News of the World

News of the World is a Western set around 1870 in the south of the US. It tells the absolutely charming adventures of old grizzly veteran Captain Kidd, who makes his living by reading newspaper articles of far-away places to his audience, and wild 10 year old Johanna, who had spent the last 4 years living with the Kiowa tribe after they had violently slaughtered her family and kept her to raise her as their own.

Their journey together is engaging and adventurous and ultimately successful (and obviously they are already planning the movie) while also balanced with the right amount of heartfelt sadness about the distressing and curious fate of children whose life was uprooted and reprogrammed multiple times within their childhood.

Very much enjoyed Jiles' flow of storytelling, of seamlessly and fluidly weaving narration and dialogue and thoughts together. And you simply can't not love the at first reluctant yet then more and more attached heroic duo of the novel.