News of the World (Movie Tie-in)
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-01-01 13:34:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Paulette Jiles
- ISBN：9780063011953
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Soon to be a Major Motion Picture starring Tom Hanks
It is 1870 and Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas， giving live readings to paying audiences hungry for news of the world。 An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them， the captain enjoys his rootless， solitary existence。
In Wichita Falls， he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio。 Four years earlier， a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl， they raised her as one of their own。 Recently rescued by the U。S。 army， the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows。
Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous。 Johanna has forgotten the English language， tries to escape at every opportunity， throws away her shoes， and refuses to act “civilized。” Yet as the miles pass， the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other， forging a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land。
Arriving in San Antonio， the reunion is neither happy nor welcome。 The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden。 A respectable man， Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself。 Exquisitely rendered and morally complex， News of the World is a brilliant work of historical fiction that explores the boundaries of family， responsibility， honor， and trust。
About the Author
Paulette Jiles is a novelist， poet， and memoirist。 She is the author of Cousins， a memoir， and the novels Enemy Women， Stormy Weather， The Color of Lightning， Lighthouse Island， and News of the World， which was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award。 She lives on a ranch near San Antonio， Texas。
Reviews
novellychic
，
Jiles's short novel is about a Texas man who was a former soldier and now rides around reading Texans the news from various newspapers。 I'll say that the concept interested me。 What a cool idea to go around reading people the news， especially in the 1800s when such things weren't as accessible to those in rural areas。 After a reading one night， Britt Johnson asks Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd to help in the transport of an orphan girl taken by Indians back to her aunt and uncle in southern Texas。 What ensues is a long journey both in distance and in growth。 Readers watch as Kidd develops a relationship with the young Johanna as he teaches her how to act in society， speak English and even defend herself from those who wish her harm。 While the storyline is definitely interesting， I felt that the ending was predictable and that this book could've been shorter even。 I felt myself losing interest at a lot of points in the novel which is why it was just okay for me。 They are making a movie starring Tom Hanks as Captain Kidd， so I'll be interested to see how they adapt it to the big screen。
Dana
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Such a good book。 And unique。 Not sure I want to see the movie。
Joan Rushing
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Great bookLove the book。 It was very interesting because I was born and raised in Wichita Falls。 I am familiar with the Red river and the little Wichita river。 I now live in Oklahoma just south of Fort Sill 。 It was all close to home。
Stacy Sevier
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This was recommended to me by my folks。 I loved it！ I know they are making a film starring Tom Hanks。 I an looking forward to seeing it。
Sassyo
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looking forward to the movie
Mary
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Excellent adventure story。 A young girl， captured by Kiowa at age 6， is returned to her aunt and uncle by the Captain J。 K。 Kidd four years later。 Her parents and sister had been killed by the raiding party。 Their journey goes from Wichita Falls TX to an area near San Antonio， a distance of over 400 miles through small towns and unchartered， dangerous territory。 The Captain earns his way by reading the “News of the World” from numerous newspapers in the frontier communities。 Telling more would r Excellent adventure story。 A young girl， captured by Kiowa at age 6， is returned to her aunt and uncle by the Captain J。 K。 Kidd four years later。 Her parents and sister had been killed by the raiding party。 Their journey goes from Wichita Falls TX to an area near San Antonio， a distance of over 400 miles through small towns and unchartered， dangerous territory。 The Captain earns his way by reading the “News of the World” from numerous newspapers in the frontier communities。 Telling more would ruin the plot， so I recommend reading this great novel yourself。 。。。more
Kay
，
A very original， interesting and enjoyable read。 News of the World is my first western historical fiction。 I love the bond between Captain Kidd and Johanna。 What a great tale！I never heard of this book until I saw the movie trailer and now I really want to see it。 It sucks that the US can't watch it on Netflix like other countries。 😢 A very original， interesting and enjoyable read。 News of the World is my first western historical fiction。 I love the bond between Captain Kidd and Johanna。 What a great tale！I never heard of this book until I saw the movie trailer and now I really want to see it。 It sucks that the US can't watch it on Netflix like other countries。 😢 。。。more
Jane
