Better Reading Preview: The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman by Julietta Henderson

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is an inspiring, feel-good novel about a small boy with a big heart, a woman who would do anything for her son, and a journey that will change their lives …

Little Miss Sunshine meets Wonder meets A Man Called Ove in this stunning debut novel that will touch your heart.”What do you get when you cross a painfully awkward son, lofty comedic ambition and a dead best friend? Norman.”

Norman and Jax are a legendary comedy duo in the making, with a five-year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they’re fifteen. But then Jax dies before they even turn twelve.

Norman’s mum Sadie knows she won’t win Mother of the Year anytime soon, and she really doesn’t know, or care, who Norman’s father is. But her heart is broken when she discovers her grieving son’s revised plan: ‘Find Dad’ and ‘Get to the Edinburgh Fringe’.

If meeting his dad and performing at the Festival are the two things that will help Norman through this devastating time, then Sadie is going to make them happen.

So mother and son set off from Cornwall, with their friend Leonard in his vintage Austin Maxi, on a pilgrimage to Edinburgh – to honour Jax and to track down a few maybe-fathers on the way…

We have 50 copies of this book to give away. For your chance to Preview this book, click on the link and fill in the registration form.

This Preview sign-up period has now closed. Keep an eye out for future Previews being announced!

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When a campaign is launched, readers will have 24 hours in which to send through their expression of interest, by filling in the registration form above. After 24 hours, Preview readers will be randomly selected from the pool of those who expressed interest in receiving and reviewing a free advance copy of the specified book. Usually these advance copies are printed three to four months before they hit bookshops, making Preview a great way to find out about upcoming titles before anyone else.

But be warned – there are only limited copies of each Preview book available for review.

You will only be contacted if you were successful in being selected.

When you register you are expressing interest for the following:

A free advance copy of the specified book sent to your postal address, in exchange for a brief review of the book that may be used for promotional purposes by Better Reading and the relevant publisher.

Important details:

– We need all your details, including your email address and postal address, for your expression of interest to be successful.

– Preview is currently only open to Australia-based readers.

– A successful registration to review a Preview book is for that single title, only. With every new Preview book announced, you will need to express interest again.

– When announced, Preview expressions of interest are open for 24 hours.

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– Preview demand is very high, and there are only limited spots available for each title. To keep things fair, if you fail to provide a review for a Preview title on two occasions, you will unfortunately not be selected for future Preview titles.

What happens after I express interest?

If you have been successful, you will receive a confirmation email shortly afterwards from Better Reading. This will contain a review deadline and a link through which to submit your review. It will also contain other details on the reviewing process.

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– Preview reviews may feature on the Better Reading website and the Better Reading Facebook page. The relevant publisher may also use the reviews for promotion. When reviews are used for promotional purposes, each reviewer will only be identified by their first name and Australian state. Reviews may be edited slightly, just for the purposes of brevity and clarity.

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Synopsis

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is an inspiring, feel-good novel about a small boy with a big heart, a woman who would do anything for her son, and a journey that will change their lives ... Little Miss Sunshine meets Wonder meets A Man Called Ove in this stunning debut novel that will touch your heart."What do you get when you cross a painfully awkward son, lofty comedic ambition and a dead best friend? Norman." Norman and Jax are a legendary comedy duo in the making, with a five-year plan to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe by the time they’re fifteen. But then Jax dies before they even turn twelve. Norman’s mum Sadie knows she won’t win Mother of the Year anytime soon, and she really doesn’t know, or care, who Norman’s father is. But her heart is broken when she discovers her grieving son’s revised plan: ‘Find Dad’ and ‘Get to the Edinburgh Fringe’. If meeting his dad and performing at the Festival are the two things that will help Norman through this devastating time, then Sadie is going to make them happen. So mother and son set off from Cornwall, with their friend Leonard in his vintage Austin Maxi, on a pilgrimage to Edinburgh - to honour Jax and to track down a few maybe-fathers on the way . . . 'Charming and warm-hearted' Sydney Morning Herald'Serves up plenty of rollicking misadventures and cathartic heartstring tugs along the way. The literary equivalent of a feelgood British comedy film . . . page-turning summer read for fans of writers such as Graeme Simsion, David Nicholls and Sue Townsend.' Books+Publishing'One of those gorgeous books that completely lifts your spirits and restores your faith in humanity. An utterly lovely tale.' Ruth Jones, actress and bestselling author of Never Greener'What a charming, funny and cheering read. There's such a lovely, buoyant innocence to Norman and his quest - a coming-of-age that tickles and moves in equal measure.' Beth Morrey, bestselling author of Saving Missy'The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman is funny. It is charming, warm, and uplifting as well. There is so much to love about this book.’ Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of This is How it Always Is‘A book full of hope, humour and kindness, with one of the most endearing central characters I’ve met in a long time. An utter delight!’ Sarah Haywood, bestselling author of The Cactus

Julietta Henderson

Julietta Henderson grew up in the rainforests of North Queensland, and developed her passion for the written word producing 'magazines' for school friends and neighbours with her sister. She has worked her way through jobs as diverse as bicycle tour guide in Tuscany, nanny in the Italian Alps and breakfast waitress in the wilds of Scotland. Like many Australians, her love affair with Europe began when she came to London and stayed for more than a decade. Now a full-time writer, Julietta divides her life between Melbourne, the UK and wherever else she can find winter.

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