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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent book, really funny at times and quite depressing at others. Can't wait to see the film now!
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the vibe of this book, feel like it took a long time for the main character to learn and grow tho!
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nick Hornby is da bomb! Seriously. He's funny, astute and while one might think they are reading a straight-forward, comedic tale, there are some fairly deep assessments going on within. Some moments made me laugh out loud and some moments, all too relatable, made my heart hurt. Also - Hornby's book totally made me have an awesome dream about John Cusack and that can never be a bad thing. Ever.
At first, while reading the opening chapters, I felt I already got the joke. Then midway through, the story--and protagonist Rob--opened up for me.
Nick Hornby is a master of subtlety, and High Fidelity might just be one of my top five books.
If you know what I mean.
Nick Hornby is a master of subtlety, and High Fidelity might just be one of my top five books.
If you know what I mean.
Happening to read this at this particular moment of my life definitely hit a bit different than it would have otherwise. Quite a lot of it I found to be very relatable and the humor landed very well, Rob works pretty well as the narrator and main character to follow. Half the time I could really relate to Rob, but a lot of the time he was just too awful of a person to sympathize with. Overall I did very much enjoy my time reading and I wasn’t ready for it to end when it did.
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
High Fidelity explores love and relationships through the eyes of a self-deprecating, insecure single man (Rob) in his mid-30’s. Whilst his wit and dry humour can sometimes be refreshing in the face of adversity, the pessimism of the character can be palpable and it leaves you wondering if you are rooting for him, or whether you are more encouraged to want his anxieties and failures to exude as a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. The book is heavily character focused with the plot itself being driven by the characters decisions which again, when you feel disconnected from his problems, this can be difficult to overcome. However, Hornby writes an engaging novel for how relationships are the heartbeat of humanity which is a perspective I welcome. Additionally, when you are wanting a break from the self-loathing; the music references sprinkled throughout give the book a creative perspective and in turn, adds depth to the characters life and those around him. Not to give him too much credit though, as Rob has very judgemental views on how no one sane can have Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner in their record collection, patronises his parents for wanting to invite him to their bowls evening (he goes to their house knowingly on bowls night) and blames his successful ex-girlfriend for the majority of his issues when he cheated on her. In turn, be prepared to have strong feelings on how you perceive love after reading this book. Also, no matter how hard you try to redeem someone, sometimes characters are not meant to be loved and that does not mean you won’t enjoy reading this book.