Rating: 
Summary: Funny book about dopey Men (like me)
Review: This is one of the few books that made me laugh out loud as I read it.The novel tells the story of Rob Fleming, a pop music fanatic and record store owner who is having all kinds of trouble having an adult relationship. Witty and fast-paced, High Fidelity is a fun book and very worthwhile!
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: This book was very highly recommended to me. It was an easy read, but did not deliver any of the promised wit and sparkle. In fact, it was rather dull. The arguments over musical taste were the highpoints, but otherwise, the characters and events were flat and boring. Plus the constant self-bashing, supposed to elicit sympathy from the reader, was pathetic. And no human being, no matter how dim witted, would lie in a muddy flower patch in their only suit to avoid being seen by an ex-girlfriend. No wonder she chucked him.
Rating: 
Summary: Astonishingly good book and probe of the male psyche
Review: It is a truly rare novel that is so compulsively readable that I can get through it in a single session, but Nick Hornby's High Fidelity is just that - and immediately found its way into my own all-time "top five" favorite works. Not just for the musically obsessed Q and NME readers of single male persuasion (though obviously aimed at such - perhaps why I loved it so much), I think this book can cut well across gender and age lines. Why? The charisma of Rob (the novel's central character) and the unrelenting humor - who can't help laugh hysterically at such lines as: "This is the second Simply Red song on this tape. One's unforgivable. Two's a war crime" except perhaps the misguided Mick Hucknall devotees among us? I still have not seen the movie - because I think the charm of Hornby's work lies in the inner monologue structure, which cannot be easily translated to the screen - and also because I wouldn't want to spoil my memories of this quite astonishingly good book.
Rating:
Summary: Deserves 6 stars
Review: On my top five all-time favourite novels: The catcher in the rye, High fidelity, the tin drum, to kill a mockingbird,catch-22. Nick Hornbey is a talented person and deserves to have his name high on the list of witty writers. Very entertaining book especially for guys in the age range of 20-40.
Rating:
Summary: Single males rule!
Review: I can really identify with this guy. And they say women are the "relationship" freaks. Here's a guy who shows single males have a reflective side. This book is absorbing. It is really the British equivalent of an American single-male funny novel, that people in California are reading a lot: "Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf" by Asher Brauner.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this review!
Review: The book opens with Rob watching his longtime girlfriend Laura pack her bags and move out. As Laura leaves Rob puts together a list of his top five breakups, the ones that hurt the most. Rob begins to wonder whether it is his fault his relationships never last. Between working in his record store, Championship Vinyl, desperately trying to get Laura back, and tracking down his top five breakups, Rob is a busy guy. Throughout High Fidelity, the reader is led through the perilous path of Rob's past, present, and possible future love life. I would give this book a seven. Although I enjoyed reading it, I sometimes grew restless. Being a freshman in high school most of the jokes went over my head, partly because I didn't grow up in the same generation, and I haven't had many of the experiences Rob talks of. The book wasn't hard to get into at all, in fact the beginning was the best part. The ending was abrupt and reminded me of a procrastinator anxiously trying to slip a novel in under a deadline. This book is definitely literature of the 90's. The conversations and anecdotes could be taken out of the mouth of any thirty year old walking down the street. I liked this book, but I also experienced difficulties during my reading. If you are not a music buff, the songs he talks of have absolutely no meaning to you. Someone who is expecting classic literature beware, this book is meant for generation X. I chose this book off a required reading list for Social Issues, mainly because the summary caught my attention, and I had seen previews for the movie. I couldn't type an exact description of a reader that would enjoy this book, but I can see a man in his early thirties relating to it. In fact the reviews on the back of the paperback are mostly from men's magazines. To try to capture Nick Hornby's voice I picked this passage, "I call Laura first thing. I feel sick, dialing the number, even sicker when the receptionist puts me through. She used to know who I am, but now there's nothing in her voice at all. Laura wants to come around on Saturday afternoon, when I'm at work, to pickup some more underwear, and that's fine by me; we should have stopped there, but I try to have a different sort of conversation, and she doesn't like it because she's at work, but I persist, and she hangs up on me in tears. And I feel like a jerk, but I couldn't stop myself. I never can." pg. 67. The author writes in first person throughout the book. As a reader you feel as if Rob is sitting across from you, telling his story over lunch. Nick Hornby has a individual style, instead of writing it, he confesses it. He shares the agonies of his soul to you, Rob's new confidante.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Entertaining
Review: My husband read this a while ago and loved it, but said he didn't want me to read it because it nailed the male psyche spot on. Now I see why. But this book is also enormously entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: It's on my 5 best book list!
