false 4268 35 In Nick Hornby's <I>How to Be Good</I>, Katie Carr is certainly <I>trying</I> to be. That's why she became a GP. That's why she cares about Third World debt and homelessness, and struggles to raise her children with a conscience. It's also why she puts up with her husband David, the self-styled Angriest Man in Holloway. But one fateful day, she finds herself in a Leeds parking lot, having just slept with another man. What Katie doesn't yet realize is that her fall from grace is just the first step on a spiritual journey more torturous than the interstate at rush hour. Because, prompted by his wife's actions, David is about to stop being angry. He's about to become good--not politically correct, organic-food-eating good, but good in the fashion of the Gospels. And that's no easier in modern-day Holloway than it was in ancient Israel. <p> Hornby means us to take his title literally: How can we be good, and what does that mean? However, quite apart from demanding that his readers scrub their souls with the nearest available Brillo pad, he also mesmerizes us with that cocktail of wit and compassion that has become his trademark. The result is a multifaceted jewel of a book: a hilarious romp, a painstaking dissection of middle-class mores, and a powerfully sympathetic portrait of a marriage in its death throes. It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry as we watch David forcing his kids to give away their computers, drawing up schemes for the mass redistribution of wealth, and inviting his wife's most desolate patients round for a Sunday roast. But that's because <I>How to Be Good</I> manages to be both brutally truthful and full of hope. It won't outsell the Bible, but it's a lot funnier. <I>--Matthew Baylis</I> From Publishers Weekly Kate, a doctor, wife and mother, is in the midst of a difficult decision: whether to leave or stay with her bitter, sarcastic husband David (who proudly writes a local newspaper column called "The Angriest Man in Holloway"). The long-term marriage has gone stale, but is it worth uprooting the children and the comfortable lifestyle? Then David meets a faith healer called Dr. Goodnews, and suddenly converts to an idealistic do-gooder: donating the children's computer to an orphanage, giving away the family's Sunday dinner to homeless people and inviting runaways to stay in the guest room (and convincing the neighbors to do likewise). Barber gives an outstanding performance as Kate, humorously conveying her mounting irritation at having her money and belongings donated to strangers, her guilt at not feeling more generous and her hilarious desire for revenge. Barber brilliantly portrays each eccentric character: hippie-ish Goodnews, crusading David, petulant children and, poignantly, the hesitant, halting Barmy Brian, a mentally deficient patient of Kate's who needs looking after. Barber's stellar performance turns a worthy novel into a must-listen event. Simultaneous release with Riverhead hardcover (Forecasts, June 25). 2961919 book 2001 How to Be Good total:11898|5:856|4:2857|3:4889|2:2531|1:765| 11898 36202 14115 998 3 9 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Sep 07 13:49:01 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 07 14:02:32 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 6 true false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 06 18:45:47 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 09 09:43:10 -0700 2007
I ...more...]]> 4 4 false false Sun Mar 23 13:54:11 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 27 15:39:55 -0700 2008
As long time readers know (or maybe you don't) Maria and I read to each other. One of the joys of "naked Sunday" is the fact that we don't have to get up, spend the day wandering around the flat in our pyjamas (just 'cos it is called "naked Sunday" doesn...more...]]> 3 3 false false Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Apr 04 09:13:16 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 04 09:14:09 -0700 2007 5 2 false false Sun Oct 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 09 19:35:12 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 25 05:16:38 -0700 2008
¿Por dónde comenzar?

Será por mi absoluta identificación con el mundo reflexivo de la Doctora Katie Carr.

En su mente, es decir donde sucede to...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Apr 09 16:52:41 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 16:52:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Oct 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 18:08:49 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 18:14:39 -0700 2008 dia ga suka (1 bintang!), tapi setelah kubaca sesungguhnya aku bingung knp Roos ga suka ya? Oke, terjemahannya memang kaku, tapi masih bisa dibaca meski jadinya nyebelin. Tapi di balik itu, ini buku bagus. Judul Indonesianya Suami Sempurna memang ngaco, krn ga ada hubungann...more...]]> 4 1 false true Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Apr 03 19:09:06 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 21:17:31 -0700 2008
Hornby is a great writer though. His characters are really good and the story evolves really well. I remember that nearing the end of the book I got real mad at Hornby because I thought that h...more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 10:37:08 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 29 06:55:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Jan 04 11:35:59 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 11:36:26 -0800 2009
From the Publisher ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Dec 02 10:34:24 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 10:37:23 -0800 2008 1
Don't get me wrong; there were flashes of humor, clever writing, and certainly it begs a lot of introspection. But it was a real downer. None of the ...more...]]> 4 0 true false Sun Oct 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 05:39:11 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 06:25:13 -0700 2009 1
This book was swift and fun to read. I get excited whenever I see an interesting female lead in a novel, particularly one written by a man, and this story's female lead i...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 03:00:56 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 03:01:11 -0700 2009
How to be good is - again - a story about an ordinary (and extremely unhappy) married couple living in London. David and Katie along with their two children Tom and Molly wo...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 12:35:03 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 12:35:03 -0700 2009 ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 23 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon May 25 08:15:13 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 17:00:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri May 15 11:56:11 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 14:11:24 -0700 2009 I recently re-read this delightful, quirky book. Hornby succeeds in creating a thoughtful parady about how to be good in our self-centered, capitalistic society -- under the guise of a breezy, familiar tale about a marriage gone sour during mid-life crisis. We find pieces of ourselves woven ...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun May 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 17:04:27 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 17:44:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Dec 07 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 06 05:21:26 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 07 17:55:33 -0800 2008
Nick Hornby is a wonderful writer. He's funny, raw, and creative with his words.

Despite what the bright yellow book cover may suggest, the story is quite depressing. You can't help but fall in love with each character in the family: the deeply cynica...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 13:33:43 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 19:48:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jan 21 08:04:51 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 11:20:59 -0800 2009 more...]]>