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Title: How to Be Good by Nick Hornby ISBN: 1-57322-932-6 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: 30 April, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.18 (217 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Disappointing read on several levels...
Comment: ...For starters if you were a fan of previous Hornby gems like 'High Fidelity,' and 'About A Boy,' my bet is that you will ultimately find this to be a crap read. The book spends the bulk of its pages locked up in the mind of the protagonist as she internally tussles back and forth on the merits and negatives of ethics, morals, familial strife and approaching mid-life crisis. Some readers may find such internal dialogue to be somewhat captivating, however, less then 50 pages into the book I found myself highly annoyed by the whininess and lack of pro-active action of our protagonist and practically forced myself to read through the remainder of this novel.
With that being said, the book does improve the further you go with the occassional vintage Hornby moments of subtle humour and crafty dialogue but even these few redeeming moments surely do not justify the time required to slog through this book. While Hornby's prowess as a writer is certainly not in question, his experiment in capturing middle-aged fem angst certainly is. Nice, bold experiment on his part though.
Rating: 5
Summary: Hornby's Deepest Work to Date
Comment: The real strength of this book comes from Nick Hornby's rich portrayal of Katie, and the issues she deals with in an everyday way. I never thought that Hornby could accurately characterize a woman, but boy oh boy was I wrong. But as much fun as Katie's character is (and believe me, she is great), the real issue is, "What does it mean to be good?" Katie is a doctor and helps people daily, and she truly wants to help people, so just because she's had an affair and sometimes hates her husband, does that make her a bad person? On the other hand, for years her husband has been the angriest man in the neighborhood, sour and mean, but all of a sudden he reforms and vows to do good and move homeless teenagers into the homes of his neighbors, things like that. Does that make him a good person, or does the past still count? I think that Hornby's previous books have been fantastic, but this one works on a deeper level. It's not so much what you read, but what you begin thinking about after you've finished the book: it's far more encompassing than his previous novels.
As for his style: it's very clean and simple; uncomplicated. This book is so easy to read, and Hornby's signature tounge-in-cheek humor is in full force. I did feel that the ending was rushed and somewhat unsatisfying, but in the same way I kind of liked the ending after I gave it some thought. For all of Hornby's humor, this is not a happy book. The ending is appropriate in a way. It's amazing how what appears to be such a simple book brings up such complicated issues. He's definitely an easy read, and I would recommend this book to any first-time Hornby readers. For his other fans, it probably isn't what you would expect, but still at his level and will not disappoint.
The greatest asset for this book is that Hornby manages to write about serious stuff in a purely arbitrary way, but then pulls it off so beautifully that it's almost wrong how enjoyable it is. This fact alone is a good enough reason to read "How to Be Good."
Rating: 5
Summary: Hornby's not good, he's great
Comment: I find it amusing that all of the negative comments listed are from male reviewers who were fans of Hornby's earlier male protaganists.They don't like this novel because they don't get it. Hornby's genius is that he has completely turned his point of view upside down in "How To Be Good" by speaking from the female psyche. (And there, I am afraid, is where he lost his self absorbed, young male following.) There is, whether these young male reviewers know or admit, a new dynamic happening in society that we really haven't seen in novels, and Hornby has noticed and is telling it like it is. The new elements are: "Strong female protaganist in mid-life who is professionally successful, but emotionally starved" and the other side to that coin, "Brooding malcontent husband in mid-life whose career is floundering and as a result, is unsure of his role." This is not unbelievable, it is the very real scenario of at least three families I know. The plot device that is employed to "question the questions" is DJ GoodNews the faith healer, who I actually found to be quite human and believable. Hornby gives him an intentionally obvious name to underscore the nature of this deliciously drawn character. GoodNews is one corny, crazy, simplistic, obvious, but unnervingly honest dude. Rational Kate wants to discount him but he keeps tripping her up.This is a more spiritual (and dare I say more realistic) variation on the themes explored in the film "As Good As it Gets," but made more complex by the obligations associated with a stalled marriage, and told from the female perspective. An ambitious undertaking, skillfully, truthfully and humorously crafted.
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Title: About a Boy by Nick Hornby ISBN: 1573227331 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: May, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby ISBN: 1573225517 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: August, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Speaking With the Angel by Nick Hornby ISBN: 1573228583 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: 06 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Songbook by Nick Hornby ISBN: 1573223565 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: 07 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby ISBN: 1573226882 Publisher: Riverhead Books Pub. Date: March, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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