Rating: 
Summary: the pulse of the times!
Review: Hornby's writing style is breezy but packed with lots to think about. And to boot, he's amusing along the way. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't take something away from his chatty story about a family in distress but whose members are on the way to finding ways to cope with life and all of it's detours and roadblocks.
Rating: 
Summary: Was there a point to this book?
Review: As I finished this book, I couldn't beleive it was over. What a wimpy ending, if you can even call it an ending. The main premise of the book seemed to be to remind its readers that they have everything, there are people who have nothing, and that the readers should give their possessions away and then they will have nothing too. Being good in this book seemed to have everything to do with money, and nothing to do with the soul: especially conerning the scene with GoodNews's sister. An absolutely pointless, stupid book. Don't read this.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Hornby's Best
Review: I am a big fan of Nick Hornby's work. I really enjoyed High Fidelity and About A Boy. I have always had a hard time associating closely with Hornby's characters (they always seem to have no spine, little self esteem, and no decisiveness), but usually the laughs and the Hornby's wit make the reading enjoyable enough. Here are the main problems I had with the book. 1) I absolutely cannot relate to Kate. I don't live in the UK (an important point because there is a point in this book that require some knowledge of divorce laws in England). I have no husband to cheat and I have no children. I understand that I cannot directly relate to every character in every book, but it is author's responsibly to draw us in. 2) The book was simply not funny or witty enough to carry me through. 3) Hornby's disdain for new age enlightened-types (remember "Ian" in High Fidelity?) is stripped of all subtlety and humor with the introduction of Good News. 4) The complicated moral questions the book poses are displayed in very simple black and white terms, and it takes the whole book for someone to reach the middle ground.
Rating: 
Summary: Is "Good" In the Eye of the Beholder?
Review: In his past novels, Nick Hornby has provided insight into the mind of the modern adult single male. So it was a bit of a surprise to begin "How To Be Good" and be confronted with a female protagonist. Interestingly enough, despite her gender, Katie Carr is not terribly different from the male leads in earlier Hornby novels - a person struggling with a healthy dose of self-doubt about relationships and pretty much just life in general. Where Hornby does venture into a new territory is in creating something other than just a humor-filled slice-of-life narrative about dating. While both the search for love and Hornby's characteristic wit are intact, there is that title question that reverberates throughout this novel - how to be good? Not unlike Katie, many of us go through our lives in a fairly uneventful manner thinking we are "good" (keeping relationships alive, going to work, having a roof over your head, etc). But in this very materialistic society, does one have to do more -- taking in homeless people, giving food and money to those in need, or donating that extra computer to charitable group. These are just some of the scenarios Katie faces after her husband David has a mid-life crisis (epiphany?) following a meeting new age guru-type. Also confronted with her own guilt over an extramarital affair, Katie wonders if doing something "bad" cancels out all one's "good"? There are certainly some intriguing questions to ponder while reading this comic novel which could easily be dismissed as a superficial (if not at times wacky) look at a marriage in crisis. However, be forewarned that there are no answers within the pages of this book - and what would be the point if there were? While Hornby stretches reality at times, this is still the rare humorous read that makes one reflect somewhat seriously on one's own life. The key may be figuring out first "what is good" before starting on the journey of "how" to get there.
Rating: 
Summary: GOODNESS CAN BE SO DULL!