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A little slow to start， but I am glad I persevered。 Excellent story。 Can’t wait to see the movie。
Melinda
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Pending
Becky
，
I loved this book。 It made me laugh out loud and it made me cry at the end。 Definitely not as action-packed as the movie trailer makes it look， so I really hope they stayed close to the story。 I can’t wait to see the movie。 I’m sure it will be amazing since it stars Tom Hanks The Greatest Actor Of All Time。 I usually don’t care for dialogue without quotation marks in books but somehow it worked this time。 Captain Kidd and Johanna will stay with me for a while。 Highly recommend。
Midge Cole
，
I was given this book through Goodreads， and asked in return to review it。 I so enjoyed this book！ I wanted to read it， anticipating the movie release， but it took a little time to get to it because of the holidays。 The writing is eloquent and descriptive， and the story was fascinating。 I did not know much about children taken by tribes of Native Americans。 The interaction between Johanna and Captain Kidd was tender and heart warming。 The only fault， as some may see it， was that it was a bit pre I was given this book through Goodreads， and asked in return to review it。 I so enjoyed this book！ I wanted to read it， anticipating the movie release， but it took a little time to get to it because of the holidays。 The writing is eloquent and descriptive， and the story was fascinating。 I did not know much about children taken by tribes of Native Americans。 The interaction between Johanna and Captain Kidd was tender and heart warming。 The only fault， as some may see it， was that it was a bit predictable， but I still found it enjoyable。 。。。more
Jenny
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What a great read， I hope the movie is as good as the book was！
Nicole Volz
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More like 5 stars but I hated how the book didn’t have spoken words in quotes。 Overall though I absolutely loved this book and it makes me want to explore San Antonio and Texas more than I had the chance。
Jamie
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While I'm not usually a fan of this time period and wasn't originally drawn to this book， I was curious to read it before watching the film。 It was a nice surprise - I found myself wanting to return to it much more than I had anticipated， reminding myself to give books a chance， even if I'm not drawn to them。 While I'm not usually a fan of this time period and wasn't originally drawn to this book， I was curious to read it before watching the film。 It was a nice surprise - I found myself wanting to return to it much more than I had anticipated， reminding myself to give books a chance， even if I'm not drawn to them。 。。。more
Jane
，
News of the World is a soft， slow-moving， meditative look at a certain time and place （Texas in the 1870s）。 I don’t know anything about this time in history， but it seemed well researched to me – at least， everything was believable。This book is a western。 There are attacks and shootouts。 But action is not the main point; the relationship between the two characters is。 I also really enjoyed the information about people who travelled around entertaining people with news stories from other places， News of the World is a soft， slow-moving， meditative look at a certain time and place （Texas in the 1870s）。 I don’t know anything about this time in history， but it seemed well researched to me – at least， everything was believable。This book is a western。 There are attacks and shootouts。 But action is not the main point; the relationship between the two characters is。 I also really enjoyed the information about people who travelled around entertaining people with news stories from other places， and the nostalgia for newspapers and printing presses。The native people are not treated as bad guys or as good guys。 Nor are the white people。 There are very bad men in the book， and good people as well。 There are also people in the grey area between bad and good。 The natives and most of the settlers are on the periphery of the story。 The focus is on the aging Captain Kidd and his growing love for his charge， the kidnapped child Johanna。News of the World has just come out as a movie starring Tom Hanks and I’m eager to see it now that I’ve read the book。 I found the book overall quietly moving， and the characters of the Captain and Johanna very real。 I recommend it to fans of contemplative historical fiction。（On a side note， I am a big fan of the TV series The Mandalorian on Disney+， a western set in space。 It is also about a lonely man and the child who comes in to this care。 If you are also a fan and especially like that aspect of The Mandalorian， you may enjoy News of the World。） 。。。more
BuckeyeLauri
，
4。5
Shannan
，
There isn’t anything I can add that others haven’t already stated about this lovely story。 I know this one will stay with me for years to come。 Just what I needed to close out 2020 out， a girl and her “opa”。
Denise Maxwell
，
Only after reading did I associate the title with the story。
Sylvia S Tran
，
What captivating writing。 Paulette Jiles perfectly captured the magic of how relationships between people unfold， without needing so many words， through unspoken silence and shared experiences。 What Joanna and Kep-dun share is truly special。
Leslie Nettleton
，
