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Fever Pitch

By Nick Hornby

(228)

| Paperback | 9781573226882

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11 Reviews

3 people find this helpful

This book has a comicly small amount in common with the movie of the same name. It is difficult to take much out of it without a relatively deep knowledge of English soccer history. There are good anecdotes and ideas contained in this book, but they are drowned in a lot of relatively (for most of ... (continue)

This book has a comicly small amount in common with the movie of the same name. It is difficult to take much out of it without a relatively deep knowledge of English soccer history. There are good anecdotes and ideas contained in this book, but they are drowned in a lot of relatively (for most of us americans) obscure soccer facts.

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Bossdog said on Aug 6, 2007 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

"I was as usul looking to Arsenal to show me that things did not stay bad for ever, that it was possible to change patterns, that losing streaks did not last. Arsenal, however, had other ideas: they seemed to want to show me that troughs could indeed be permanent, that some people, like some clubs, ... (continue)

"I was as usul looking to Arsenal to show me that things did not stay bad for ever, that it was possible to change patterns, that losing streaks did not last. Arsenal, however, had other ideas: they seemed to want to show me that troughs could indeed be permanent, that some people, like some clubs, just couldn't ever find ways out of the rooms they had locked themselves into. It seemed to me that night and for the next few days that we had both of us made too many wrong choices, and had let things slide for far too long, for anything ever to come right."
"Like most depressions that plague people who have been more fortunate than most, I was ashamed of mine because there appeared to be no convincing cause for it; I just felt as though I had come off the rails somewhere."

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Control Freak said on Mar 2, 2008 | Add your feedback

Out of all Nick Hornby's books that I have read, this has to be my favourite. I enjoyed About A Boy but I had already seen the film, although I found the book very amusing. I wasn't so keen on Juliet Naked, How To Be Good or High Fidelity, even though I have seen the film of the latter which didn' ... (continue)

Out of all Nick Hornby's books that I have read, this has to be my favourite. I enjoyed About A Boy but I had already seen the film, although I found the book very amusing. I wasn't so keen on Juliet Naked, How To Be Good or High Fidelity, even though I have seen the film of the latter which didn't grab me either.
I did watch Fever Pitch starring Colin Firth (not his best film, in my opinion) but the book is far superior. I was quite surprised because I am not a football fan. What the book did was take me back to childhood. When I got collectable football cards included in packets of bubble gum, names like Chelsea's Peter Moore, Bob Wilson (who of course, we see on our TV screens), George Best et al, brought back memories. I loved the humour, I could understand Nick Hornby's obsession taking over his life. I pretended to support Chelsea in my childhood days just to be able to have something to discuss with the girl who lived opposite, they never missed a home game and I'm sure went to most away matches. I did follow some highlights of Crystal Palace at one point in my youth as they were the local team of my relatives.
What I don't get these days is how so much money is spent on players. Yes, the top football players are stars of their game but quite often sadly do not live up to the celebrity status they are given. Yes, there were some players who didn't always play fair back then and unfortunately, there is always the thug element associated with the game. There is skill in the sport and it is such a shame that all supporters cannot display good behaviour when attending football matches at home or away.

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Booketta said on Sep 1, 2011 | Add your feedback

I disagree with those who say this book requires any knowledge of or love for football to be appreciated. I hardly had any idea about even the basics of the game, and enjoyed every page.
Just like the author says: "This is a book about being a fan", not a book about football. And being a fan ... (continue)

I disagree with those who say this book requires any knowledge of or love for football to be appreciated. I hardly had any idea about even the basics of the game, and enjoyed every page.
Just like the author says: "This is a book about being a fan", not a book about football. And being a fan is only another, peculiar shade of human feelings... exactly what good literature should be dealing with.
I had a bit of a prejudice both against the author (for personal reasons) and against the topic of the book (never liked football), but I have to say I was genuinely impressed. It's fresh and entertaining, and it's one of those rare books that really manages not only to get your attention but also transfer the passion of the author to the reader. Highly suggested.

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Stradeperdute said on Jun 26, 2010 | Add your feedback

Really funny

I don't like football,but I like the way the book is structured. Every chapter contains sport memories representative of the author's own mental condition. The best sports book I've ever read.

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Martha Peake said on Oct 27, 2009 | Add your feedback

Even if I am not a football lover I enjoyed Hornby's irony. This is 'High Fidelity' on a football field.

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Annalisa said on Oct 22, 2009 | Add your feedback

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Book Details

Rating:
(228)
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English Books
Paperback 239 Pages
Edition: 1
ISBN-10: 1573226882
ISBN-13: 9781573226882
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pub date: Mar 01, 1998
Dimensions: 1290 mm x 839 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
Also available as: Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Others and eBook
In other languages: other languages 繁體書, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Livros em Português, Libri Italiani, Svenska böcker