NORWOOD

The author of TRUE GRIT, Arkansas humorist Charles Portis wrote a handful of comic novels of the South, beginning in the 1960s, that have since gained a cult following but otherwise have attracted little attention. NORWOOD, the first of these, concerns the odyssey of a young rube named Norwood Pratt, who, tricked into driving stolen cars to New York, somehow makes it back home accompanied by a new true love, an educated chicken, and a fat British midget. All this unfolds with memorably drawn characters and a deadpan style. Barrett Whitener's crisp diction, expressiveness, and facility with a Southern accent serve him well here. He has an appropriately light touch and brisk pace. We can forgive his few bad line readings, but we wish he had a better grasp of the female characters. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]