Review: In How to be Good, Nick Hornby takes on the issue of what goodness truly is. Is it an altruistic thing or do people subscribe to it simply to make themselves FEEL good? David and Katie are your normal married couple in their late 30's, and typical of most marriages. Yes, in other words, they are terribly unhappy. Katie is pondering what the meaning of her life is about. It can't simply be to be a wife, to raise the kids, and to service her husband. After all, she is a doctor, respected if not loved by her patients. Her husband is the one who doesn't have a real job, except when he writes columns for the local newspaper. So she decides to have an affair to lessen the boredom of it all. Their marriage is already dead but it's almost as if noone wants to rock the boat or they are too afraid to get a divorce. All this changes when David takes their daughter to a faith healer called GoodNews who cures her skin condition with just a touch of his hand. He converts David to an almost Christ-like world view in which we are put here merely to help others. We should not hate, or harbor anger. We should love everyone, we should give our spare bedroom to ex-criminals, we should give our extra luxury items to the poor. We don't need 3 computers and 3 televisions in one house. Give them to the poor! Of course this is going to create havoc with Katie's already shaky hold on reality and meaning. Katie has no idea what to think of it, and the family becomes split with David and their daughter on one side and Katie and their son on the other. Hornby confronts what goodness is. Honestly, someone who is good in American culture is looked down upon and ridiculed as being "a goody two shoes" etc. Really, when it comes down to it, people that always do the right thing are pretty dull and a drag. That is why David drives her up the wall. Hornby does a good job here but I doubt his lasting impact as a writer simply because he peppers his work with so many pop culture references. Who is going to remember Britney Spears in a hundred years, or even in 20? He seems too stuck on our own time instead of making something timeless. This book was good, but not great. Hornby doesn't really seem like a writer who will grow, he will just stay at the same level as this.
Rating:
Summary: My new favorite book
Review: This book replaces "The World According to Garp" as my latest favorite book. If you did not like Garp, then you will not agree with my review. If you did not like Garp and you did not like this book, then perhaps you and I are reading books at two very different levels. The story of this book is quite simple and straightforward. The protagonist suffers from worries that many of us, male and female alike, also worry about in trying to live a "good" life. It doesn't matter whether Katie is belieable as a woman (I thought she was, and I am a woman). The strength of the book isn't so much in the story and the characters as entertainment, but in what the story and the characters make you think about yourself, your own life and the lives of those around you. I found the book to be a commentary on society such as I have never read, but have often thought on my own. It sheds light on the futulity of our continuous search for meaning. I finished the book last night, and am planning to start reading it again tonight!
Rating:
Summary: Utter waste of time
Review: Perhaps I am missing something that others seem to have found appealing, but this book was possibly the worst novel I have ever read. The characters are almost without exception loathsome, and at no point did I ever feel like the protagonist was actually a woman-- it read like a man's idea of how a woman thinks and feels. When I finished the book (and how agonizing that was), I was not relieved-- I was angry at the writer, and angry at myself for even picking this one up. Do not waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: Sitcoms do it better
Review: Really deserves one star. The kind of "perverse" reversal that occurs in this piece of nonsense has been done before--namely all or most at least of the Britcoms that I have seen over the years. Problem is they do it so much better. If anyone recalls "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin" I'm sure you'll understand what I am talking about. In fact I believe the author of those books was someone named David Nobb. But after the Monty Pythons and some of the others --in fact even Americans are doing it better, eg. The Simpsons and Larry David. . . how can anyone think this book so funny?
Rating:
Summary: Hornby's Best Book
Review: I am a fan of Nick Hornby's books. I was given High Fidelity as a gift, read it, laughed hysterically, and smiled at situations where I have been. I enjoyed About a Boy quite a bit but not as much as High Fidelity. I approached this book with a little trepidation since it was Hornby's first book where he was not writing about a chronic bachelor.
In this book, the protagonist is a female doctor who has fairly common preconceptions of her 'good' works and not-so-good wife. The story challenges her beliefs in a typically funny way. While the book is not deep, it does have some wisdom within these pages about relationships and how they work over time. If you have been in a relationship for 20 years, I think you will find a lot to smile about and quite a bit to laugh out loud about.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone (and, in fact, I have!)
