High Fidelity by Nick Hornby Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.52 You Save: $7.48 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of High Fidelity
Book Review: A MUST READ FOR ANY MUSIC OR MOVIE LOVER
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this read. Any fan of music who has rolled their eyes at someone else's music collection will laugh until it hurts. Read it and enjoy the day it takes you to read it. You will miss the characters after you put the book down.Book Review: A Music Lover's Favorite!
Summary: 5 Stars
Nick Hornby takes the "geek-ishness" of avid music lovers and weaves a funny story of loves lost and the soundtrack to life. Each new character is described by the movies and music they love, which makes perfect sense to pop-culture junkies. It reads quickly and fluidly once you find the character's voices. The London vernacular and slang take a few pages to get used to, but once I read the book with an "English accent", the characters took immediate shape and depth.
I would describe it as the man's take on Bridget Jones.
Book Review: A Nice Slice of Reality
Summary: 5 Stars
Nick Hornby has really written a wonderful book about life. It's that simple. It is both hilarious and heartbreaking, it never misses a beat, its fast and furious and impressive. If this falls into too many female hands, however, all our secrets will be out.Book Review: A Recommended Summer Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I made the mistake of seeing the movie before reading the book. Don't get me wrong -- I really liked the movie. In fact, I own the movie, but, I wish I would have read the book first, just so I could have had a better insight on the characters."High Fidelity" by British writer Nick Hornby is probably the most humorous piece of fiction I have ever read. I have never read any of Hornby's other works, but after reading this, I can't wait to get started on the next.
Hornby's main character, Rob, narrates the entire book, letting the reader in on the "ins and outs" of the male mind. Very original. The book starts with Rob's girlfriend, Laura, moving her things out of their flat after they had broken up. Rob tries to convince himself that he will be fine, that the breakup won't affect him in any way, and that Laura will be back. From there, the story stems to Rob's trying to cope with losing Laura, and his many stages of getting over her.
The best part of this book, in my opinion, would be Rob's co-workers, Dick and Barry. They add just the right comedic touches to Rob's life that he needs, but doesn't realize it, or appreciate it, for that matter. The constant bickering between the three men in Rob's record store, Championship Vinyl, was enough to make me laugh out loud....honestly.
If I would have known better, I would have read this over the summer when I had more time to fully appreciate Hornby's writing, rather than reading it while having other things going on during this past semester at college. But, I fully recommend this book not only for it's humor, but because it has an excellent plot and is very well-written.
Book Review: A Tale of Life, Love, and a Record Store
Summary: 4 Stars
In times like these, it's hard to take pity on a cheating boyfriend who already pities himself. But as you read High Fidelity, you sense a connection with Rob's pain almost immediately. High Fidelity opens on a sad note: Rob's girlfriend, Laura is leaving him for another man. In an act of desperation, Rob makes a list of his top five worst break-ups and then tries to make amends with all the girls he's hurt over the years. In the process, Rob learns important lessons about life and who he wants to be; he also begins to realize that to achieve his dreams and aspirations, he needs Laura in his life.
Nick Hornby delivers a riveting, albeit appropriate tale of relationships in the confusion that is life.
A major detail of this book is Rob's tendency to make lists of his favorite things. As a record store owner, Rob tends to have fairly picky preferences. These lists reveal more about Rob's character than any other aspect in the book. Often featured in these lists are Rob's favorite bands, songs, and albums. The amazing music mentioned in this book--the Lemonheads, Jesus and the Mary Chain--make it all the more appealing, and I found that it was one of my favorite parts of this book.
Although some of the things Rob does to Laura in the process of winning her back are not the most conventional, it's still easy to relate to his character and what he's going through. Despite some minor upsets, Rob is able to realize what's really important in life and go after it. The emotional impact this book had on me is great. Nick Hornby managed to take fairly stereotypical characters and turn them into people everyone relates to. Through them, he reveals a true tale of life, love, and a record store.