Overall, what did you think of News of the World?

Overall, what did you think of News of the World?

I just loved this book. There was so much warmth in the author's words and she succeeded in making me feel that I was right there with them all the while.

I enjoyed the book and found myself transported to that time in Texas's history. I thought Kidd was a wonderful, intelligent and caring, character. He took a job to transport Johanna to her relatives, and carried it through. However, his feeling for the young girl over-rode the "job" and he rescued her from those same abusive relatives. He was a good person and I was glad Johanna adapted and found happiness in the end.

Ooops, I think i just answered this in the question about the depiction of life in Texas at that time. I ended up liking the book and would recommend it to other readers. However, I struggled with it in the first few pages.

I enjoyed everything about the book: the history, the writing, the characters, the story. Emotionally, it was largely uplifting , sometimes frightening in that edge-of-the-seat way that won't let you put a book down, and ultimately rewarding, with just the perfect ending.

This was a warm and fascinating story. I id not expect to like it as much as I did. The author wrote so much poetry into her story that I was transported into it. Her descriptions are emotionally remarkable.
"Long bright crawls of water slid across the livery stable floor and took up the light of the lantern like a luminous stain and the roof shook with the percussion of drops as big as nickels."
This makes my heart jump and memories of storms long ago well up in my chest. Jiles does this over and over again!!!!!

So the movie will be made when?????? Too late for James Garner, let's get Sam Elliott quickly!!!!! Although Kurt Russell or one of the Bridges brothers would do!!!!

So the movie will be made when?????? Too late for James Garner, let's get Sam Elliott quickly!!!!! Although Kurt Russell or one of the Bridges brothers would do!!!!

Finally I found a story I really liked. I imagine it will become a 2017 favorite. I was disappointed that there were four places in the book where edits were neglected and since this wasn't an ARC I was very surprised to find them. But even so the book was well written. The subject was so different and I certainly learned a lot. I'm anxious to read more from Paulette Jiles.

I did not think I was going to like the novel, but once they started on their journey I felt differently and could hardly put the novel down. I liked Kidd's and Johanna's relationship and the fact that she soon trusted him. What a fierce fighter she was when they were fighting the enemies. Loved the ending when Kidd went back to rescue her and knew it could not end any other way. A good novel that I highly recommend.

I want to get one issue out of the way. Many reviews on some sites, have complained about the lack of quotation marks around the spoken words. Get over it!! After reading awhile, the issue becomes a moot point. It doesn't affect the story or the delivery of the story itself. Just wonderful character development, one where you root indeed for all the major characters to succeed.

This is not my typical read but I thoroughly was wrapped up in the story. I stayed up having to finish it to the very end. The author did a great job in just 200 or so pages setting up the story, exposing the pair to various adventures on their trek, and coming to a satisfying conclusion. Bravo!

I wasn't sure at first if I would like it enough to keep reading. Westerns aren't my typical go-to. However, I was immediately drawn in by the wry sense of humor that Captain Kidd had and of course the introduction of Johanna/Cicada was intriguing. It was a pleasant surprise to enjoy this book as much as I did. I've already been hunting down the book that Ms. Jiles references in her note at the end of the book regarding real life stories of captured children. At times stripped down, and at times lyrical - the prose was excellent. Even sans quotations. :)

This was one book I could not put down. The writer's style was very easy to read and I so appreciated the descriptions of people and places. The story line kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I think Sam Elliott is my choice for Kidd, wowzer!!! Such patience, yet he knew it would be a tough job taking this girl back to family. I have already told many fellow readers about this book. I want to suggest it to my reading group, I know they would enjoy it also.

To describe this as a 'Western' would do it an injustice. A beautiful love story that captured my heart!

This book reminded me very strongly of Ivan Doig's book The Bartender's Tale.....even though the time periods are different News of the World has the same sort of Mark Twain humor,social commentary and old time hero....absolutely loved Kidd!!!!! I found the free wheeling justice system of 1870's Texas very intriguing....man left to his own devices often resorts to the old "eye for an eye" mentality....a philosophy which is both satisfying and scary at the same time......for those who have read Hillbilly Elegy it's good old "hillbilly justice" but with a large dose of humor.......I enjoyed this book....it was a nice change of pace to read a book where the heroes win,the villains lose and everyone fades into the sunset at the end on a high note!!

