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High Fidelity

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 94,430 ratings · 2,950 reviews

It has been said often enough that baby boomers are a television generation, but the very funny novel High Fidelity reminds that in a way they are the record-album generation as well. This funny novel is obsessed with music; Hornby's narrator is an early-thirtysomething English guy who runs a London record store. He sells albums recorded the old-fashioned way--on vinyl--an...more

Paperback, 263 pages

Published 2000 by Indigo (first published August 30th 1995)

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Dec 10, 2012 Samadrita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone with a love for music and a realistic story

Shelves: human-drama, slice-of-life, romance, european-literature, bring-on-the-lols, music, britain, semi-favorites, 1001-and-more

High Fidelity is several things at once.
It is a specimen of guylit (I just invented the term yes) - romance and single life described from the point of view of a man. And we have so few of those.
It is a humorous reflection on life and its many failings.
And lastly, it is the tale of a Brit singleton in his mid thirties who is unrelentingly firm in his reluctance to grow into a man.
A man who is so caught up in his fantasies of the ultimate love one is destined to end up with, that he ignores the...more High Fidelity is several things at once.
It is a specimen of guylit (I just invented the term yes) - romance and single life described from the point of view of a man. And we have so few of those.
It is a humorous reflection on life and its many failings.
And lastly, it is the tale of a Brit singleton in his mid thirties who is unrelentingly firm in his reluctance to grow into a man.
A man who is so caught up in his fantasies of the ultimate love one is destined to end up with, that he ignores the woman who truly cares for him and consequently ends up losing her.
So the novel begins with our protagonist, Rob Fleming, listing the 5 major break-ups of his life which either hurt him too much or ended up changing him as a person for good. And he takes vicious pleasure in informing the reader that Laura, the woman who just left him, doesn't make the top 5, doesn't even come close.
How could you not get sucked into a book which begins on such a promising note?

An owner of a dingy vinyl record shop named Championship Vinyl, Rob and his two employee-cum-sidekicks Dick and Barry stumble through the maze of life, more often than not clueless about what they are doing.
They debate merits and demerits of obscure bands and music artists and are generous in their display of disdain for the ones who love their Beatles, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Elton John and the usuals. And these hilarious conversations centering around mundane things like tv shows, movies, music and women lend the plot much of its frivolity and humour. Especially Barry, who is described by Rob as a 'snob obscurantist', makes you laugh uncontrollably with his habit of belittling everything, his sneaky tactics of selling records of artists no one has heard of and his interactions with Dick.
And so the plot meanders through the zigzagging life of Rob, touches briefly upon the lives of all the women with whom he had been in love at some point of time and settles on his on-and-off relationship with Laura.

High Fidelity comes as close to portraying single life and romance as it actually is and not in the larger-than-life Hollywood rom-comish way. It talks about the things we all do in relationships - how we decide how much to reveal to the other person. How our feelings for a person waver time and again and how we often falter, unable to decide what we want. How we hurt the other person in the process. How we realize how precious a relationship was only after it has ended. And more importantly how we are ever afraid of making that feared transformation - be it from girl to woman or boy to man.

Nick Hornby's debut novel is a charming creation - it is like a music record by an artist you may not have heard of but you can relate to the music, nonetheless.
And you can't help but want to play the record all over again.(less)

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May 09, 2012 Jenn(ifer) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: your inner music nerd

Recommended to Jenn(ifer) by: i saw the sign

Shelves: the-tops, music, you-should-read-this, own, brits, my-reviews-that-dont-suck

I have a problem.

You see, when it comes to reviewing my favorite books, I’m all thumbs. Coherent thoughts elude me and float down the stream like a toy boat that has escaped from the little boy’s grasp.

Rob is my soul mate, you see. He and I are the same fucked up, insecure, too-much-in-our-own-head-for-our-own-good person. I think he would get me. Really Get me.

Or maybe it's just Hornby who gets me. Mr. Hornby, you make me want to wear dresses.

