of the most lovable characters I have ever met'
***** 'A book to make you laugh and cry in the same moment, a bittersweet read'
***** 'A charming, uplifting tale of love, family, friendship and hope'
***** 'A beautifully written novel about having the courage to hold on to and chase your dreams'

Print length

0 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin
Publication date

February 17, 2022
Dimensions

5 x 0.87 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

1529176689
ISBN-13

978-1529176681
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (February 17, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 0 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1529176689
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529176681
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.87 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #765,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9,819 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #10,226 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #34,752 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 7,679 ratings

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About the author

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Julietta Henderson

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Hello, I’m Julietta Henderson. My debut novel, the Funny Thing About Norman Foreman came out in 2021 in the UK, Australia, the USA, Germany and the Netherlands, and will also be released in Israel and Italy very soon. Thank you for visiting my author page and I hope you’ll follow me to keep updated on news, books and everything related.

If you’ve already read The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman, thank you so much! It’s been wonderful to receive such positive feedback on my first novel, not only on all the review sites but also in personal messages via Instagram and my website – which I absolutely love. If you’re yet to read it, I hope you do enjoy it when you get to it. If you have any questions about the book, or in general, please do feel free to contact me.

I live in the beautiful city of Melbourne, in Australia, but I spend a lot of time in the UK where I lived full time for many years. I really can say I have one foot in each country and, while I am a very proud Australian, a big piece of my heart is definitely in the UK. (And Italy and France and Morocco…) Yes, I do like to travel! I can’t wait until I can get back to visiting some of the places still on my wish list. (India, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, I’m looking at you!)

I am currently hard at work on Book Two (yet to be titled), which will be out in August 2022. I am very excited about it and have fallen in love with my new characters just as much as I love Norman, Sadie and Leonard in my first book (who I actually still think about every day…)

Thanks again for visiting and please do come and say hello at the places I show up on the internet. My greatest wish is to be able to meet readers in person some day very soon. It’s coming…

If you're thinking about reading the Funny Thing About Norman Foreman for your bookclub, please feel free to get in touch with any questions your members might have or let me know if I can help with anything else to make it fun for your group!

Visit my website at www.juliettahenderson.com, Instagram at @juliettahendersonauthor on Instagram and @juliettajulia on Twitter. (I am not quite as active on Twitter as I am on Instagram but I’m there!)

You could also sign up for my upcoming newsletters on my website. I’ll be starting to send them out in the very near future when I have newsworthy ‘news’ on book two to share.

Julietta x

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

7,679 global ratings

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Kindle Customer

Heart warming funny full of life lessons

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

Healing for a daughter and a child. A friend that stands by you in your journey to help you step by step. Everything you've ever wanted in a story.
Highly recommended for the first time reader.

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Rotella Reads

Wonderfully written story about finding humor again after a tragic loss.

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2021

4 stars!

What a fascinating and heartfelt book! It was much longer than I expected but near the end, I felt like it wasn’t long enough! The ending chapters felt very rushed and major plot points were brushed over. I wished the author had spread out the ending of the story more and had less filler in the beginning.

I found Sadie to be one of the most relatable and genuine characters I’ve read in a really long time. My heart ached for her. She was doing the best she could to navigate life as single mother, no support system or family, raising a teenager who’d just suffered a traumatic loss.

I quite liked the fact that this book was written as a dual POV. The wildly diverse viewpoints of Norman and Sadie brought more detail to the story. The genuine relationship between the mother and young son was some of my favorite parts of the book. Their connection and dependency on each other was unbreakable, even in a time of unfathomable grief.

Adored the end of the book. Was rooting for Norman the entire time and loved how he finally found his footing right before The Fringe.

The side characters absolutely made this book. From the eccentric old man, to the burley poet, to the motor-scootering potential DNA donator. So many unique personalities that each brought something valuable to the story. And when they all came together for one common goal, my heart sang. Norman was surrounded by so many people who cared about him and wanted to see him thrive. They may not have been family by blood but many of them turned out to be family by choice.

One thing I thoroughly enjoy about books written in the setting of a foreign country is all of the local lingo that authors include. This book had so many witty come backs and hilarious one liners that wouldn’t have come across nearly as humorous to me, if it’d been set in the US. I also had the most fun trying to translate what James and his crew were saying because of their Irish slang. The author had me chuckling throughout the entire read. Especially with Jax’s smart mouth.

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2022

Verified Purchase

I took a break from heavier reading to explore this book with the appealing title. I am not sure how it ended up in my Kindle recommendations, but what a joy & relief to merely enjoy a wonderfully zany adventure with these delightful characters. Very enjoyable hours we spent together!

