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Hick
Foreseeing a hopeless future in barrooms and parking lots, cagey 13-year-old Luli McMullen bolts headlong from the heartland, aiming at Las Vegas where she expects to find herself a sugar daddy. Almost immediately, crooked-bodied Eddie Kreezer, a roving obsessive with a violent streak, and a fading but lovely grifter named Glenda begin to do battle for Luli's head and heart. On their perilous journey westward, Luli is introduced to drifters, lowlifes, strippers, speed freaks, gold-diggers, and a Libertarian with a dog named Karl. Along the way, she learns the truth of American rootlessness and discovers both the power and the peril of her own sexual curiosity. Part coming-of-age story and part raggedy picaresque, Hick leads us at a blinding pace down broken roads through a world that seems to this extraordinary and indomitable young girl dangerously uncharted.
245 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
40 people are currently reading
1810 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Portes
10 books476 followersAndrea Portes is a bestselling American novelist.
Her novels include HICK, BURY THIS, ANATOMY OF A MISFIT, and THE FALL OF BUTTERFLIES. Portes is also the author of the upcoming LIBERTY book series and the upcoming HENRY & EVA book series. She also published the SUPER RAD graphic novel series for Dark Matter Comics.
Portes was raised in rural Nebraska, outside of Lincoln. She attended Bryn Mawr College on full scholarship and later received her MFA from University of California, San Diego. After graduation, Portes moved to the neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles.
In 2007, Portes published her debut novel HICK that was an instant bestseller. After the book's huge success, the movie adaptation of HICK went into production in 2011. The film, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Alec Baldwin, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, and Blake Lively premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011.
Portes's second novel, BURY THIS, was published in January 2014 by Counterpoint Press's imprint Soft Skull Press to critical acclaim.
In 2012, she wrote SUPER RAD, a sci-fi series for Dark Matter Press.
Portes' third novel, ANATOMY OF A MISFIT, was published in September 2014 by HarperCollins. In July 2014, the book was optioned in a pre-emptive deal by Paramount Pictures, with Allison Shearmur (THE HUNGER GAMES, CINDERELLA) producing.
In Winter 2015, Portes spy thriller series LIBERTY was bought in a three-book deal by HarperCollins. Twentieth Century Fox-Fox 2000 acquired the rights to LIBERTY and will be producing the series with Wyck Godfrey (TWILIGHT, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS).
Her fourth book, THE FALL OF BUTTERFLIES will be out in May 2016 published by HarperCollins.
Portes also chose HarperCollins to publish HENRY & EVA AND THE CASTLE ON THE CLIFF, the first in a middle reader series of HENRY & EVA books. The second release in the series will be HENRY & EVA AND THE FAMOUS PEOPLE GHOSTS.
Portes is currently working on THEY WERE LIKE WOLVES, a work of literary fiction.
Her novels include HICK, BURY THIS, ANATOMY OF A MISFIT, and THE FALL OF BUTTERFLIES. Portes is also the author of the upcoming LIBERTY book series and the upcoming HENRY & EVA book series. She also published the SUPER RAD graphic novel series for Dark Matter Comics.
Portes was raised in rural Nebraska, outside of Lincoln. She attended Bryn Mawr College on full scholarship and later received her MFA from University of California, San Diego. After graduation, Portes moved to the neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles.
In 2007, Portes published her debut novel HICK that was an instant bestseller. After the book's huge success, the movie adaptation of HICK went into production in 2011. The film, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Alec Baldwin, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, and Blake Lively premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011.
Portes's second novel, BURY THIS, was published in January 2014 by Counterpoint Press's imprint Soft Skull Press to critical acclaim.
In 2012, she wrote SUPER RAD, a sci-fi series for Dark Matter Press.
Portes' third novel, ANATOMY OF A MISFIT, was published in September 2014 by HarperCollins. In July 2014, the book was optioned in a pre-emptive deal by Paramount Pictures, with Allison Shearmur (THE HUNGER GAMES, CINDERELLA) producing.
In Winter 2015, Portes spy thriller series LIBERTY was bought in a three-book deal by HarperCollins. Twentieth Century Fox-Fox 2000 acquired the rights to LIBERTY and will be producing the series with Wyck Godfrey (TWILIGHT, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS).