During my last year of high school and through all...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Buggy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, rock-gods, shelf-11

Opening line: My desert -island, all time, top five most memorable split-ups, in chronological order:”

This is one of those modern classics on everyone’s “to read” list and while it wasn’t my first Nick Hornby book it is the one that everyone talks about so of course I went into this expecting to be awed. I guess I should mention that I haven’t seen the movie (what! I know) so I knew nothing about the storyline, not that that would have influenced me I just went into this blind.

And, well I wish...more Opening line: My desert -island, all time, top five most memorable split-ups, in chronological order:”

This is one of those modern classics on everyone’s “to read” list and while it wasn’t my first Nick Hornby book it is the one that everyone talks about so of course I went into this expecting to be awed. I guess I should mention that I haven’t seen the movie (what! I know) so I knew nothing about the storyline, not that that would have influenced me I just went into this blind.

And, well I wish I could say I loved this (since that would make me one of the cool kids) but honestly the best I can come up with is under whelmed. Of course the writing is wonderful and it really is laugh-out-loud funny in places but I also found myself alternating between skim reading (because the story wasn’t going anywhere) and all the 80’s pop music references and top 5 lists got to be a bit much. But then I'd catch myself rereading and marking numerous passages because they were just genius, describing exactly how I felt/feel.

I should tell you that the music references are somewhat dated now and anyone under the age of 40 will be scratching their heads especially if you live in America as this involves British pop music and Indie bands.

I think one of the main problems for me is that our protagonist Rob isn’t a very likable character. It was hard to have any sort of compassion for him or for that matter even want to read about him. I actually found myself preferring any of the sections that placed him with other people because when we were alone in his head being all introspective I got bored. Rob is immature, selfish, self-absorbed and depressed, stuck in a job, apartment and relationship that have all gone stale. He has zero self confidence yet at the same time is so full of himself that he expects everything to revolve around him, which of course it doesn’t and this in turn makes him lash out at his friends, parents and girlfriend to feel better about the state of his life.

Rob is a bit of a loser; a thirty-something music junkie he spends his days running a near failing record shop and reminiscing about the 80’s when he was semi successful DJ. Rob’s life has stalled and he can’t see a way out so he compiles top 5 lists of his favourite bands, songs, episodes of Cheers etc, insults his equally lost friends and plots ways to kill the guy who lives in the flat upstairs and stole his girlfriend. Along the way Rob manages to grow up, (some) and realizes change might not be so horrible. (less)

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May 16, 2008 Rick Monkey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I realize that I give far too many books a four or five star rating. So sue me.

Book buying isn't, you know, a quick thing for me. I browse, I choose, I read the blurbs inside, I deliberate, I read a chapter from ever book I've chosen.

In short, I only read things I'm really likely to like.

So, I will tell you right now, if there were a way to give [High Fidelity] six stars, I would.

Ostensibly it's a novel about pop music and love. But if that's what you're seeing, then you are reading it wrong.

It'...more

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Sep 30, 2010 Mariel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: list makers

Recommended to Mariel by: um... the movie?

I wish High Fidelity had been about the friends from the music shop. They were a lot funnier than... can't remember his name. Can I just say John Cusack? John Cusack used to wear band t-shirts in all his films (notably The Clash). This guy should have been wearing t-shirts to proclaim his taste to the world. It's been a while since I've read this but I think he was listening to stuff like Arab Strap (wow, haven't listened to them in like fifteen years) and The Pixies? Anyway, I don't think it wa...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rarely do I catch myself reading a book after I'd already seen the movie (mostly because I feel as if the movie TAKES something from the book while the book GIVES something to a movie, and thus the order should always be book first and movie second -- so that the book starts with the upper hand), but having enjoyed the movie so much I found myself craving more behind the story.

I wasn't disappointed. Biggest difference that I wasn't originally aware of was the location difference, which helped me...more Rarely do I catch myself reading a book after I'd already seen the movie (mostly because I feel as if the movie TAKES something from the book while the book GIVES something to a movie, and thus the order should always be book first and movie second -- so that the book starts with the upper hand), but having enjoyed the movie so much I found myself craving more behind the story.

