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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
As I've already said, this book follows very closely to the movie until the last 50 or so pages. So basically, if you like the movie, you'll like the book. If I could go back, I would've preferred to read the book first.
I absolutely adore Nick Hornby and I certainly wasn't let down by this. Like all of his other books I've read so far, About a Boy deals with some pretty upsetting things but I walked away from it feeling sort of hopeful and warm inside. It's funny and sad and totally captivating - I couldn't put it down.
Picked this up because Slam was entertaining and it was lying around my house.
My opinion of this was kind of in the same vein as Slam: entertaining but not satisfying. This book had the strange distinction of being a bildungsroman--for a thirty-six yer-old man, who's defining character trait is that he does nothing! Nick Hornby has a profound talent for crafting characters who are incredibly shitty to one another.
However, what saved this book from being rated worse was that in all of these decidedly mediocre human beings there was a touch of humanity. And that Nick Hornby never resorted to preaching at us directly. Thank God for that.
Oh and the fact that I finished it in a day. Dude knows how to tell a story.
My opinion of this was kind of in the same vein as Slam: entertaining but not satisfying. This book had the strange distinction of being a bildungsroman--for a thirty-six yer-old man, who's defining character trait is that he does nothing! Nick Hornby has a profound talent for crafting characters who are incredibly shitty to one another.
However, what saved this book from being rated worse was that in all of these decidedly mediocre human beings there was a touch of humanity. And that Nick Hornby never resorted to preaching at us directly. Thank God for that.
Oh and the fact that I finished it in a day. Dude knows how to tell a story.
Hornby's books make me (want to) stay in bed reading all day no matter how big the reader's block I'm going through is.
This one was slightly less interesting, mostly because at some point I really disliked Will, the big boy, so I upped High Fidelity a star.
Now back to pious Father Brown.
This one was slightly less interesting, mostly because at some point I really disliked Will, the big boy, so I upped High Fidelity a star.
Now back to pious Father Brown.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5* I think (and May God smite me where I stand) the show was better. The dialogue here is fantastic and carried the story the whole way through. I appreciate the reality of the characters’ situations clashing with the humor in the dialogue, but I think the show portrayed a similar feeling without the darker weight that was in the book. (Though this could also be UK vs US settings). Maybe I just wasn’t subconsciously in the mood for the more heavy realities of some of the scenes?
This was a throughouly amazing book. This is my second Hornby novel (first was [book: High Fidelity]. And I loved every minute of it. This was literally a book that I did not want to put down. I am an devoted reader, but this book was not just reading for something to do, I wanted to read because the characters were so fun. Both of the Hornby books I've read after seeing the associated movies, and I worry that that is perhaps why I think they are so great: I already have a cast of characters in my head acting. Whatever it is, this book was fun. Perhaps now I shall have to venture to reading a book that hasn't been a movie first...
Festlig bok fra Nick Hornby. Lest på norsk, Gutter er Gutter. Kan definitivt anbefales som morsom lesning. Fullstendig omtale her:
http://ebokhyllami.blogspot.no/2013/06/bokomtale-gutter-er-gutter-av-nick.html
http://ebokhyllami.blogspot.no/2013/06/bokomtale-gutter-er-gutter-av-nick.html
What fun! Light, frothy, no substance,but I actually laughed out loud. Ridiculous storyline - living off your father's famous song, being 36 and no job.
Marcus is a great character, Will is plain silly and Fiona is so well drawn.
I will have to read more of Hornby's books.
Marcus is a great character, Will is plain silly and Fiona is so well drawn.
I will have to read more of Hornby's books.