Rating: 
Summary: males_ a user's guide
Review: loved this one because it's probably the truest treatise about men and how they look at life that i've read in a long time...music is merely a metaphor the real issue in this book is obsession, how much it can control our lives and how it can shape the way we look at other people...you can hear the music as you read this book...
Rating: 
Summary: If you read only one Nick Hornby book ever, this is it.
Review: "High Fidelity" is a novel that opens up the male mind more than any other book I've ever read. Nick Hornby seems to be able to write down exactly how he has felt in past relationships. There were so many times while I was reading this book that I nodded my head and said "Yes, I've done that..." or "Yes, I've thought that..." I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had a relationship problem. The movie, though well done in it's own right, gives little justice to the book. Hornby turns the negative feelings of jealousy, obsession, and sadness into a comedic twist of humor and real life emotions. Women should read this book to find out how a man thinks during the break-up of a relationship and give him some slack after you find out what's going through his mind. Men should read it because you'll find yourself remembering how you handled past relationships and maybe finding a way to reconcile them as Rob does. Although "Fever Pitch" and "About A Boy" were good, "High Fidelity" is the Nick Hornby book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a book with laughs and a lot of heart. The musical references are quite humorous and you will find yourself looking at your record collection in a whole new light.
Rating: 
Summary: So ironic to have the word 'fidelity' in the title
Review: I am a big fan of men. I've had and maintained plenty of strong male friendships through the years. Because of the career i chose, the vast majority of my colleagues in school and in my professional life have been men. I work with mostly men now. I supervise a staff of three women, and there is no doubt in my mind my life would be easier if they were men. I have married twice. In summary, i love men, i feel at ease with them, i enjoy observing them, i like the camaraderie, the lack of pettiness that is so very feminine. Yet there are some things about men that annoy the heck out of me. This book does an excellent job at portraying those things. I remember when this book hit the stores a few years ago. I heard at least three men (two in person, one on the radio) complain that the book was giving away secrets about the male psyche. That was the biggest laugh i got from this book. Basically, the story is about a guy, a bit of a loser, whose heart (feel free to substitute the word 'heart' for 'pride', or even 'gonads') has been broken, yet again. He commiserates and philosophizes with his equally inept friends for the entire length of the novel. One good point about the book is that it portrays how infantile 30-something single males can be when left in a pack. This is a universal truth, valid in England and the US alike. My recommendation is that you must be entertained observing infantile behavior of the male species to enjoy this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This book, I have no idea what makes it funny. I read this as the last book in a semester where we were bombarded with contemporary fiction. It's a lighter look at life, making you laugh at the little ridiculous things we all feel and do. If you're looking for a quick and good read, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: Like every other book that's made into a film you'll hear the standard line "the book is so much better." I do think the book is better than the film if that sort of thing matters to you. But I must add that I think they are both very good. I found through reading the book (after viewing the film) that some of the monologues given by Rob in the film were used directly from the book. I found this especially refreshing since most book to film translations I know of get essentially rewritten for the big screen and slapped with an overly sappy ending. In short, this book is well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: So this is how men think...
Review: I admit that I saw the movie before I read the book and (with all due respect to John Cusack) the book is far superior to the movie. Howlingly funny, the narrator mourns his latest break-up by going through his all-time top five worst breakups and along the way waxing poetic on his favorite music. What makes this such a great novel, though, is that the humor is balanced with true insight and some very touching realizations on the nature of love. Funny, touching, and true--isn't this how all books are supposed to be? This is a great book for anyone who has gone through a hideous breakup, which is to say that I would recommend it to pretty much everyone.
Rating:
Summary: A good read...
Review: I heard the hype and fought it for a long time; I caved in and read the book this past week. I was pleasantly surprised. I expected a graphic and gratuitous romp through the eagle-eye of some stereotypical male... I didn't get that. What suprised me most was that I sided with the protagonist, one Rob Zimmerman, as he swam his way through the dark waters of relationships, even when he was overlapping them. This is an intelligent and intuitive book, and Hornby should be proud of the work. It's original, it's entertaining, and it even makes the reader give pause and think hard about some of the issues he raises through his characters. While I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny, I did find the observations and conclusions humorous - something to be savoured and rolled around a bit before swallowing. I know a number of 'Robs'... have 'em in my family, and sometimes I think I have this bloke in my husband. The man's ambiguity and duplicity (especially when it comes to initially fancying women) is a true-to-form trait for maleness. The best part of the book is the last major segment: when dawn breaks and realization forms, and the character appropriately steps into the more meaningful, deeper, and difficult. Like he says, 'I realize that what one likes and what one *is* like are two very different things.' (I paraphrase, of course.) For those that want to explore the 'New Lads' writerly set, Hornby's a great place to start. You'll enjoy the romp through one normal guy's crazy life experiences.
Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly Moving
Review: I had heard the buzz on this book - funny, true-to-life, intelligent, etc. What surprised me is how moved I was by the book's last sequences. Rob's second chance with Laura took me by surprise with its feeling of real tenderness. As a 32-year-old, I am undoubtably at just the right age to share Rob's doubts about the validity of a young man's judgments, but I think I would have found something meaningful in this book at any age. There's definitely a big step between what people like and what they are like; I suspect Rob has become a man when he reaches that realization. May we all be so lucky as to have a Laura to give us a chance to grow. The best work of fiction I have read in many a moon.
Rating:
Summary: Thirty-six year old's coming of age
Review: A witty and insightful accounr of the life and loves of an unmarried college dropout who regards himslf as a morose lonely failure trapped in awkward adolescence (although he runs his own business and lives in a London apartment on his own or with one of a succession of girl friends). Ultimately he gets to realise that things aren't really all that bad and that he's popular and successful, and his true love helps him to understand the meaning of life. He runs a golden oldie record store and displays immense erudition in popular culture, music, TV and movies, which counterpoints the action.
Rating: 
Summary: not his best
Review: this is not nearly as good as his subsequent novel, about a boy which was much more meaningful. this is a flighty novel about a young man in London and his problems with women, which are kind of run of the mill and not too profound. there is some humor here, the way rob and the guys in his record shop make endless top 5 lists (top five episodes of cheers, etc.). but it's not enough to sustain the novel, which is somewhat weak. the book was highly acclaimed and i do think nick hornby is a great writer, but this is definitely not his best work, despite what others think. it's an enjoyable and amusing read, but definitely not a deep one. sorry nick.
| 