I wasn't disappointed. Biggest difference that I wasn't originally aware of was the location difference, which helped me ease into my decision to read the book because it was already so very different from the get-go. Many scenes between the two different forms of media are the same, if slightly shuffled, and I was very pleased to see that both have several unique scenarios that are have no parallel in its companion medium.

But enough about the comparisons between the book and the movie. I'll just say that they should be enjoyed together (though not at the same time) for a very satisfying overall experience.

Bottom line was that the book was highly enjoyable. It's always nice to read a quote or passage in a book that imparts some piece of wisdom you've never heard, but I personally think it's even more gratifying to read a quote or passage that perfectly puts into words some thought or feeling that you've had for years but have never been able to properly express for some reason. Hornby did this constantly throughout "High Fidelity."

Many of the experiences and emotions I've had as a young man (both as an individual entity and as part of a greater whole in relationships) I'd often found to be inexpressible despite my best efforts, so when I found myself reading such succinct expression of those up-to-that-point-nameless feelings, I found myself overjoyed that someone else gets it. And not just that someone gets it, but gets it probably better than I do. True EUREKA! moments throughout the whole book.

Guys should read it for the relief of knowing that they aren't alone in dealing with all this crap. And women should read it with an open mind and a sincere desire to get us and I guarantee they'll walk away much wiser than if they'd read all those "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" stinkers.(less)

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Jun 03, 2008 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: the listers, the listed, the enlisted, the unlisted, the listless

Shelves: leetle-boys

This is the only Nick Hornby book I've read, and it seemed like a good introduction to the genre I imagine must be called "dick lit." I read it on a plane to the West Coast, and it was the perfect thing: started at take-off, finished just before landing, this had the perfect proportions of light and engaging for 30,000 feet. Ultimately, I found it sort of silly and empty and I had a hard time choosing between two and three stars, but I thought I'd give it a break here, because even though it was...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Jennifer D. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: cait

Shelves: ebook, 2011-books

Nick Hornby is da bomb! Seriously. He's funny, astute and while one might think they are reading a straight-forward, comedic tale, there are some fairly deep assessments going on within. Some moments made me laugh out loud and some moments, all too relatable, made my heart hurt. Also - Hornby's book totally made me have an awesome dream about John Cusack and that can never be a bad thing. Ever.

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Aug 20, 2011 Asgoasgo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ecco, per stilare una classifica, cinque libri indimenticabili:

1) Animal Farm di George Orwell
2) David Copperfield di Charles Dickens
3) Simmetrie amorose di Jeanette Winterson
4) Saltatempo di Stefano Benni
5) Breakfast at Tiffany's di Truman Capote.

Ecco quelli che mi hanno lasciato davvero qualcosa. Ci vedi forse il tuo libro lì in mezzo, Nick? Ammetto che rintreresti fra i primi dieci, ma non c'è spazio per te fra i primi cinque; sono posti destinati a quel genere di emozioni, personaggi e di v...more

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Jul 14, 2007 David rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Zach Braff, if there are any

Nick Hornby writes about losers and makes them lovable. But not this time. I couldn't stand the self-pitying little git, his loser wanker record store buddies, nor their ridiculous fracking lists. Reading this book felt like being trapped in an elevator with the pathetic Scrubs douchebag (Zachy McWhinerson, or whatever his fracking name is) for an entire weekend. You know the type - the constant puppy need for the approval of every critter on the planet, all the time. It might seem like a charmi...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Sath rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: compulsive list makers, jaded depressed individuals, and real human beings

Shelves: favourites, reviewed, on-my-bookshelf, charity-shop-bought, second-hand

High Fidelity is one of my Top 5 All-time favourite movies.

(And not only because it's a Cusack movie).

Strange then, that I didn't realise for a few years that it was based on a book, and embarassing that I didn't realise, 'til I picked it up, this year, that it was a British book. Shame on me.

Rob Flemming is a 30something Record store owner, whose life has hit a bit of a rut. He spends his working day (in a store which has very few customers), hanging out with his social misfit employees, makin...more High Fidelity is one of my Top 5 All-time favourite movies.

