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gracefelstead's review against another edition
sad
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
1.5
I'm not usually one to write reviews, but this book irked me.
I came to High Fidelity with a set of expectations that were entirely false, and I realise that is my own fault and not Nick Hornby's. I hear book about character who works at a record store in London, I think cool, young, fun person who works at Rough Trade and gets into music-scene related hijinks. I do not think depressed middle aged man whinges about his ex girlfriend and blames every woman he's ever come within 100m of for his plethora of personal failures.
Rob is so excruciatingly self-absorbed, its no wonder he has no friends. He alienates all the men in his life with the sense of entitlement that he gets from listening to obscure, you-wouldn't-know-them sad boy records. He's just not like other men approaching 40.
Throughout the course of the book he seeks out (harasses, stalks) a litany of women who have had the misfortune of crossing paths with him, and humiliates & belittles them to make himself feel better. He holds bitterness for these women he hasn't had contact with for 10-20 years because he believes that some poor girl not letting him touch her boobs as a teen is now the root cause of his life going completely downhill. He is constantly thinking about, to the point of obsession, why these women chose to have sex with other men, when he was readily available. He goes so far as to ask MULTIPLE women questions about the sex they had with the men they dated after him. It's revolting & disturbing.
At one point, his ex girlfriends dad dies, and he makes it all about himself.
There is very little plot to this book. There is no character development. There is barely even a single likeable trait among the entire cast of characters (save for maybe Liz, or Laura's sister, who would make far better protagonists).
There is a part where he supposes that he has an incredible wealth of emotional depth & understanding simply because sometimes he listens to sad songs. I think my absent father must have studied at the same College of Musical Knowledge as Rob.
Oh, theres also a weird racist line about eye shapes.
A lot of the music & film mentions in this book are incredibly dated. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than self-obsessed, borderline narcissistic depressed lonely men in their 50s/60s.
I came to High Fidelity with a set of expectations that were entirely false, and I realise that is my own fault and not Nick Hornby's. I hear book about character who works at a record store in London, I think cool, young, fun person who works at Rough Trade and gets into music-scene related hijinks. I do not think depressed middle aged man whinges about his ex girlfriend and blames every woman he's ever come within 100m of for his plethora of personal failures.
Rob is so excruciatingly self-absorbed, its no wonder he has no friends. He alienates all the men in his life with the sense of entitlement that he gets from listening to obscure, you-wouldn't-know-them sad boy records. He's just not like other men approaching 40.
Throughout the course of the book he seeks out (harasses, stalks) a litany of women who have had the misfortune of crossing paths with him, and humiliates & belittles them to make himself feel better. He holds bitterness for these women he hasn't had contact with for 10-20 years because he believes that some poor girl not letting him touch her boobs as a teen is now the root cause of his life going completely downhill. He is constantly thinking about, to the point of obsession, why these women chose to have sex with other men, when he was readily available. He goes so far as to ask MULTIPLE women questions about the sex they had with the men they dated after him. It's revolting & disturbing.
There is very little plot to this book. There is no character development. There is barely even a single likeable trait among the entire cast of characters (save for maybe Liz, or Laura's sister, who would make far better protagonists).
There is a part where he supposes that he has an incredible wealth of emotional depth & understanding simply because sometimes he listens to sad songs. I think my absent father must have studied at the same College of Musical Knowledge as Rob.
Oh, theres also a weird racist line about eye shapes.
A lot of the music & film mentions in this book are incredibly dated. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than self-obsessed, borderline narcissistic depressed lonely men in their 50s/60s.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Racism
Minor: Rape
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