Her fourth book, THE FALL OF BUTTERFLIES will be out in May 2016 published by HarperCollins.
Portes also chose HarperCollins to publish HENRY & EVA AND THE CASTLE ON THE CLIFF, the first in a middle reader series of HENRY & EVA books. The second release in the series will be HENRY & EVA AND THE FAMOUS PEOPLE GHOSTS.
Portes is currently working on THEY WERE LIKE WOLVES, a work of literary fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
February 28, 2015
Did you ever see Freeway? No? Oh, you got to see Freeway! Reese Witherspoon gives her all time best performance as Vanessa Lutz, teenage daughter of a couple of rural junkies, just another in a long line of wild American girls who go looking for trouble and find it real quick. Here’s a flavour of the Vanessa Lutz experience:
That was 1996. More recently we have encountered 16 year old Lili Hobart, played by the weird, horribly compelling Juno Temple, in Little Birds.
And way before that, in 1973, we had the fabulous Holly in Badlands played by Sissy Spacek:
Hick is right in this tradition. The raw materials for this novel are therefore not the problem. Although Andrea Portes is pushing the envelope just somewhat by making her heroine Luli McMullen 13, so that hovering over this narrative is the distasteful titillating question – when is li'l Luli going to have sex? Will it be with this creep? Or that one?
I guess the problem was that I didn’t buy Luli’s first person voice. I’ve been spoiled rotten recently by great authors articulating the rage & horror of the less well-heeled parts of the United States, they sing in my ears (& I wish we had a British equivalent). But it wasn’t that Andrea Portes was a bad writer, it was the uncertainty of tone that ended up bugging me like a fly I could not swat.
He stares at me for what seems like two weeks. Then he snaps out of it like some broken spell, looking at me like I’m this demonic Muppet sent to hurl him into the abyss with trouble dressing and stray-cat luring.
Okay, that’s a 13 year old girl with a deft turn of phrase. But :
Jackson is a place for rich people. They look ahead and pretend we don’t exist. They saunter round the rickety walkways and Wild West overhangs making everything look old-timey and fake. We’re in the town square, the epicenter of the Old West put-on. The rich people promenade around.
That isn’t, that’s a grown-up writer who’s been to workshops and all. Epicenter?? Not a 13 year old word. This sudden switch to adult voice happens in every other paragraph, it’s like two different people are wrestling for control of this car. The five star showering this book gets on GR tells me that this is something that doesn’t bother most readers and I’m not saying it should.
So to summarise : a little too much of that and not enough of this. 2.5 stars.
Note : gifs in a pb review? Mother of God! What's the world coming to? Okay I promise not to do it again.
That was 1996. More recently we have encountered 16 year old Lili Hobart, played by the weird, horribly compelling Juno Temple, in Little Birds.
And way before that, in 1973, we had the fabulous Holly in Badlands played by Sissy Spacek:
Hick is right in this tradition. The raw materials for this novel are therefore not the problem. Although Andrea Portes is pushing the envelope just somewhat by making her heroine Luli McMullen 13, so that hovering over this narrative is the distasteful titillating question – when is li'l Luli going to have sex? Will it be with this creep? Or that one?
I guess the problem was that I didn’t buy Luli’s first person voice. I’ve been spoiled rotten recently by great authors articulating the rage & horror of the less well-heeled parts of the United States, they sing in my ears (& I wish we had a British equivalent). But it wasn’t that Andrea Portes was a bad writer, it was the uncertainty of tone that ended up bugging me like a fly I could not swat.
He stares at me for what seems like two weeks. Then he snaps out of it like some broken spell, looking at me like I’m this demonic Muppet sent to hurl him into the abyss with trouble dressing and stray-cat luring.
Okay, that’s a 13 year old girl with a deft turn of phrase. But :
Jackson is a place for rich people. They look ahead and pretend we don’t exist. They saunter round the rickety walkways and Wild West overhangs making everything look old-timey and fake. We’re in the town square, the epicenter of the Old West put-on. The rich people promenade around.
That isn’t, that’s a grown-up writer who’s been to workshops and all. Epicenter?? Not a 13 year old word. This sudden switch to adult voice happens in every other paragraph, it’s like two different people are wrestling for control of this car. The five star showering this book gets on GR tells me that this is something that doesn’t bother most readers and I’m not saying it should.