Well done. Needed to be short and it was. I could 'feel" everything that was happening. And she did not dwell on unimportant or redundant aspects as in some modern books of this nature, such as weather. Or people's feelings. She allowed you to figure out some things on your own as a reader.

I really enjoyed this book. I wished that it was longer. One of my favorite books is "Lonesome Dove" and this reminded me of that one. I loved the old West setting and I felt like Paulette Jiles did a good job with descriptive writing.

I thought it was intriguing, especially when she tells about people who had been kidnapped and didn't want to come back to our civilization. It led me to read "The Captured" which told about several kidnappings and how the people didn't want to come back. Very interesting.

I agree with what several others said--I did not expect to like this book as much as I did! The author did a great job of hooking her audience early on so that I really wanted to know what would happen to Captain Kidd and the girl. Also, I thought the main threads of the story--Captain Kidd's job and Johanna's capture story--were very compelling. I was not aware that a job such as his ever existed or that there were real capture stories like hers.

I was surprised that I really liked the book....cowboy era books are not my first choice. I was lucky enough to win the book, and glad I did.
I thought Captain Kidd was super. Tanking on the challenge of returning Johanna to her kin.....and then rescuing her from them.
Johanna was precious. It was so sad what she endured being captured then being released.

Beautifully written and exceptionally interesting. The era, the landscape, the characters and the bond developed between Captain Kidd and Johanna were memorable. I will be recommending it to my book club as I think it will make for lively discussion.

At first I didn't think I was going to like this book, and then I fell in love with Captain Kidd and Johanna. The era, the descriptions of that time in Texas, the characters - all were wonderful. I was sad when the book ended.

I loved this book! Beautifully written, evocative of place and people. At first I found the lack of quotation marks annoying, but I soon forgot about it. Fascinating that children captured by Native Americans and then "rescued" always wanted to go back. So much for civilization!

I loved this book! Beautifully written, evocative of place and people. At first I found the lack of quotation marks annoying, but I soon forgot about it. Fascinating that children captured by Native Americans and then "rescued" always wanted to go back. So much for civilization!

I enjoyed the book! I liked the style of writing and I also liked the characters. I liked Captain Kidd and the fact that he didn't give up on Johanna.

It was a book I truly enjoyed. I loved the characters, I liked the historical significance and that it made me look into the background of the story. I spent some time looking up the stories of others who were taken. I will read more by this author.

to add to what tswaine said, I also liked that Johanna didn't give up on the Captain. She had a number of times she could have escaped and after the first time she never tried again.

I loved this book and would highly recommend it. It's not the type of book that I would typically choose to read, but I was very impressed with the author's spare and beautiful depiction of the Texas countryside and era. Johanna and Captain Kidd were one of my favorite literary duos of all time and the Great Brazos Shootout (with dimes for ammo) will live in infamy.

I liked the book. I enjoyed the history of Texas and the relationship between Johanna and the Captain. I will recommend it to others.

What an enjoyable journey I just took reading this book which opened up my eyes to this time period in Texas history. I loved the characters portrayed especially Kidd and Johanna and their ultimate relationship. I would highly recommend this book to others. Paulette Jiles has become a new favorite author for me.

I absolutely loved this book and recommended it to my face-to-face book club. It is our August read. Also, I just passed my copy on to my daughter, who said she was looking for a book that she could just lose herself in. I think this book will take her away to another time and place.

After a slow start, I felt the story really took off, and I was engrossed. The characters of Johanna and the Captain are well-drawn and memorable, but even the minor characters, like Ms.Gannet, Doris, and Joh Calley left an impression. The descriptions of Texas in the 1870s, the references to the post-Civil War political situation, and the overall story made for an enjoyable reading experience.

I really liked it. And I initially wasn't sure about it because it was a western and that's not my typical read. But the characters and the story were really compelling and I ended up really enjoying it. That is why I enjoy getting these free books - they force you to go outside what you might normally choose.

I thought this was a beautifully written book that transported me to that time period and landscape. The characters were rich and deeply engaging. It was a fascinating tale of Johanna's journey and Captain Kidd's compassion. I loved it.