Judie Abbott has been my best childhood friend. And this is her story, a sort of modern funny version of Cinderella, narrated in the form of interesting and amazing letters. The ending is cheerful and the plot is suspenseful. Just relax and enjoy with Judie, my friend.
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.
“I learned that Britain had the worst teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, which by the way means we have the highest. It took me a while to realize that. For a moment I thought they might mean it the other way, that our teen pregnancy rates were low and the Prime Minister wanted us to do better”
“I learned that Britain had the worst teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, which by the way means we have the highest. It took me a while to realize that. For a moment I thought they might mean it the other way, that our teen pregnancy rates were low and the Prime Minister wanted us to do better”
Funny (Sam has awesome and imaginary conversations with his hero Tony Hawk whose poster is in his room), wise (Hornby deals with teen pregnancy) and clever. As usual.
Profound psychological study in human relationships and individual growth with an interesting historical background (the history of Jews in England) treated with sympathy and understanding. Sometimes Eliot injects characters with too much admiration and compassion. The result is a lack of balance. <
... (continue)
Profound psychological study in human relationships and individual growth with an interesting historical background (the history of Jews in England) treated with sympathy and understanding. Sometimes Eliot injects characters with too much admiration and compassion. The result is a lack of balance.
-------- "What name doth Joy most borrow when life is fair?To-morrow. What name doth best fit Sorrow in young despair? To-morrow"
Few other English writers could delight me as Hornby. He’s able to create characters by taking a picture of their weak points, even those you don’t want to see or admit. In this case, the protagonists of the story are four suicidal characters seeming to have very different backgrounds and personalit
... (continue)
Few other English writers could delight me as Hornby. He’s able to create characters by taking a picture of their weak points, even those you don’t want to see or admit. In this case, the protagonists of the story are four suicidal characters seeming to have very different backgrounds and personalities. They have each come to jump to their death, but none of them will complete the act of suicide. And Hornby confirms his depth of his death concept without drowning in a vat of sap or annoying.
As usual, the story has not an ending. There’s not a lesson to teach about life and neither a good way or a bad one. There’s just life to live or not.
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"Suicide wasn't invented for people like this. It was invented for people like Virginia Woolf and Nick Drake. And me. Suicide was supposed to be cool."
Daddy-Long-Legs
Judie Abbott has been my best childhood friend. And this is her story, a sort of modern funny version of Cinderella, narrated in the form of interesting and amazing letters. The ending is cheerful and the plot is suspenseful. Just relax and enjoy with Judie, my friend.
Fever Pitch
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.
Slam
“I learned that Britain had the worst teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, which by the way means we have the highest. It took me a while to realize that. For a moment I thought they might mean it the other way, that our teen pregnancy rates were low and the Prime Minister wanted us to do better”
... (“I learned that Britain had the worst teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, which by the way means we have the highest. It took me a while to realize that. For a moment I thought they might mean it the other way, that our teen pregnancy rates were low and the Prime Minister wanted us to do better”
Funny (Sam has awesome and imaginary conversations with his hero Tony Hawk whose poster is in his room), wise (Hornby deals with teen pregnancy) and clever. As usual.
Daniel Deronda
Profound psychological study in human relationships and individual growth with an interesting historical background (the history of Jews in England) treated with sympathy and understanding. Sometimes Eliot injects characters with too much admiration and compassion. The result is a lack of balance. < ... (continue)
Profound psychological study in human relationships and individual growth with an interesting historical background (the history of Jews in England) treated with sympathy and understanding. Sometimes Eliot injects characters with too much admiration and compassion. The result is a lack of balance.
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"What name doth Joy most borrow when life is fair?To-morrow. What name doth best fit Sorrow in young despair? To-morrow"
A Long Way Down
***This comment contains spoilers! ***
Few other English writers could delight me as Hornby. He’s able to create characters by taking a picture of their weak points, even those you don’t want to see or admit. In this case, the protagonists of the story are four suicidal characters seeming to have very different backgrounds and personalit ... (continue)
Few other English writers could delight me as Hornby. He’s able to create characters by taking a picture of their weak points, even those you don’t want to see or admit. In this case, the protagonists of the story are four suicidal characters seeming to have very different backgrounds and personalities. They have each come to jump to their death, but none of them will complete the act of suicide. And Hornby confirms his depth of his death concept without drowning in a vat of sap or annoying.
As usual, the story has not an ending. There’s not a lesson to teach about life and neither a good way or a bad one. There’s just life to live or not.
--------------
"Suicide wasn't invented for people like this. It was invented for people like Virginia Woolf and Nick Drake. And me. Suicide was supposed to be cool."