(And not only because it's a Cusack movie).

Strange then, that I didn't realise for a few years that it was based on a book, and embarassing that I didn't realise, 'til I picked it up, this year, that it was a British book. Shame on me.

Rob Flemming is a 30something Record store owner, whose life has hit a bit of a rut. He spends his working day (in a store which has very few customers), hanging out with his social misfit employees, making up Top 5 lists about records. Then he gets ditched by his girlfriend Laura. At first he's feeling pretty freed by it, back to his batchelor ways, doing whatever he likes; playing his records up loud. But soon he's depressed again. He makes his 'Top 5 breakup' list, and goes back to revisit each ex-gf to find out what it all means, why is he doomed to fall in love and be dumped repeatedly. Through it all he's constantly trying to win back Laura from the hated hippy Ray.

I know at first glance, a book like this can seem somewhat shallow in premise, but it's hidden gem like that.

And it's hard to think that a book about a 30something depressed bloke born 15/20? years before me.. could be relevent to me, but I constantly find it totally relevent, maybe that says something about me, or maybe it's just an awesome book.

I love the first person narritive in this book. Rob's point of view interspersed with 'Top 5' lists, flash backs, reminiscing, little anecdotes and ponderings. And his internal voice is just so perfect, he's clearly a flawed character, but that's what makes the realism. These little bits like; describing the way Laura got stuck in the door on the way out, and he had to faff around - no dramatic cliches, it's just real and honest. I also love the unsure, questioning way he likes to make semi-profound statements about the way things are, but then turn back on it at the end of the statement.

See, Laura? You won't change everything around like Jackie could. It's happened too many times, to both of us; we'll just go back to the friends and the pubs and the life we had before, and leave it at that, and nobody will notice the diffecence, probably.

I think the best thing for me, about this book. Is that it's a great break from reading (as I so often do) hundreds of fantasy romances, where the 36 year old single woman finally meets the handsome rich vampire of her dreams and everything is magical and perfect.. well this book is for everyone who is depressed, and hates their life, wishes they worked somewhere else, wishes they were with someone else, but knows there is nothing magic about to happen to save them from it. It's about reflecting on your life and realising that if you're always wishing for a fantasy, if you're always wishing for the all-time number 1 life of your dreams, you might miss that you're ACTUALLY perfectly happy where you are with plain old (but really just as nice) number 5 on your top 5 list.

So.. how well did this book translate from book to screen? Well the movie removed some of the more uninteresting scenes, changed Rob's last name, and moved the setting from London to Chicago. In order to change it to an American setting, very little was messed with. Simply switch every intstance of the word 'Bollocks' for the word 'Bullshit', make Marie deSalle black (because being american in america doesn't make her unusual anymore), and change a few of the place names and a couple of the song references. But as far as I'm concerned the translation from book to movie was still near perfect. Am I biased because I watched the movie first? Possibly. But if you watched the movie and never read the book, I will still respect you in the morning.

When I review one of my rare 5 star books, I know I can never do them justice. I can't write a perfect synopsis, I can't pick a perfect quote, I can't even spell perfectly. But maybe since this is a novel about not being being perfect, maybe that's okay. All I can say is, I loved this book. (less)

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Apr 13, 2011 Nickolette added it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

The first time I’ve encountered Nick Hornby was a few years ago in Berkley, California. I was in one of the many bookstores out there and his compilation of articles Housekeeping vs. Dirt had just come out. At that time I was working as a housekeeper and I thought this was one of fate sophisticated signs. Kismet. When I discovered he was the author behind one of my all time top five movies, it was all I needed to know.