So to summarise : a little too much of that and not enough of this. 2.5 stars.
Note : gifs in a pb review? Mother of God! What's the world coming to? Okay I promise not to do it again.
September 18, 2007
Best literary release of 2007, hands down. No, hands up, raise your hands to the sky and praise tha lah-ord for scratching my literary itch.
Portes nails the pubescent voice of a girl named Luli who decides to leave her horrid, abusive existence in Nebraska for the road, a road leading to Las Vegas. Luli discovers she has something that men want with her maturing body and feels that is going to give her the life she needs.
Along the way she gets protection from a shady motherly type named Glenda.
Dark, funny and naked to the bone honesty make "Hick" the literary classic it will become.
It's one of those books you read, if you're a writer, that will make you seeth with jealousy.
Trust me, if you only buy one book this year, if you only read one book this year, make it "Hick". I'm not kidding. Buy it because you won't be able to help yourself by marking and highlighting all the brilliant dialogue and narrative and you'll need to read it twice.
Portes nails the pubescent voice of a girl named Luli who decides to leave her horrid, abusive existence in Nebraska for the road, a road leading to Las Vegas. Luli discovers she has something that men want with her maturing body and feels that is going to give her the life she needs.
Along the way she gets protection from a shady motherly type named Glenda.
Dark, funny and naked to the bone honesty make "Hick" the literary classic it will become.
It's one of those books you read, if you're a writer, that will make you seeth with jealousy.
Trust me, if you only buy one book this year, if you only read one book this year, make it "Hick". I'm not kidding. Buy it because you won't be able to help yourself by marking and highlighting all the brilliant dialogue and narrative and you'll need to read it twice.
January 31, 2018
I don't know what to think of this book. It feels so mean.
A 13 year old girl left alone emotionally and physically, treated so neglectfully that she feels unworthy, unloved, lonely, empty. She loves her daddy...he's a drunk turd who only has eyes for her empty shell of a mother. No one loves this girl. So she leaves. She goes from the frying pan into the fire and hopefully finally to land on a plate (is a plate better?)
I liked so much of the writing until Eddie attacks her. Things went sour for me there. This isn't a young adult book -- no young adult should read this for fear that they'd think THIS is normal. It's not. It's ugly and no one should be treated this way in real life.
The writing was cool, though. I loved the sentences...they were so pretty and flowy, but they spewed ugliness and rottenness. I'm so torn. I'm glad she took the .45 though. Really glad.
A 13 year old girl left alone emotionally and physically, treated so neglectfully that she feels unworthy, unloved, lonely, empty. She loves her daddy...he's a drunk turd who only has eyes for her empty shell of a mother. No one loves this girl. So she leaves. She goes from the frying pan into the fire and hopefully finally to land on a plate (is a plate better?)
I liked so much of the writing until Eddie attacks her. Things went sour for me there. This isn't a young adult book -- no young adult should read this for fear that they'd think THIS is normal. It's not. It's ugly and no one should be treated this way in real life.
The writing was cool, though. I loved the sentences...they were so pretty and flowy, but they spewed ugliness and rottenness. I'm so torn. I'm glad she took the .45 though. Really glad.
April 24, 2007
I didn't think I would find anything in this book I could relate to. Strange, because I ended up reading the thing in about four hours. This thing just grabbed me and wouldn't really let me go, so, I must have more in common with a 13-year-old girl than I thought. Perhaps, I must be in touch with my "feminine side", althought the protagonist is more like a Tomboy, really. She's kind of a Tomboy trapped in a hot little teens body. It's an interesting combination. I thought it was really funny, as well, quick-witted. I wanted to be with this character. I wanted to save her. I wanted to do lots of things, I suppose. I'm now obsessed, I think. Not sure. Yes. I am. I am obsessed.
June 7, 2023
Mình nhớ lần đầu mình xem bản phim chuyển thể "Hick" (2011) đó là vào cấp hai. Phim không quá là hot, mình xem chỉ vì có diễn viên mình thích nhưng thực sự lúc đó phim để lại quá nhiều ấn tượng với mình. Tiếc là sách gốc không làm tốt như mình mong đợi.