I read this book because I was intrigued by the commercials for the movie， based on the book， that was released this year。 Who doesn't love Tom Hanks？ And the young female actor who plays the former captive is magnetic。 I wanted to know the story behind it-- so I went to the source。 A young girl， Johanna， who was captured as a child by the Kiowa， is to be returned to her family。 Captain Kidd， former American soldier in the war of 1812 and confederate soldier from the Civil War is hired to bring I read this book because I was intrigued by the commercials for the movie， based on the book， that was released this year。 Who doesn't love Tom Hanks？ And the young female actor who plays the former captive is magnetic。 I wanted to know the story behind it-- so I went to the source。 A young girl， Johanna， who was captured as a child by the Kiowa， is to be returned to her family。 Captain Kidd， former American soldier in the war of 1812 and confederate soldier from the Civil War is hired to bring her to her aunt and uncle。 The title， News of the World， comes from how Captain Kidd makes his living-=-by traveling from town to town and reading the News of the World for a dime。 There are several problems: Johanna， like most captives， doesn't want to go back--she considers herself to be Kiowa。 It is a long， hard journey to people who are unknown to Kidd and to Johanna。 Johanna doesn't speak English and American culture is completely foreign to her， and there are people who would like to steal Johanna for their own purposes-- So while Captain Kidd is sworn to protect her， he isn't able to communicate with her or strategize with her---and until he gets to know her， he can't trust her。 The beautiful part of the story is Captain Kidd and Johanna getting to know each other。 Can Captain Kidd turn her over to strangers after this？ Legally， he has to。 Such a powerful story。 I finished reading it， but I haven't finished thinking about it。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
I enjoyed the story and the characters。 The lack of quotation marks was sometimes difficult。
Marta Ilieva
，
I've had this on my TBR pile for a very long time， and I finally decided to read it before the movie comes out。 This was such a great story， and now I have a need to read more about the time period， especially the child kidnappings。 I've had this on my TBR pile for a very long time， and I finally decided to read it before the movie comes out。 This was such a great story， and now I have a need to read more about the time period， especially the child kidnappings。 。。。more
Carla
，
Reading this book was like watching an old western。 Very enjoyable。
Laura
，
Nice little book。 I was sad to see — in the New York Times， in the middle of reading the book - that it has already been made into a movie to be released soon。 I don’t like knowing who is going to play certain parts （so won’t say here） because after that， I only picture the actor instead of the image of the character I’ve conjured in my mind。 Oh well。 I still would recommend the book， shed light on the plight of children captured from their families by Native American tribes in the post-Civil Wa Nice little book。 I was sad to see — in the New York Times， in the middle of reading the book - that it has already been made into a movie to be released soon。 I don’t like knowing who is going to play certain parts （so won’t say here） because after that， I only picture the actor instead of the image of the character I’ve conjured in my mind。 Oh well。 I still would recommend the book， shed light on the plight of children captured from their families by Native American tribes in the post-Civil War era， something I knew nothing about。 。。。more
Jessica
，
A different genre for me as I don't think I've read a Western before， but I wanted to read this acclaimed book before watching the upcoming movie。 It was very good， excellent pacing and character development。 I would have liked a longer story with a few more twists， and I thought the ending was a bit predictable。 Still really good though， and the last paragraph has me all chocked up。 A different genre for me as I don't think I've read a Western before， but I wanted to read this acclaimed book before watching the upcoming movie。 It was very good， excellent pacing and character development。 I would have liked a longer story with a few more twists， and I thought the ending was a bit predictable。 Still really good though， and the last paragraph has me all chocked up。 。。。more
BreeAnn （She Just Loves Books）
，
This book was stunning！ I read it in a day， less than a day， I mean hours。 I couldn’t put it down！ It is a historical fiction that brings a lovely story of a 71-year-old man and a 10-year-old forming a bond as they travel across Texas to return her to her family。 This book is being made into a movie， and I cannot wait to watch it now！If you are interested in any of the following， I think this is a book for you！✔️ 1800’s historical fiction✔️ Texan history✔️ Western lawlessness✔️ On-the-road adven This book was stunning！ I read it in a day， less than a day， I mean hours。 I couldn’t put it down！ It is a historical fiction that brings a lovely story of a 71-year-old man and a 10-year-old forming a bond as they travel across Texas to return her to her family。 This book is being made into a movie， and I cannot wait to watch it now！If you are interested in any of the following， I think this is a book for you！✔️ 1800’s historical fiction✔️ Texan history✔️ Western lawlessness✔️ On-the-road adventures✔️ Unlikely friendshipsThis book has a main character （Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd） that is older， and enjoys his wandering lifestyle， going across Texas reading the news for dimes。 This was something I had never heard of before， but it completely makes sense。 