So... High Fidelity is in the list Light but not (too) dumb, which is about r...more

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Mar 20, 2008 Darga rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: girls i have dated/am dating/will date, guys doing the breakup dance

Shelves: favorites, how-to-be-human

"sex is about the only grown-up thing i know how to do; it's weird, then, that it's the only thing that can make me feel like a ten-year-old"

"so maybe what i said before, about how listening to too many records messes your life up... maybe there's something in it after all. david owen, he's married right? he's taken care of all that, and now he's a big-shot diplomat. the guy who came into the shop with the suit and the car keys, he's married too, and now he's, i don't know a businessman. me, i'm...more "sex is about the only grown-up thing i know how to do; it's weird, then, that it's the only thing that can make me feel like a ten-year-old"

"so maybe what i said before, about how listening to too many records messes your life up... maybe there's something in it after all. david owen, he's married right? he's taken care of all that, and now he's a big-shot diplomat. the guy who came into the shop with the suit and the car keys, he's married too, and now he's, i don't know a businessman. me, i'm unmarried - at the moment as unmarried as it's possible to be - and i'm the owner of a failing record shop. it seems to me that if you place music (and books, probably, and films, and plays, and anything that makes you feel) at the center of your being, then you can't afford to sort out your love life, start to think of it as the finished product. you've got to pick at it, keep it alive and in turmoil, you've got to pick at it and unravel it until it all comes apart and you're compelled to start all over again. maybe we all live life at too high a pitch, those of us who absorb emotional things all day, and as a consequence we can never feel merely content; we have to be unhappy, or ecstatically, head-over-heals happy, and those states are difficult to achieve within a stable, solid relationship. maybe al green is directly responsible for more than i ever ralized.
see, records have helped me fall in love, no question. i hear something new, with a chord change that melts my guts, and before i know it i'm looking for someone, and before i know it i've found her. i fell in love with rosie the simultaneous orgasm woman after i'd fallen in love with a cowboy junkies song: i played it and played it and played it, and it made me dreamy, and i needed someone to dream about, and i found her, and...well, there was trouble."

over christmas break i became mildly obsessed with the idea of music as the nexus of everything important. i read a bunch of books about music, watched cameron crowe movies, played guitar, sang in the shower; it was super self-indulgent and i loved every second of it.

i read this between midnight and sunrise. i kept intending to stop so as not to waste all the goodness in one night, but i couldn't let it go. i liked it so much that i actually rented the movie again later that same day, which i realize is slightly ridiculous.

sometimes a really good movie adaptation makes the book seem unnecessary, and i think this is one of those for a lot of people. i've always loved the movie, but the book has the added bonus of british charm, and more dialog and flashbacks.

despite the fact that the book is light and fun, i think it does tackle some real issues, and honestly at that. it will ring true to the guys of the personality that it's written about, and to the women who have to put up with them.
(less)

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Dec 30, 2007 Katelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone with a fear of commitment

This book was a page turner for me. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The book had it's funny parts. I especially enjoyed when the main character, Rob, recalls his five most memorable breakups and wonders what happened to them and why they left him. He makes this list when his most recent girlfriend, Laura leaves him.

Rob makes tons of list throughout the book...seems to be a little OCD in that department!

The book also contains many great quotes such as, "Are they listening to pop music...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: belletristik, humor, musik

Kaum einer kann einen Roman so genial eröffnen wie Nick Hornby. Der Leser wird gleich mit dem ersten Satz mitten in die Geschichte geworfen, schaut sich kurz um, kennt sich gleich aus und fühlt sich wohl. Das ist eine wunderbare Gabe, die der Autor hat.
In High Fidelity geht es um einen Musikliebhaber, der in einer ausgewachsenen quarterlife-crisis steckt (sofern es das überhaupt gibt, denn für eine midlife-crisis ist er noch zu jung). Rob hat es mit 35 Jahren zu nichts gebracht, weder beziehung...more Kaum einer kann einen Roman so genial eröffnen wie Nick Hornby. Der Leser wird gleich mit dem ersten Satz mitten in die Geschichte geworfen, schaut sich kurz um, kennt sich gleich aus und fühlt sich wohl. Das ist eine wunderbare Gabe, die der Autor hat.
In High Fidelity geht es um einen Musikliebhaber, der in einer ausgewachsenen quarterlife-crisis steckt (sofern es das überhaupt gibt, denn für eine midlife-crisis ist er noch zu jung). Rob hat es mit 35 Jahren zu nichts gebracht, weder beziehungstechnisch noch beruflich, er ist nach der highschool in der Entwicklung irgendwie steckengeblieben, hat einen Plattenladen, kleidet sich noch immer so wie mit 18 und seine Freundin hat ihn gerade verlassen.
In weinerlicher Manier versucht er zu ergründen, ab wann und wo sein Leben schiefgelaufen ist und welches der Mädchen, die ihm das Herz gebrochen haben, für seine Misere verantwortlich ist. Die Fehler bei sich selbst zu suchen, fällt ihm gar nicht ein, alle eigenen Verfehlungen in diesen Beziehungen werden vergraben und weggeschoben. Rob ist ein richtiges weinerliches selbstmitleidiges Arschloch, das sich in seiner eigenen Welt auch noch als Opfer anderer hochstilisiert.
Sprachlich gut und humorvoll wird die Entwicklung von Rob geschildert, der irgendwann im Laufe des Romans dann doch noch auf eine linkische Art erwachsen wird und zumindest ein paar Erkenntnisse hat.