Cô bé Luli, 13 tuổi, đang trên đường chạy trốn đến Las Vegas, sau khi bố mẹ vô trách nhiệm bỏ nhà mà đi. Trên đường cô bé đã đi nhờ xe của Eddie - gã và Luli sau đó cãi nhau và cô bé đã bị đuổi xuống. Luli lại đi nhờ xe của Glenda - một quý cô xinh đẹp và mưu mô. Không ai biết trên đường điều gì đang chờ một Luli trên đường tìm cuộc sống mới.
Hick kể về bố mẹ vô trách nhiệm, một câu chuyện về cô bé tuổ teen với đầy mơ ước phía trước. Xen kẽ cùng với một vài phân đoạn hài hước. Tuy nhiên một phần mình thấy có quá nhiều đoạn thiếu điểm nhấn, thậm chí có một vài đoạn mình thấy phim chuyển thể làm tốt hơn nhiều.
Cô bé Luli, 13 tuổi, đang trên đường chạy trốn đến Las Vegas, sau khi bố mẹ vô trách nhiệm bỏ nhà mà đi. Trên đường cô bé đã đi nhờ xe của Eddie - gã và Luli sau đó cãi nhau và cô bé đã bị đuổi xuống. Luli lại đi nhờ xe của Glenda - một quý cô xinh đẹp và mưu mô. Không ai biết trên đường điều gì đang chờ một Luli trên đường tìm cuộc sống mới.
Hick kể về bố mẹ vô trách nhiệm, một câu chuyện về cô bé tuổ teen với đầy mơ ước phía trước. Xen kẽ cùng với một vài phân đoạn hài hước. Tuy nhiên một phần mình thấy có quá nhiều đoạn thiếu điểm nhấn, thậm chí có một vài đoạn mình thấy phim chuyển thể làm tốt hơn nhiều.
February 26, 2017
What saved this book from being a one star:
1. the blue dress and all that it symbolized
2. Luli playing Categories with Clement and all that it symbolized
This wasn't a terrible book, but there were some things that just irritated me. I think the problem is that the author wanted to tell the story from Luli's point of view, but she also wanted to show off her language skills with some descriptive writing that didn't fit the narrative voice. Luli is supposed to be thirteen with limited education, but she sure knows some random big words and even makes some dated references. Mark Twain didn't make that mistake with Huck, and that's one of the things that made that character so memorable and powerful.
1. the blue dress and all that it symbolized
2. Luli playing Categories with Clement and all that it symbolized
This wasn't a terrible book, but there were some things that just irritated me. I think the problem is that the author wanted to tell the story from Luli's point of view, but she also wanted to show off her language skills with some descriptive writing that didn't fit the narrative voice. Luli is supposed to be thirteen with limited education, but she sure knows some random big words and even makes some dated references. Mark Twain didn't make that mistake with Huck, and that's one of the things that made that character so memorable and powerful.
April 23, 2007
This book is brilliant and beautiful but made me feel like a bit of a pervert. I couldn't stop getting slightly turned on reading some of the sexual parts and then hating myself for feeling that way. I was impressed with the voice, especially. The entire book is written in first person dialect, similar to TRAINSPOTTING, and so it really just takes you through the world in the mind of the character. I will extremely interested to see what kind of trouble this author might get into with this book, considering it's racy nature in these extremely PC times. This is not the kind of book to give to your grandmother, by the way.
March 29, 2013
Portes' clever use of language makes you want to pack your macbook in its case, set it gently in a dumpster, and quit writing. From page one to the end she keeps the powerful imagery flowing slow and cataclysmic like a tsunami slurping out your town through the streets; and she saves plenty for last. Without a wasted chapter - though some paragraphs can seem redundant - it is one of the best slices of 80s trailer Americana you'll read. No matter what your upbringing you'll recognize a trustworthy limp in "Luli" and wish you could jump onto each page and shoot, punch, or run over her enemies in your Ford truck.
April 23, 2007
I think this book is an incredible read. I can't believe it's a first novel. The voice is just amazing and the protagonist, Luli, takes the reader on such a wild, scary, sexy, beautiful ride that it's almost impossible to put the book down. I will be watching this author and waiting impatiently for her next novel. One thing though: this is not a book for the faint of heart. There is some sexually explicit stuff that probably shouldn't be read by anyone too prude.