Review: I loved this book. It was assigned for a book club I am in, and I am glad. I probably would not have bought this book on my own. It is funny. It is interesting. And the writing flowed like conversation. I recommend this book highly, especially to you single women who want to know what men are thinking. Not much after all, unless it can be made into a list. Quick, name your 5 all time best break ups! Women can't do it without thinking about it for a week, but apparently men can - instantly. Because that's how they converse, in list's.... Buy it, enjoy it, and commit it to memory.
Rating:
Summary: Good Review, Read it, High Fidelity
Review: This book is about Rob, a young man in his thirties who own a record store. His store is located in London, England where the story takes place. In the book, the reader is able to follow Rob through his relationships, as well as his failing career involving his unsuccessful record store. In the book, Rob faces the many dilemma adults these days tend to deal with among them, sex, money and family. On a scale of one to ten, I would give this book a seven mainly due to the fact that the main character, Rob, was a looser. He was lazy, stupid, blind and self-centered not to mention the fact that he was unsuccessful in almost anything he touched. Also, at times I did not understand the humor because I felt that it was directed mainly towards adults. I felt that the first chapter, describing Rob's worst break-ups, was too drawn out. There were details added to this first chapter that were very unnecessary for the readers to know. However, after the first chapter the book was a little easier to read. I understood the use of vocabulary, however I felt that the humor used was not meant for a young audience. The topics that the humor dealt with were things that most young people have no experience with, which made it harder to understand. For example, when Rob talks about sex, money and extravagant relationships. I feel that unless a person has had a lot of experience in the relationship area, they might have trouble relating to and understanding the complications involved in the characters emotions. I suggest that when the reader has trouble relating to the characters in the book, that they simply use their imagination and put themselves in the shoes of Rob. In a sense, this book reminds me of another book by J.D. Salinger called The Catcher in the Rye. In both books, the main characters are constantly discussing adult topics concerning relationships, money and life in general. Out of a list of many books, I chose to read High Fidelity because I heard that the book was funny and uplifting. I think that this book can be enjoyed by many, but for the most part people with a dry sense of humor or people who have had experience with bad relationships or relationships in general.
Rating:
Summary: Quite simply, the best thing I've read all year !
Review: If it hasn't already achieved the status of a contemporary classic, Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" will surely become the literary anthem for past and future generations of lost young men. Men who spend their lives escaping life and commitment. Rob is a vinyl junkie who owns a second hand record shop in London, an eternal teen whose emotional state and inner momentum is powered not by regular "adult" concerns (ie, jobs, mortgages, etc) but by 60s pop/rock classics. His Top 5 Desert Island Discs become the soundtrack of his life. Relationships (past and present) begin inevitably with a perfect compilation tape and end when the chase is won and reality bites. Growing up on Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love" may have changed his life forever. Problem is, life doesn't quite deliver like Dusty sings it. Hornby's take on Rob is so spot-on and offhandedly true it's become a timeless metaphor for Joe of all generations. This is quite simply the most funny, readable and enjoyable book I have read all year. It's fast and zany and such rollicking fun you don't want it to end. Being a huge 60s pop/rock fan myself, I absolutely thrilled to the musical references which brought back so many wonderful memories I very nearly forgot. "High Fidelity" is quite the most accessible "must read" novel for everyone. Yes, both guys and gals. I promise you a great time. Amazing book ! PS : I haven't watched the movie yet, but I can't imagine it topping the book. I'd also bet that some of the resonance has been lost from the film's relocation to Chicago.
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