Für mich als Frau ist die genaue Analyse dieser männliche Psyche zwar sehr interessant, aber ich kann den Kerl aufs Verrecken nicht leiden, da er mich sehr an ein paar solche Mehlwürmer, Suderanten, Versager erinnert, die anscheinend immer zu kurz gekommen sind, andere ständig für ihr Versagen verantwortlich machen und in ihrer Schwäche über andere Personen (hauptsächlich Frauen) hinwegtrampeln, ohne sich umzudrehen.

Den Punkt Abzug gibt es vor allem deshalb, weil mir die Anspielungen auf Musiker und bestimmte Lieder im Roman wirklich zuviel sind. Wenn man kein ausgewiesener Spezialist auf diesem Gebiet ist, kann man nur die Hälfte der Hinweise auf Stimmungen und Analogien verstehen.

Fazit lesenswert - meiner Meinung nach aber fast mehr ein Männerbuch.(less)

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Sep 26, 2009 Rauf rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: fiction, weekend, 2009-list, fromthepit, me_so_hornby

Great at the beginning. Loses some steam in the middle. Crashes and burns in the end. This book is as tasty as a regular Wonka's Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight but don't expect any golden ticket inside.

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Feb 22, 2013 sj added it · review of another edition

I wrote my first Top Five + Mix Tape for Insatiable Booksluts after re-reading this book last fall.

What Really Matters is What You Like Not What You ARE Like

A mixtape for Rob, plus my own personal Top Five Breakup Songs.

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Oct 23, 2007 Lisa Findley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Top Five Reasons to Read This Book:
1) Offers multiple opportunities to fall off your chair laughing.
2) Draws entirely convincing characters making stupid decisions and dealing with the repercussions.
3) Reminds you of all sorts of artists you must check out further.
4) Answers the "what if" questions of past relationships with horrifying clarity.
5) Satirizes but ultimately validates top-five lists.

19 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2013 Ana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: me-likey-a-lot, library-books, page-turner, humour-me, fallen-characters

I loved this book. I LOVED it. Again, one of those rare reads that just make you feel so much better about everything around you. And not because the characters were shitty and their life story was worse than yours, but because the characters and the overall plot was so well put together and so well written that all you could do was relax, leave criticism at the door and enter the book's amazing palace!

One way or another, Hornby manages to reveal information after information with ease and intr...more

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Oct 10, 2007 Nacho rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporánea, británicos

Extraodinario y lleno de referencias musicales. Es tan bueno que puedes disfrutar como un enano aunque no te gusten ni el pop ni el rock. Aún así, si eres el típico melómano que ni siquiera sabe cuántos discos tiene, el disfrute está garantizado. Let's get it ooooooooon!

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Dec 08, 2008 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first I gave it 4 stars, but who am I kidding, I read it as slowly as possible so that it wouldn't end! I loved it.