August 9, 2009
This book is currently being challenged by a patron at the library where I work so, of course, I had to read it. I believe the patron is just concerned about the language in the book and, after reading it, I'm pretty sure she never read the entire thing.
Yes, it's a difficult story to read, but the language is not out of place nor, in my humble opinion, excessive. I was SO drawn into the plight of Luli that I didn't really notice excessive "bad" language but was caught up instead with the extremely clever phrasing Luli uses :) By the end of the book, I wanted more!
I'm really hoping for a sequel, set in Las Vegas.
Yes, it's a difficult story to read, but the language is not out of place nor, in my humble opinion, excessive. I was SO drawn into the plight of Luli that I didn't really notice excessive "bad" language but was caught up instead with the extremely clever phrasing Luli uses :) By the end of the book, I wanted more!
I'm really hoping for a sequel, set in Las Vegas.
August 20, 2015
I just found this book extremely disturbing. The MC Louliee was 13 years old, and the things she was concerned about or exposed to probably hardened her, but wow, just wow! The mom in me just wanted to take her in, and give her hope and love.. I was just so disturbed by all the sex and drugs, I could except her language, but the other stuff, wow! I think if she was 16 or maybe even 15 I could've taken this a little better, but being so young, and so well I'm innocent, it just really got to me.. The author is a very good author and really writes well, I just couldn't get over the fact this girl was 13.
February 5, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. I highly recommend it. It has one of the best first lines and one of the best first chapters I've read in a very long time. Contrary to other reviews, I found the narrator's voice to be authentic - in light of her upbringing. Let's be honest, you spend your formative years in a bar and you'll know how to swear and be cynical. I really can't say enough good things about this book. It's funny, disturbing, uplifting (in a morbid sort of way) and one hell of a ride. It's one I'll be reading again for sure.
August 14, 2009
This was an excellent novel! It's hysterically funny, even though it reminds me, kind of, of "Bastard out of Carolina" and "Ellen Foster" - it has that sort of naive, yet smart, child narrative. The BEST line, if this gives you an idea of what this book is like: "And maybe I am just a two-bit hick from the heartland but I do know one thing, my mama did not raise me to be skankin it in skanksville with the skanks."
September 23, 2023
Wtf is going on in the reviews? Why are men talking about being turned on by this book? It is not an erotic novel and shouldn't be turning you on. Jesus Christ. You're putting your names on these reviews???
June 29, 2024
the writing is beautiful ♥️ teaches about how you have the power to change your own life
June 7, 2024
Originally saw the movie and was excited when I found out it was a book. Better than I thought it would be and I appreciated the way the author descibed Luli’s internal state and how she gets through all the terrible things that happen to her.
April 26, 2011
Wow. This is a book that takes a bit to fully digest. Andrea Portes really knows her shit for this being a debut novel. I found out about this because it is being made into a movie, and the story line sounding like my kinda thing. Young girl coming of age in the south, I dunno why, but I am a sucker for coming of age novels. Even more so when they take place in the south. Not sure why, I've never been to the south, but what can you do? This is a gritty novel in a way. The things that 13 year old Luli (it was supposed to be Lucy, but she couldn't say it and her parents gave up) gets herself into are a bit rough. Her parents are both drunks and she decides to leave and go to Las Vegas. Along the way she meets two people that will change her life (not to be dramatic or anything) Glenda and Eddie. They get her into some deep shit for lack of a better word.
Luli is a fantastic narrator. She is blunt, brave, interesting, smart and flawed. She really is a character that will stay with me for a while. I found myself thinking about her hours after I finished the novel. The pacing was great, the few situations that might really bother a person, were done in a way that let you (like Luli) sort of take yourself out of what was happening. This is one that I am glad I own, and I am almost sure I will read again and again.
Luli is a fantastic narrator. She is blunt, brave, interesting, smart and flawed. She really is a character that will stay with me for a while. I found myself thinking about her hours after I finished the novel. The pacing was great, the few situations that might really bother a person, were done in a way that let you (like Luli) sort of take yourself out of what was happening. This is one that I am glad I own, and I am almost sure I will read again and again.
January 16, 2013
Rating: 3.5
Upon seeing the film first, I decided to take a shot at this because I like to see the changes they make. The script for the movie was not the greatest (the acting on the other hand was superb) and after finding that the author had also written the screen play, I didn't expect much. My assumptions were right.
