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Summary: The Art of Interior Monologue
Review: Success of novels written in the first-person depend heavily on whether the main character, generally the narrator, is not likable, but interesting. In this case, Hornby's fictional creation, Rob, is both. What makes him so is Hornby's use of the interior monologue. Typically, interior monologue is a device in which the narrator's telling reveals more about himself than he is aware. Perhaps we, as readers, are attracted to this technique because it allows us to become almost voyeurs. The intimacy of knowing more about someone than he knows about himself is attractive; we feel smart because we see things the narrator cannot. Hornby, however, turns this idea on its head. Rob is so absorbed in self-analysis there's no way we could ever know more about him than he knows about himself. But, perhaps this is what makes Rob seem so human, and so much like us. Don't we all in our heads carry on like he does? His narration of this analysis appears, like the best writing, effortless. And yet this semblance of ease is double-edged: it's easy to take for granted how good it is, and the ideas flow so quickly that we can become so absorbed in the telling that we forget to spend time thinking about the many provocative ideas the novel contains. Like all good literature, this novel deserves to be read repeatedly. Let the easy prose and plot carry you through a first reading. Then go back for the ideas and to appreciate how easy Hornby makes it all seem.
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Summary: High Fidelity is Masterful
Review: This book effected me like only a true future classic could. The fusion of the young man's confusion with obsession with pop music and pop culture results in a very authentic feel. This could be a book about me, you, anybody.
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Summary: Sharp, Resonating, Relentless - and not just for bachelors!
Review: Hornby presents the reader with a protagonist so flawed, so aggravating, and so completely human that it's impossible to feel anything but empathy for him, despite recurring wishes to reach into the pages and knock some sense into him. This is a novel chock full of wit, heartbreak, humor, and agonizingly familiar situations. A delightful read.
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Summary: do people think your obsession is stupid?
Review: Good airplane reading for any single person who pours all of his or her energy into an obsession that the rest of society thinks is stupid. In Rob Fleming's case, the obsession is music. He and his friends won't talk to anyone who owns fewer than 500 records, who owns a Tracy Chapman or Beatles CD, or "who goes 'Woooh!' to the fade-out of 'Brown Sugar.'" His girlfriend Laura grills him: "There is no greater crime than that, as far as you're concerned, is there?" There isn't, for Rob, just as my friends get apoplectic talking to anyone who thinks Bill Gates or Microsoft invented anything.
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Summary: "High Fidelity" meet "Bartleby"
Review: I read the 1853 (yes, 1853) short story by Herman Melville named "Bartleby, the Scrivener. A Story of Wall-street" the day before seeing the movie "High Fidelity." I am struck by the similarities between "Bartleby" and "High Fidelity." Both stories are about the boredom of dealing with records and copies of records. Both focus on the owner and his clerks. Both are about transitions: - In "High Fidelity", from youth/vinyls to adulthood/CDs - In "Bartleby", from rural/farm to urban/industry None of the reviews of this book that I have read have mentioned this relevance or "coincidence."
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Summary: Top Five Reasons To Buy "High Fidelity"
Review: 5. It's named after an Elvis Costello Song. 4. Nick Hornby perfectly nails the obsessed music fan's persona and shows how this obsession spills over into destroying and forming relationships. 3. Hornby's prose is like a good pop song --engaging, lyrical, instantly recognizable and memorable. 2. It's funny as hell. 1. It's not JUST funny as hell. It's original, insightful, and full of highly developed characters.
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Summary: Moderately amusing
Review: I bought this book with the expectation it would be as funny as the two Bridget Jones book. It is not. It was fun reading the various top five lists that the characters came up with for almost every situation. However the abortion of the girlfriend was a turnoff. I sold my book to the used book store for credit rather than reccomending it to anyone.
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Summary: Witty and wonderful
Review: A fantastic book, sections of which made me laugh out loud. This female reader thinks Nick Hornby writes well not only about men but about women too. Can't wait for his next one.
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Summary: See the film
Review: And read the book. I read the book first and still enjoyed the movie, and would even watch it again. I didn't miss the britishness of the book too much.
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Summary: A spot on "boys own manual " about record geeks
Review: This is now released as a movie I believe. I cannot say anything better than Tina B's review below. I can only add that I identified completely with the language and priorities of Rob even though I'm old enough to almost be his grandfather. Some things never change! The only difference is my music is jazz and classical. Rob thinks about what music he would like played at his funeral! How many of us have thought about that? I'm torn between PEACE PIECE by Bill Evans and MILESTONES by Miles Davis. Shades of THE BIG CHILL! Shades of ego-centric adolescents! Do all men remain boys at heart? HELP! It's extremely well written, and captures the language of record "geeks" well, but is no masterpiece. Excellent read for that long flight.
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