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Dec 17, 2007 Núria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: los inmaduros que hemos escuchado demasiada música pop

Shelves: 5-favoritos, read-more-than-once, prestados, literatura-en-ingles, siglo-xx

Mi libro generacional.

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Jan 06, 2013 Sophie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

my top five most favourite quotes:
5-it seems to me that if you place music (and books, probably, and films, and plays, and anything that makes you feel) at the center of your being, then you can’t afford to sort out your love life.

4-i'm very good at the past. it's the present i can't understand.

3-sentimental music has this great way of taking you back somewhere at the same time that it takes you forward, so you feel nostagic and hopeful all at the same time.

2-i know what’s wrong with Laura. what...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Ginny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Leggero e divertente senza essere mai banale o scontato, questo libro è quanto di più accattivante e gradevole si possa sperare di incontrare nel corso delle proprie incursioni nel mondo della lettura.
La trama è scarna, ma viene arricchita e movimentata da una inesauribile vena ironica, dalle brillanti trovate del protagonista e da una schiera di personaggi bizzarri e imprevedibili.
Bob Fleming ha una vera fissazione per la musica pop, tanto da averne fatto il proprio mondo, la propria forza e...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a three-minute single, and I'd had to take it off after about a minute and a half. I played "Holiday" by Madonna instead; I used modern stuff every now and again, at times of crisis, just like people who believe in homeopathy have to use conventional medicine sometimes, even though they disapprove of it.

Good, but not as good as About a Boy. This book is about a guy in his mid-30s whose girlfriend has just left him. It's funny but also a little irritating. The guy is still living the life of...more

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Jul 10, 2008 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Tara by: Mike B.

Most engaging book I've read in a long, long time. Laughed out loud in a lot of places and it's probably been years since a book did that for me. Very quirky, but surprisingly poignant, too, full of great lines/scenes.

Some of my favorites:

"Every time I think I have got to the bottom, I find a new way to sink even lower, but I know that this is the worst, and that whatever happens to me from now on, however poor or stupid or single I get, these few minutes will remain with me as a shining caution...more Most engaging book I've read in a long, long time. Laughed out loud in a lot of places and it's probably been years since a book did that for me. Very quirky, but surprisingly poignant, too, full of great lines/scenes.

Some of my favorites:

"Every time I think I have got to the bottom, I find a new way to sink even lower, but I know that this is the worst, and that whatever happens to me from now on, however poor or stupid or single I get, these few minutes will remain with me as a shining cautionary beacon. 'Is it better than lying facedown in a flower bed after Laura's dad's funeral?' I shall ask myself when bailiffs come into the shop, or when the next Laura runs off with the next Ray, and the answer will always, always be 'Yes.'"

"Over the last couple of years, the photos of me when I was a kid, the ones that I never wanted old girlfriends to see...well, they've started to give me a little pang of something --- not unhappiness, exactly, but some kind of quiet, deep regret. There's one of me in a cowbay hat, pointing a gun at the camera, trying to look like a cowboy but failing, and I can hardly bring myself to look at it now...I keep wanting to apologize to the little guy: 'I'm sorry, I've let you down. I was the person who was supposed to look after you, but I blew it: I made wrong decisions at bad times, and I turned you into me.'....If he could be here now, if he could jump out of that photo and into this shop, he'd run straight out of the door and back to 1967 as fast as his little legs would carry him."

"Maybe we all live life at too high a pitch, those of us who absorb emotional things all day, and as a consequence we can never feel merely content; we have to be unhappy, or ecstatically, head-over-heels happy, and those states are difficult to achieve within a stable, solid relationship."