It was a decent book, a quick read, and overall, I probably could have gone through life without picking it up. It's one of the few cases where I prefer the movie. Maybe it was because of some scenes that felt unfinished in the book that seemed to wrap up better in the movie. Maybe it was because Eddie Redmayne as Eddie Kreezer (though still creepy as all get out) was not as twisted and even creepier sounding (and older) as the Eddie in the book. I feel like the author got a second chance at writing this story and added some things that made it better in the movie.
I'm not dissing the book in any way, shape, or form, it is interesting if you don't know the story already. The book and the movie are very close, some of the lines shift directly from book to screen, which is very neat and rare. So my recommendation is that you can read the book if you'd like, but definitely see the movie.
Upon seeing the film first, I decided to take a shot at this because I like to see the changes they make. The script for the movie was not the greatest (the acting on the other hand was superb) and after finding that the author had also written the screen play, I didn't expect much. My assumptions were right.
It was a decent book, a quick read, and overall, I probably could have gone through life without picking it up. It's one of the few cases where I prefer the movie. Maybe it was because of some scenes that felt unfinished in the book that seemed to wrap up better in the movie. Maybe it was because Eddie Redmayne as Eddie Kreezer (though still creepy as all get out) was not as twisted and even creepier sounding (and older) as the Eddie in the book. I feel like the author got a second chance at writing this story and added some things that made it better in the movie.
I'm not dissing the book in any way, shape, or form, it is interesting if you don't know the story already. The book and the movie are very close, some of the lines shift directly from book to screen, which is very neat and rare. So my recommendation is that you can read the book if you'd like, but definitely see the movie.
May 2, 2018
Better than even the most positive reviews
Commentators are reviewing this book like it is a novel with a beginning, a middle, an end, a plot, and plausible characters. It is not, really.
Take thirty or forty pieces by the most interesting, attitude laden, perceptive blogger/essayist you can think of. Convert them into first person ruminations through the wild child mind of a hip middle aged thirteen year old. String them together as a random road trip through the new west. Add a daughter/father theme that feels like Scout and Atticus if "To Kill a Mockingbird" had been set in a meth lab. That gives you an idea of what a satisfying read this is. Every other line is quotable. The dialogue is diamond sharp. And, it is spare and surgical, with not a false note or phony sentiment. This book is a find.
Commentators are reviewing this book like it is a novel with a beginning, a middle, an end, a plot, and plausible characters. It is not, really.
Take thirty or forty pieces by the most interesting, attitude laden, perceptive blogger/essayist you can think of. Convert them into first person ruminations through the wild child mind of a hip middle aged thirteen year old. String them together as a random road trip through the new west. Add a daughter/father theme that feels like Scout and Atticus if "To Kill a Mockingbird" had been set in a meth lab. That gives you an idea of what a satisfying read this is. Every other line is quotable. The dialogue is diamond sharp. And, it is spare and surgical, with not a false note or phony sentiment. This book is a find.
April 24, 2007
This crystalline yet greasy story will pull you in fast and push you to outer limits (or throw you "straight into the sun" as unforgettable Luli would say). I laughed and I cried and I felt a little more like an American girl inside.
(I wanted to add, that as a crazy, mixed up immigrant, that's a tough thing to do...make me feel American. I'm not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing to be, but this book resonated on many levels...and what it might mean to be American was in there along with being a girl, being pretty, being abused, being alone, being hungry and dreaming BIGGER.)
(I wanted to add, that as a crazy, mixed up immigrant, that's a tough thing to do...make me feel American. I'm not sure whether it's a good or a bad thing to be, but this book resonated on many levels...and what it might mean to be American was in there along with being a girl, being pretty, being abused, being alone, being hungry and dreaming BIGGER.)
May 26, 2010
Oh my goodness, this book was horrifying. There's no doubt that the writer has a sharp wit, but the main character and the situations she in went from bad to worse throughout the book. Worse to the point that I was horrified (and I read dysfunctional fiction all the time). I almost felt a little nauseous at how cynical this 13 year old was even at the beginning of the book and then even more nauseous as bad things kept happening to her. The poor girl was just a throwaway. I found it so disturbing that I recycled my copy.
May 13, 2015
I very much enjoyed this book!
