Plenty Porter [Hardcover]

Brandon Noonan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

A lyrical coming-of-age novel, in the tradition of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

When Plenty Porter was born, she didn't have a name. Her parents had gone through all their favorites with the others. The doctor asked, "Think you'll have another?" Her mother kept her answer to herself. Her father said, "No, eleven is plenty."

I am Plenty Porter. I am plenty.

The daughter of poor share-croppers in rural Illinois, Plenty Porter is the youngest of eleven children. In their cramped, old farmhouse, with thirteen mouths needing to be fed, Plenty feels as though she is "one too many." But when she develops a special friendship with a boy named Ed-the son of a wealthy landowner-together they come to terms with what it means to be on the outside, and how the word "family" is truly defined.

A stunning debut by screenwriter Brandon Noonan, PLENTY PORTER is an evocative and poignant coming-of-age novel. Rich in texture, and masterfully crafted, PLENTY PORTER introduces a timeless heroine with an unforgettable voice.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8-10–Rural Illinois during the 1950s is a simple place on the face of it, but for Plenty Porter, the year between her 12th and 13th birthdays is one of enormous complexity. The youngest of 11 children, Plenty is nevertheless alone, an outsider narrating her story in an impeccable if oftentimes distancing voice. She is too independent to follow local customs that separate whites and coloreds, is willing to take risks to bridge the gap with her estranged, alcoholic grandfather, and is intent on discovering how she fits into her world. Stylistically innovative, the book opens with a prologue, then the story jumps one year back in time and continues on until it catches up with and crosses over the prologue's events to conclude in both tragedy and growth. The ending, in which a poor man protects a family member by killing a rich man and plans no action but to hide the facts, is likely to bother adults more than it will kids. While the content is mature, alluding to attempted suicide, probable statutory rape, and murder, that is not what makes this a work for sophisticated readers. It is Plenty herself who, with her conflicting aloofness and intensity, makes this a demanding read. Beautifully written sentences, a well-shaped plot, and an unusual protagonist will make the novel worth the effort for advanced readers. This is Noonan's first novel, and he is a writer to watch.–Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. In a family as big as Plenty's, finding an ally should be easy. But 12-year-old Plenty, the youngest of 11 children growing up in a 1950s Illinois sharecropping family, feels quite alone. Though she is taunted by the town girls, she manages to forge a friendship with the landowner's son. After Plenty's sister Marcie attempts suicide, the town's many secrets and strained relationships slowly come to light. Although hints about the mysteries pepper the haunting^B text, including a tip-off to the closing scenes in the prologue,^B readers may still be startled by the tragic denouement. Some motivations are sketchy, and the secondary characters--among them, an estranged grandfather and a kindly nun who gives Plenty her first book----are not completely fleshed out. But this is, after all, Plenty's story; her isolated perspective and distinctive voice govern the goings-on, and by novel's end, she^B has learned that her place in the family is secure, and that the family always has room for one more.^B Suggest Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (1959) and Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's gothic mystery Jade Green (2000) to readers who enjoy this coming-of-age novel about outsiders. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810959968
• ISBN-13: 978-0810959965
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,501,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Personal growth, February 11, 2006

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plenty Porter (Hardcover)

As Plenty Porter enters her teenage years in Galesburg, Illinois, she realizes that her large family does not actually know one another. Being the youngest of eleven, no one expects much of her yet she is usually aware of everything that goes on around her. When she befriends the motherless Ed Prindergast, the young son of their wealthy neighbor, she does not realize that she needs his friendship as much as he needs hers. Although Plenty narrates, the story actually revolves around her older sister Marcie and her problems. Plenty knows there is something going on but doesn't know if she can find out what's going on with, Mr. Darcey, her estranged grandfather, Mr. Prindergast, her parents, and her sibligs who each have interwoven lives that seem to leave Plenty, who was plenty, out.

Brandon Noonan relates a novel in which the reader really does not see the end coming. Although the story is narrated by Plenty, the reader wants to know what is going on with Marcie, why her hair falls out. I enjoyed the structure of this novel, which is told in two parts, as well as many chapters. Because the ending was a complete surprise to me, I enjoyed it and it made the novel worth reading. I don't think Plenty Porter is bound to recieive high acclaim, but it is definitely a good read for history lovers and those interested in personal growth in a character or multiple characters.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nicely scripted coming-of-age novel about the youngest daughter a poor sharecropping family from rural Illinois, June 7, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plenty Porter (Hardcover)

Plenty Porter by Brandon Noonan is a nicely scripted coming-of-age novel about the youngest daughter a poor sharecropping family from rural Illinois. Plenty is the youngest of eleven children and has trouble "fitting in", all of which is further complicated with her meeting a boy named Ed who is the son of a rich landowner. The two of them begin a relationship that has Penny discovering the true meaning of family and an intimacy she had never before experienced. Documenting Brandon Noonan as a skillfully original novelist, Plenty Porter is very highly recommended reading for those who appreciate the combination of deft authorship and timeless values.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plenty to the Rescue, May 14, 2006

By 

Kevin F. Muster "caftausa" (Chico, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plenty Porter (Hardcover)

The style and substance of today's literature has lowered the standard for teens. With Plenty Porter, we finally have a cleverly written novel with substance to spare. The exposition is conveniently and artistically placed within the intellectual thoughts of our protagonist and come systematically throughout the novel informing us of significant information at just the right moment. This continues through the end of the novel and leaves us wanting to read Plenty more of her stories. The booklist reviewer incorrectly refers to a tragic denouement. He/she obviously doesn't know the definition of tragic or denouement. The climax is thrilling and reads much like a mystery novel. Here again is testament to the clever exposition as I did not expect/suspect the conclusion. The reviewer also referred to two characters who were not 'fleshed out'. Sure, these characters begged questions and not ALL of them were answered in SPELLED OUT form. Personally, I'm a fan of this style and prefer to not know everything about every character. That's part of the fun, and in my opinion, part of the meaning/intent of the novel itself. If you crave intelligent and clever writing and a wonderfully honest story, then this book is for you.