Every now and then Rob's constant questioning/picking got on my nerves as much as it got on Laura's, but generally speaking, it was believeable and vivid and entertaining from beginning to end.
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Jul 02, 2008 Brian Hodges rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bloody-brilliant

I can't believe nobody ever recommended this book to me. The lead character, Rob, IS ME. The way he thinks. The way he acts around women. The way he turns the task of making mix tapes (CD's) into an art. The way he (over)analyzes every mundane aspect of his life, work and relationships. I don't make top five lists or have such a crucial and pretentious relationship with music, but otherwise, "High Fidelity" nailed the neurotic male psyche better than anything else I've ever read. I'd be inclined...more

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Apr 08, 2008 Foodie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nick Hornby's writings (About a boy, High fidelity, How to be good, A long way down etc) are classic takes on modern-day relationships that we often label as love, thereby casting useful insights into the minds of characters that any reader can instantly relate to. Well, not any reader. But if you -
1. Are living a life that's chaotic, boring and confusing all at once
2. Are facing dilemmas about love, sex, compatibility, fidelity etc.
3. Love your parents but can't live with them
4. Love your partn...more Nick Hornby's writings (About a boy, High fidelity, How to be good, A long way down etc) are classic takes on modern-day relationships that we often label as love, thereby casting useful insights into the minds of characters that any reader can instantly relate to. Well, not any reader. But if you -
1. Are living a life that's chaotic, boring and confusing all at once
2. Are facing dilemmas about love, sex, compatibility, fidelity etc.
3. Love your parents but can't live with them
4. Love your partner but can't live with him/her
5. Are tired of being single, but afraid to let go of the supposed joys of singledom
- then, High Fidelity is a tale that'll have you go, "Hey, I've been there!"
Why am I making a list, you might ask. I'm making a list, a top five list actually, because High Fidelity is a novel that's full of lists, albeit more interesting than this one - top five most memorable split-ups, top five Cheers episodes, top five Elvis Costello songs, etc), so I figured, why not set the mood?
This witty and emotionally story is narrated by Rob, an early-thirty-something English guy who runs a record store in a far-out London suburb. He sells albums recorded the old-fashioned way - on vinyl - and is having a tough time making other transitions as well, specifically to adulthood. After his live-in girlfriend, Laura, leaves him for another man, he realizes that he pines not for sexual ecstasy but for the monogamy he's cynically has come to think of as a crime. He takes comfort in the company of the clerks at his store and of a touring singer, Marie La Salle, who is "unpretentious and pretty in that nearly cross-eyed American way." But Rob's life becomes more complicated when he encounters Laura again, and hence unfolds a tale of the trials of fidelity, both mental and actual.
Music is a continuous sub-plot in the narrative, like an Air record playing in a background - serene but impossible to ignore. Is it a love story? It can be; if Rob ever realizes what "love" actually embodies. But at the very least, it is a story about the clash between seeking companionship and fearing the loss of individual identity.(less)

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May 23, 2008 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to be cool

Recommended to Jim by: A librarian (spelled with a capital fabulous)

Shelves: this-sceptred-isle, humorous, fiction, favorites

My librarian told me that I should read this, noting that all of the cool people had already read it, and I always, always do what my librarian tells me.

Now, finally, I am cool for the first time in my life.

Seriously, though, I loved this book. Hornby perfectly captures the self-obsession and cluelessness a lot of guys experience in relationships and life. He also conveys the feeling a lot of us get at some point during middle age, that "what the hell happened" feeling.

Rob Fleming is a man who...more

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Mar 21, 2008 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had one of my friends tell me that he, under no circumstances, wanted any of his girl friends to read this book at the risk of us figuring out how guys like him think. I essentially took that as a challenge, and promptly picked up the book and began reading.

Rob's a thirtysomething sort-of single guy who owns a somewhat failing record shop. His now-ex girlfriend just moved out and he's struggling quite a bit, both with his store and his life in gemeral. While I was reading it, I kept having to...more

1 like · like · see review

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About Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby is the author of the novels A Long Way Down, Slam, How to Be Good, High Fidelity, and About a Boy, and the memoir Fever Pitch. He is also the author of Songbook, a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, Shakespeare Wrote for Money, and The Polysyllabic Spree, as well as the editor of the short-story collection Speaking with the Angel. He is a recipient of the American Acade...more

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Quotes from High Fidelity

“People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands - literally thousands - of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss.” — 2,350 people liked it

“What came first – the music or the misery? Did I listen to the music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to the music? Do all those records turn you into a melancholy person?” — 298 people liked it

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