The movie brought me to the book (and Chloe G.M. brought me to the movie) and I really ejoyed the movie,
so I wanted to read the book. I've seen the movie a couple of years back so I didn't remember the details.
I very much appreciated the authenticity of the main character Luli,
she (and the book) was absolutely not predictable.
I love the Southern style and language.
The weird touch to it is really what makes this book so great and what sets itself apart.
Hats off to Andrea Portes, as this being her first novel.
I'm rating it 4 stars.
The movie brought me to the book (and Chloe G.M. brought me to the movie) and I really ejoyed the movie,
so I wanted to read the book. I've seen the movie a couple of years back so I didn't remember the details.
I very much appreciated the authenticity of the main character Luli,
she (and the book) was absolutely not predictable.
I love the Southern style and language.
The weird touch to it is really what makes this book so great and what sets itself apart.
Hats off to Andrea Portes, as this being her first novel.
I'm rating it 4 stars.
August 25, 2008
I started this book with high hopes that it would get better. Read the 245 pages in a day. I kept hoping it would get better, 1/2 way through, I couldn't "not know" how it ended. I kept hoping it would redeem itself, it didn't! I finished it thinking it was a colossal waste of time! Wouldn't pick anything of her's up again. Thankfully, Timberland Regional Library owns it...and I didn't have to pay to be disappointed!
September 19, 2012
Gripping, sexual, saddening.. all tangled together to create "Hick." This book was hard to read in the beginning as I tried to grasp the voice of the author. But once I had it down, I couldn't put it down. I read it straight through the night; irritating my fiance' because of my night light. I could relate to Lula and her family history. It's a great story, and you know the author does a beautiful job at weaving it together if you sit there feeling the emotions portrayed in the story.
April 17, 2016
"And on and on till the moon gives way and the sun kills itself and the stars fall from the sky.
I guess I'll see you then."
Loved this, made my heart swell and my eyes leak.
I guess I'll see you then."
Loved this, made my heart swell and my eyes leak.
April 4, 2020
Title: Hick
Series: Standalone
Author: Andrea Portes
Rating: 3.75 Stars
This book first caught my attention almost five years ago, back when I did not read a lot. I watched the movie of the same name, found it intriguing and found out it was based on a book. So I vowed that someday I would read it. And here I am...
Hick is not a light read even though you might stumble upon witty remarks here and there, whilst struggling to figure out whether you should laugh or cry at them. It is a fairly quick read but I am still conflicted in regards to the writing style. At times, the long descriptions and constant going off the topic was annoying, however at the same time, I found the writing fascinating, possibly due to the fact that it was different to what I usually read.
Luli's story, while, at times written with a lighter undertone, is not an easy one, especially when the fact that she is only thirteen years old is remembered. Her street-smarts and tough attitude come in handy, however her desperate need for someone to love her make Luli an easier target. Throughout the story you keep wondering, will she finally find someone to care for her and make her life easier, or will the neglect will be all she will know...
In conclusion, I did enjoy Hick, and I am glad it was not a long read. In my opinion, just the right length.
Series: Standalone
Author: Andrea Portes
Rating: 3.75 Stars
“And on and on till the moon gives way and the sun kills itself and the stars fall from the sky. I guess I'll see you then.”
This book first caught my attention almost five years ago, back when I did not read a lot. I watched the movie of the same name, found it intriguing and found out it was based on a book. So I vowed that someday I would read it. And here I am...
Hick is not a light read even though you might stumble upon witty remarks here and there, whilst struggling to figure out whether you should laugh or cry at them. It is a fairly quick read but I am still conflicted in regards to the writing style. At times, the long descriptions and constant going off the topic was annoying, however at the same time, I found the writing fascinating, possibly due to the fact that it was different to what I usually read.
“I follow. I could never turn away from a car crash.”
Luli's story, while, at times written with a lighter undertone, is not an easy one, especially when the fact that she is only thirteen years old is remembered. Her street-smarts and tough attitude come in handy, however her desperate need for someone to love her make Luli an easier target. Throughout the story you keep wondering, will she finally find someone to care for her and make her life easier, or will the neglect will be all she will know...
In conclusion, I did enjoy Hick, and I am glad it was not a long read. In my opinion, just the right length.
