Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eye-opening!, 6 May 2002
By A Customer
I started to read this book with a little scepticism, thinking that it was just going to drone on and on, but after the first couple of pages I was hooked. It tells the story of Rob, whose latest girlfriend has just left him and he is trying to figure out just where he's going wrong, as she's only the last in a fairly long line-up of relationship failures. The story is told by Rob himself and (being a woman myself) he obviously does so from a man's point of view. If ever I thought I'd never be able to understand men, this book brings me a lot closer to achieving that objective! The narrative often had me laughing out loud, recognising the (funny and often childish) traits so puzzlingly obvious in many of my male friends and partners! Having a knowledge of music and artistes greatly enhances enjoyment of this book, as the mention of forgotten favourites whisks you back in time, just as it does to Rob when he hears them. A brilliant read! Men, I understand you a little better, thanks to 'High Fidelity'!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why Pick up a copy? -- Here's why:, 12 Nov 2006
Someone else mentioned that the first 32 pages alone were worth the price of the book -- and that reviewer is correct! This novel starts off beautifully: the tone of the narrator is wounded, possibly because he's reeling and in shock from the recent departure of his girlfriend, Laura. What we have is the narrator trying to come to grips with the situation, tabulate how truly hurt he is, weighing this "dumping" to former dumpings by past girlfriends, starting from the first girl he ever kissed.
I just love the tone; the guy is really hurting (and we've all been there). It's this tone I think that gives such clarity to his confessional. Anyway, following this "resume of relationship trauma," we follow as the narrator goes on to deal with his life and disappointments. As a record shop owner, he's considered an "underachiever," a loser by some. His ex is a lawyer, hence the dilemma. (The double standard is that a man can be a lawyer and have a girlfriend with a simple job and everything's fine; BUT if the woman partner is the lawyer -- then HE should at least be equally as "successful"?! Well, this smacks of reality. In the eyes of society, he needs to "grow up." Many of us reading it will feel differently, perhaps.) This book is really an accurate portrayal of the male psyche, and it delves into many of the anxieties and fears that men suffer. But Hornby knows how to mix humor with the moments of soul-searching, so it doesn't become a drag. In the end, this book is really a great romantic comedy. Certainly, one of the most honest, insightful, and funniest accounts of guy/gal relationships I've come across since reading The Losers Club by Richard Perez. Definitely don't hesitate to pick up a copy!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Gooners Required !, 31 Aug 2006
"High Fidelity" is Nick Hornby's first novel and was first published in 1995. It was later adapted for the big screen and starred John Cusak, Jack Black and Lisa Bonet. (The film was set in Chicago, though, rather than London).
The story is told by Rob Fleming, the thirty-something owner of a record shop called "Championship Vinyl". The shop, he claims, specialises in catering for the `serious' record collector - unfortunately, if sales are anything to go by, there aren't too many serious record collectors left. He is a bit of a trainspotter when it comes to music and his own record collection - which he tends to reorganise in times of emotional stress. His staff consists of the somewhat obnoxious Barry and the slightly nerdy Dick (one of the book's more likeable characters). Barry thinks and talks largely in lists - his top five Dustin Hoffman movies or the top ten albums made by blind musicians, for example - and it's a trait that Rob seems to have picked up to a degree. As the book opens, Rob has just been dumped by his girlfriend and he begins with his top five dumpings. (Rob has always, it seems, been the dumpee, rather than the dumper). Laura, the girlfriend who provided him with his most recent dumping, doesn't make the list.
The book sees Rob trying to work through his post-dumping traumas. He knows he hasn't been innocent and blameless, but that doesn't make the split any easier to deal with. The highs and lows include Marie LaSalle (an American folk-country singer on a small independent label and the focus of a post-breakup crush) and a phone call from one of Laura's friends, who mentions that she doesn't think much of `this Ian guy'. Unfortunately, Rob hadn't known anything about `this Ian guy'. It's something that sends him into a horrible `what-does-it-all-mean' routine that sees him attempting to contact the five women on his top five dumping list.
One of the professional reviewers that sometimes gets blurbed - Elizabeth Young, from the Guardian - mentioned that "the most frequent response to High Fidelity is `Oh God, I know people just like that!'." She's not too far off the mark - at times (though thankfully, not all the time) the person I knew who was just like that...was me. While it may make you squirm at times, it is also a very funny book and is absolutely recommended.
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