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avidreader

Such a sweet story about some very lovable characters

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

Probably my favorite book of 2021! The author moved me to tears at time with this beautiful coming-of-age story about a young wanna be comedian. The characters were so lovable, I wanted to hear more of their stories after the conclusion. Highly recommend!

One person found this helpful

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chrismcad

3-1/2 really

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

There were things I really liked about this book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and rooting for Norman. Not sure why, but sometimes it seem like it could be shorter and still tell the story. Overall a good read.

Helpful

Vickie Watts

Family, Love and the Pursuit of a Dream

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021

This is the story of a young boy named Norman whose dream is to appear on the stage and do a comedy routine with his best friend. When tragedy interrupts his plans, Norman gets the help of his mom and an elderly friend named Leonard to fulfill his dream. An important part of the plot is the fact that Norman does not know who his father is, so with the help of Leonard’s research, he sets out to find his bio dad, a man who doesn’t know he exists. The character studies were the most outstanding part of this book. By the time I completed the book, I felt like I knew all three main characters, especially Norman and his mom Sadie. Their strengths and weaknesses were portrayed honestly and in a humorous way. Norman is learning how to be a solo comedian as they travel together and Sadie is learning to accept herself and all of the mistakes she has made in the past. She is also still dealing with the death of her father, so she is conflicted about finding Norman’s father. There are relationships forming and growing between the three as well as with those they meet along the way. I think my favorite part was Norman’s adventures on a moped and his becoming more independent as the book progressed. This is a coming of age novel as well as a novel that touched my heart and led me to reflect on my own life’s choices.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

Heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. A story of life and it’s struggles, and how to never give up. I would love to meet Norman.

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Kindle Customer

Book came in great condition.

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2022

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Top reviews from other countries

Laraine

Charming, delightful, poignant and a terrific read.

Reviewed in Canada on June 22, 2023

Verified Purchase

4 1/2 - 5 stars. This was a Richard and Judy Book Club (UK) selection for Spring 2022 and that's how it came to be on my radar. Norman is a 12 year old boy in Cornwall, England who lives with his single Mum and who also has psoriasis. His best and only friend is Jax, a mad and funny kid. The boys have a lot of plans together and have a 5 year plan to get to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform as a team with Norman as the straight man and Jax as the lead. But when Jax dies suddenly, it upends Norman's world and he decides he wants to do it now as a tribute to Jax. His Mum goes along with it and a elderly gentleman, Leonard, who was her friend at work decides to help them by driving them. Norman also wants to try to find his Dad, who could be one of four candidates, so Leonard plans a route to take them to Edinburgh via every place where a potential Dad lives and throws in a few open mic gigs to help Norman work on his jokes. Norman is a great straight man but Jax was the show and Normal struggles to find a way to take a two boy show and make it a single act, and doesn't succeed too well. The book tells the story of the journey and all the people they meet along the way and the adventures they have. I thought it was charming, delightful, poignant and a terrific read. I loved the characters. I liked everything about this book.

Drjane

one of the most heartwarming lovely book I’ve read in years

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

This truly is a 5star gorgeous story. The characters are just wonderful, true to life and funny. It will stay with me for a long time. Loved it

Andrea Barton

This book has all the feels

Reviewed in Australia on September 6, 2022

Verified Purchase

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson describes a mother and son road trip to Edinburgh as they grapple with grief following the death of 12-year-old Norman’s best friend, Jax. Norman and Jax were a comedy duo who aspired to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe comedy festival. Now, Norman plans to do it alone. Along the way, with his mother’s help, he hopes to find his father, who could be one of four men.
Norman shares Jax’s tips for comedy, while his mother Sadie reveals her misspent youth and how she came to have Norman without knowing who fathered Norman. Between them, they narrate their journey, meeting four flames from Sadie’s past along the way.
From poignant moments of loss to laugh out loud humour, this book has all the feels and is jam-packed with personality.

ManyMummy

Funny and sad - and wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 15, 2023

Verified Purchase

Twelve year old Norman has lost his best friend, but his Mum (Sadie) and her elderly work mate, Leonard, set out to realise the young friends’ twin ambitions to perform at the Edinburgh fringe and find Norman’s Dad come true. On the trip from Cornwall to Edinburgh an epic adventure ensues. This novel deals lightly but masterfully with grief and loss, switching between the points of view of Sadie, Norman and Leonard. It is hopeful, humorous and heart breaking in equal measures and I loved it.

Pengoch

Very emotional

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book is very sad. Funny in places and uplifting. It is a very interesting book. I love all the characters. I recommend it. Have a few tissues to hand especially at the beginning.

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