July 4, 2023
"Hick" paints a vivid picture of a young girl, growing up in a world where she is overlooked by neglectful parents and where men are more focused on her emerging womanhood than her obvious childhood innocence. The narrative is raw and straight-to-the-point, often diving into discomfort. Still, it delivers a needed glimpse into a coming-of-age experience that many will find eerily familiar.
Our protagonist, Luli, shines through the pages, a beacon of innocence, and a character who compels us to care. We find ourselves tethered to her every decision, at times yearning to step through the pages to protect and guide her.
This debut novel stands as an excellent exploration of the nuanced terrain of adolescence, coming of age, and the plight of runaway teens. The narrative pulses with a raw, unvarnished realism and yet manages to remain a poignant portrait that resonates with me deeply, as I’m sure it will with many. Luli is in the camp of protagonists that stay with you, long after you’ve turned the last page.
Our protagonist, Luli, shines through the pages, a beacon of innocence, and a character who compels us to care. We find ourselves tethered to her every decision, at times yearning to step through the pages to protect and guide her.
This debut novel stands as an excellent exploration of the nuanced terrain of adolescence, coming of age, and the plight of runaway teens. The narrative pulses with a raw, unvarnished realism and yet manages to remain a poignant portrait that resonates with me deeply, as I’m sure it will with many. Luli is in the camp of protagonists that stay with you, long after you’ve turned the last page.
August 27, 2025
The junipers like your style, even if they don’t care if you’re scratched or cross through them softly without a little pain. Did it happen to you, beyond the risk and the near-misses? I don’t remember anymore if he was standing over you, if he ever did. I know you forgot the world, and events within, instead you looked to the amber sun setting over the little Texas town. Over the little Californian town, the little Oregon town, now the sun doesn’t set enough where you are. But someone else stands over you, or is it the first. You’ll have to tell me, I want to know. A lot like the trails and the paths, you walked the reverse Oregon trail, and you never got or lost any gold. You found friends, lost them, but they weren’t gold.
So I’d say it was the coming of age, the sexual violence, the western clarity, the poverty, the feminine independence and perspective, and some figure above it all there to save you from it. That’s what you wanted.
So I’d say it was the coming of age, the sexual violence, the western clarity, the poverty, the feminine independence and perspective, and some figure above it all there to save you from it. That’s what you wanted.
July 28, 2021
For upper-level courses, Portes’s debut novel could be a solid text to teach voice and tone based on geographical location. As a Nebraskan, some of the references in the novel are VERY relatable as someone who grew up in the Midwest during her teenage years. However, I can easily see how the way Portes wrote the novel can be exhausting for those who might not understand the “roundabout” ways in which people speak overusing metaphors and figurative language when not necessary based on geographical location.
Overall, while I wouldn’t say that the plot was terrible, language and voices of the text felt somewhat inauthentic at times, especially for a 13-year-old protagonist. Maybe a chapter or two would be fascinating to let students read and analyze for voice/tone/etc., but teaching the entirety of the book would probably not be successful (2.5 stars).
Overall, while I wouldn’t say that the plot was terrible, language and voices of the text felt somewhat inauthentic at times, especially for a 13-year-old protagonist. Maybe a chapter or two would be fascinating to let students read and analyze for voice/tone/etc., but teaching the entirety of the book would probably not be successful (2.5 stars).
March 8, 2023
This book feels like drinking a cold diet coke with the summer sun melting the world around you as you aimlessly walk around town looking for some trouble to get into.
I read this book for the first time years and years ago when I was barely even a teenager, but it was one of those stories that always found a way of popping back into my head every once in a while. Luli's life looked incredibly different from mine but I still related to her perceptions and frustrations, all beautifully written. It's that classic story every 13 year old girl knows-- a tale of hot boredom and the deliciously dangerous things that tempt us as we figure out what it means to be a girl in this world, what it means to be beautiful and young in an old and ugly world.
I read this book for the first time years and years ago when I was barely even a teenager, but it was one of those stories that always found a way of popping back into my head every once in a while. Luli's life looked incredibly different from mine but I still related to her perceptions and frustrations, all beautifully written. It's that classic story every 13 year old girl knows-- a tale of hot boredom and the deliciously dangerous things that tempt us as we figure out what it means to be a girl in this world, what it means to be beautiful and young in an old and ugly world.
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