Rating:
Summary: How to be Just So-So
Review: I finished Nick Hornby's latest novel, How to be Good, feeling disappointed. Part of that disappointment stems from my own expectations. This was supposed to be a light read. Our book club had just come off a string of heavy and tragedy-laden novels, and we needed a break. We hadn't read Nick Hornby, but wasn't he the author of the books behind About a Boy and High Fidelity? Those were funny movies, we knew (I'd only seen one, but High Fidelity, was indeed, very funny)-plus, he was British. Extra points. We thought we were in for was one of those quick, witty works along the lines of Bridget Jones' Diary. You know the type. In these books, the main character is flawed but in a lovable way, and surrounded by an entourage of wacky but harmless friends and family. During the course of the novel, this character sets out on some type of personal quest for change-confronts a few demons along the way-and hijinx ensue. In the end, the character predictably discovers that he or she is in fact lovable, and was all along. Throw in some kind or romantic victory or epiphany to wrap it up, and you're done-warm, cozy finish. Everybody's happy. OK, so-shame on us for wanting to recycle Nick Hornby as another modern-day Jane Austen. It's not right and we should know better. Just because he has become famous and successful, if not wealthy, for his biting humor and clever wit, doesn't mean we should expect him to come to our emotional rescue. Apparently, that's what Bridget Jones was for. Hornby is a serious artist and has the right to base his work on serious issues. Yet, that's the basis for most of my disappointment in this book. Hornby spends a lot of time building up How to be Good to be one thing (funny)-and then turns it into something else-namely, a soapbox for his own (?) self-doubt and guilt. Too bad. Because for the most part, How to be Good IS quick and clever. The dialog is fast-paced and believable. Hornby has a great knack for infusing both reality and wit into domestic life, and is particularly adept at making fun of the kind of spats we all have at home. His characters-like Katie and Molly and Tom and even Barmy Brian-are funny and real and remind us of our own lives. How to be Good even starts out by following the pattern described earlier: flawed but lovable character (Katie Carr), surrounded by wacky entourage, sets out on a personal quest (to be happier), confronts a few demons along the way (namely GoodNews and the new David) and hijinx ensue, consisting mostly of Katie moving in or out of either her marriage, her house or her feelings of guilt with wry self-observation. But if Hornby had wanted How to be Good to be more like Earth in the Balance, he never should have strayed down Bridget Jones' path. Where Hornby fails us is that, in attempting to transform his book-fairly late in the novel, I might add-from something clever and lightly introspective into a commentary on social responsibility, he loses his sense of humor. Not unlike what happens to David after meeting GoodNews. It is simply not believable-and perhaps more importantly, not in sync with the tone of the book-that a character like David could so quickly and permanently change from an angry (but witty) columnist into an all-loving, all-accepting (but dull) activist-simply after being touched by GoodNews, a shady, self-proclaimed faith healer who talks more like a skateboarder than a wise man. It happens too fast and seems too convenient. Even less believable is David's and GoodNews' relationship. After being "healed," David quits his job and aligns himself with GoodNews. Following a mostly embarrassing but mildly successful effort to house five homeless kids in the neighborhood, they embark on a secret project to save the world and begin a novel entitled How to be Good. But we never learn the details of either project-which tells me Hornby can't figure them out, either. And are we really to believe that Katie is to fund all this nonsense on her salary-without complaint? More disturbing, however, is Katie's gradual and somber acceptance of what is happening to her family. While she seems resigned to stay in her marriage-despite her resentment of the old David and her disgust at the new-she descends with the rest of them into a world of unsettled self-doubt and guilt, with her only solace being a newfound love of reading (?). This, she proclaims, will help her "retreat further and further from the world until I have found some space, some air that isn't stale, that hasn't been breathed by my family a thousand times already." She decides that, while she can't have a rich and beautiful (or, apparently, self-fulfilling) life, she can comfort herself with books. Call her materialistic and let the tree-huggers be damned. The book ends with no one really happy and no one really sad. Just stuck with each other going godknowswhere. A final bit of advice for Katie: if you're looking for the kind of book that gives you a temporary-but happy-escape from your humdrum life, don't pick How to be Good, by Nick Hornby. Try Bridget Jones' Diary, instead.
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