Not everyone can read， and smaller towns wouldn’t get the larger newspapers。 People also enjoyed gathering together to discuss as they heard the news。 I loved how much this played into the story， and I was so intrigued by it！The characters were wonderful。 The little girl was abducted by Indians when she was 6， and she was recovered at 10。 The story is not about her abduction， and there is not a lot of information about that time for her。 This really focuses on her relationship with Kidd， and their travels to return her to her remaining family。 She doesn’t speak English at all and doesn’t remember her life before the Indians， so she is terrified and confused。 I loved watching him work to communicate with her and celebrated the wins with him when she was able to understand and learn something。Their characters are funny at times and heartbreaking at other times。 I loved the two of them together， how they learned from each other。 I also enjoyed the side characters that they come across。 Some are helpful， while others are dangerous。 It created a wonderful adventure！ I absolutely loved that there was a map in the front of this book。 I have never referenced a map as often as I did for this book！ I liked looking at how far they had traveled as they would reach a new destination。 It was a great addition。Overall， I thought this was a wonderful book with characters that will stick with you after you have finished！I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free。 I am leaving my review voluntarily。 。。。more
BreeAnn （She Just Loves Books）
，
This book was stunning！ I read it in a day， less than a day， I mean hours。 I couldn’t put it down！ It is a historical fiction that brings a lovely story of a 71-year-old man and a 10-year-old forming a bond as they travel across Texas to return her to her family。 This book is being made into a movie， and I cannot wait to watch it now！If you are interested in any of the following， I think this is a book for you！✔️ 1800’s historical fiction✔️ Texan history✔️ Western lawlessness✔️ On-the-road adven This book was stunning！ I read it in a day， less than a day， I mean hours。 I couldn’t put it down！ It is a historical fiction that brings a lovely story of a 71-year-old man and a 10-year-old forming a bond as they travel across Texas to return her to her family。 This book is being made into a movie， and I cannot wait to watch it now！If you are interested in any of the following， I think this is a book for you！✔️ 1800’s historical fiction✔️ Texan history✔️ Western lawlessness✔️ On-the-road adventures✔️ Unlikely friendshipsThis book has a main character （Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd） that is older， and enjoys his wandering lifestyle， going across Texas reading the news for dimes。 This was something I had never heard of before， but it completely makes sense。 Not everyone can read， and smaller towns wouldn’t get the larger newspapers。 People also enjoyed gathering together to discuss as they heard the news。 I loved how much this played into the story， and I was so intrigued by it！The characters were wonderful。 The little girl was abducted by Indians when she was 6， and she was recovered at 10。 The story is not about her abduction， and there is not a lot of information about that time for her。 This really focuses on her relationship with Kidd， and their travels to return her to her remaining family。 She doesn’t speak English at all and doesn’t remember her life before the Indians， so she is terrified and confused。 I loved watching him work to communicate with her and celebrated the wins with him when she was able to understand and learn something。Their characters are funny at times and heartbreaking at other times。 I loved the two of them together， how they learned from each other。 I also enjoyed the side characters that they come across。 Some are helpful， while others are dangerous。 It created a wonderful adventure！ I absolutely loved that there was a map in the front of this book。 I have never referenced a map as often as I did for this book！ I liked looking at how far they had traveled as they would reach a new destination。 It was a great addition。Overall， I thought this was a wonderful book with characters that will stick with you after you have finished！I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free。 I am leaving my review voluntarily。 。。。more
Jennifer Charters
，
Awesome story - I loved the idea of it， and the characters of both Johanna and Captain Kidd。 They were lovely and believable。It must have been the author's choice to not include quotation marks when people are talking， but i have no idea why。 I found that it muted the story somewhat so I couldn't hear their voices in my head。 Overall a good read， slow to start， but it picks up partially through。3。5 stars Awesome story - I loved the idea of it， and the characters of both Johanna and Captain Kidd。 They were lovely and believable。It must have been the author's choice to not include quotation marks when people are talking， but i have no idea why。 I found that it muted the story somewhat so I couldn't hear their voices in my head。 Overall a good read， slow to start， but it picks up partially through。3。5 stars 。。。more
Nathel Schad Coca
，
I didn’t want the story to end; I fell in love with these two characters and marveled at their perilous journey and their bond。
Kerry
，
Gus McCrae， Rooster Cogburn and now Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd。 Oh my heart ❤️ Wonderful， wonderful， wonderful book。
Jennifer Cline
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