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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-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 delivers a novel about a snobbish thirty-something white man who mopes his way through 250 pages. Despite being entirely unloveable and depressing the hell out of me, all I wanted was for Rob to pull his head in and make a good decision - which he did, by the end. When talking to my mum about the novel (which she read, years ago), she likened Rob to my uncle: a down-and-out man with no visible future prospects who listens to whiny musicians to make himself feel better. The thing about both of these men, fictional and not, is that you root for them; you want them to pull it together. I haven’t looked at anyone else’s reviews for this book. I don’t want to look at anyone else’s reviews. I am content to stay in the middle ground between criticising it as the quintessential whiny white boy book and an insightful look into the unreliable narrator and a general study on men.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
I bought this book years ago, put it in a backpack, and my mom rediscovered it while cleaning out my room. It was all dusty and nasty. However, after a quick clean-up, I started reading and was glad it reappeared in my life.
You can't read this book unless you've gone through a breakup. Otherwise it won't make sense to you, and you'll complain about the cynicism and how men/women are painted.
This really helped.
You can't read this book unless you've gone through a breakup. Otherwise it won't make sense to you, and you'll complain about the cynicism and how men/women are painted.
This really helped.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
High Fidelity is actually on my list of favorite movies. I wouldn't say that it was in my top-five all-time favorite movies, but it would be in the top-fifteen. It saddens me to say that High Fidelity the book doesn't even make it to my all-time top-forty.
I feel about this book the way that I feel about pretty much anything by Chuck Klosterman, which is to say that I can read it and finish it (something I can't do with say, Sedaris) but I don't feel many positive things about it.
I'm well aware that this is one of the few romantic comedies written from the male perspective. However, if this book is the Handbook for the Recently Deceased for how men think, then I should look into dating women.
The main character, Rob Fleming, is not a very lovable character. He can't commit to a relationship, let alone a method of organization for his vinyl collection. He's incredibly self-absorbed. He cheated on his girlfriend while she was pregnant with his child (she subsequently got an abortion). And when his breaks up with him because she is unhappy, he wants her back. And he wants to know why all his all-time top-five most painful breakups happened.
After having read a Sophie Kinsella book, I swore off all chick-lit. Having read High Fidelity, I'm swearing off all dick-lit.
I feel about this book the way that I feel about pretty much anything by Chuck Klosterman, which is to say that I can read it and finish it (something I can't do with say, Sedaris) but I don't feel many positive things about it.
I'm well aware that this is one of the few romantic comedies written from the male perspective. However, if this book is the Handbook for the Recently Deceased for how men think, then I should look into dating women.
The main character, Rob Fleming, is not a very lovable character. He can't commit to a relationship, let alone a method of organization for his vinyl collection. He's incredibly self-absorbed. He cheated on his girlfriend while she was pregnant with his child (she subsequently got an abortion). And when his breaks up with him because she is unhappy, he wants her back. And he wants to know why all his all-time top-five most painful breakups happened.
After having read a Sophie Kinsella book, I swore off all chick-lit. Having read High Fidelity, I'm swearing off all dick-lit.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This book is an easy comfortable favorite, and was a perfect airplane re-read. My rating is probably higher than it deserves, but hey, my first job was at a record store. How can I resist this book?
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes