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Nick Hornby was born in 1957, and is the author of Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, About a Boy and How to be Good. He also edited the collection of short stories Speaking With the Angel. He is the pop music critic for the New Yorker. In 1999, he was awarded the E.M.Forster award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives and works in Highbury, North London.
May 2015 Book of the Month. I would like to say ‘classic’ Hornby but the thing I most like about his writing is that the stories are all different, so one can hardly say ‘classic’. But it is all one would expect. Light but entertaining, a story about people. It’s about an inspiring actress-cum-comedian from Blackpool who wins a beauty contest but really doesn’t want to spend a year opening supermarkets! We are in the early 1960s. She gives back her crown and flees to London. We follow her through early struggles and on into falling on her feet in a ‘ground breaking’ series for the BBC. A Lancashire accent, a working-class character and dealing with man/woman becoming husband/wife and eventually baby issues. Years later, at the 50 year celebration, a young producer gets the idea of putting on a play about “what happened next”. We, of course, have followed the main players all the way through in a clever slice of cultural history. Utterly enthralling and highly recommended. ~ Sarah Broadhurst One of our Books of the Year 2014.
One of our Books of the Year 2014. November 2014 MEGA Book of the Month. I would like to say ‘classic’ Hornby but the thing I most like about his writing is that the stories are all different, so one can hardly say ‘classic’. But it is all one would expect. Light but entertaining, a story about people. It’s about an inspiring actress-cum-comedian from Blackpool who wins a beauty contest but really doesn’t want to spend a year opening supermarkets! We are in the early 1960s. She gives back her crown and flees to London. We follow her through early struggles and on into falling on her feet in a ‘ground breaking’ series for the BBC. A Lancashire accent, a working-class character and dealing with man/woman becoming husband/wife and eventually baby issues. Years later, at the 50 year celebration, a young producer gets the idea of putting on a play about “what happened next”. We, of course, have followed the main players all the way through in a clever slice of cultural history. Utterly enthralling and highly recommended.
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby's hilarious bestseller now a major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan. ' Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all ...but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living? Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. If you like Jonathan Coe, David Sedaris and David Nicholls, you will love this book. A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page...Hornby's best yet . (Literary Review). Hornby's best novel to date, impossible to put down...how can an examination of four people's anguish be so enthralling? (Ruth Rendell, Guardian). Masterful...some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading . (Johnny Depp). Nick Hornby has captivated readers and achieved widespread critical acclaim for his comic, well-observed novels About a Boy, How to be Good, Juliet, Naked, Slam and High Fidelity. His three works of non-fiction, 31 Songs (shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award), Fever Pitch (winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award) and The Complete Polysyllabic Spree are also available from Penguin.
A book that many a football fan can, no doubt, relate too. Hornby tells the story of his fanatical love of football from the age of 11. The amazing recall of every match, every player, every goal, every touch of the ball that some fans manage to have Nick Hornby certainly has. It’s a miracle he manages to find time to write his fiction!
Featured on The TV Book Club on More4 on 7 February 2010. As you would expect in a book about relationships revolving around a music obsession Nick Hornby manages to get in his musical references and loves in to the pages throughout this book. The story is about a relationship where the characters are facing middle age and wondering if they have wasted years not really achieving anything in their lives. If it sounds a little bit depressing don’t worry, as always, Hornby injects his humour throughout the story and creates interesting and memorable characters.
Gripping and funny this novel will appeal to all those who have ever picked up a skateboard and even those who haven't. From the author who brought you High Fidelity and Fever Pitch comes a new novel written for the teenage audience.
From the author who brought you ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘Fever Pitch’ comes a new novel written for the teenage audience. It is gripping, funny and will appeal to all those who have ever picked up a skateboard.
Shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award. Narrated in turns by Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ, four strangers with absolutely nothing in common - save where they end up that night - Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down is a funny, sad and deeply moving new novel which asks some of the big questions: about life and death, strangers and friendship, love and pain, and whether a group of losers, and pizza, can really see you through a long, dark night of the soul.
Juliet, Naked is bestselling author Nick Hornby's moving, funny account of life's second chances Annie's put fifteen years into safe, slightly obsessive Duncan, and now she'd like her money back, please. It's time to move on. But she lives in Gooleness, the north's answer to a question nobody asked. Is she really going to find real, proper, feel-it-deep-down-in-your-boots love on a damp and windy seafront? Or perhaps she should follow her heart and pursue Tucker, the reclusive American rock star, who keeps emailing her his smart advice. But between Annie and her second chance lie a few obstacles. There's Malcolm, the world's most judgemental therapist, and Barnesy, the north's most extrovert dancer. There's what men and women will do and won't do for love. And, of course, there's Tucker. . . Hilarious and tender, this bestselling novel will move you in ways both profound and surprising. It's Nick Hornby at his brilliant best. If you like David Nicholls, David Sedaris and Jonathan Coe you will love this book. 'Hornby's best novel to date' Spectator 'Sharply funny, touching' Daily Telegraph 'Pitch-perfect' Observer
Nick Hornby's internationally bestselling first novel, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time. Do you know your desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable split-ups? Rob does. He keeps a list, in fact. But Laura isn't on it - even though she's just become his latest ex. He's got his life back, you see. He can just do what he wants when he wants: like listen to whatever music he likes, look up the girls that are on his list, and generally behave as if Laura never mattered. But Rob finds he can't move on. He's stuck in a really deep groove - and it's called Laura. Soon, he's asking himself some big questions: about love, about life - and about why we choose to share ours with the people we do. A million-copy bestseller, and adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack, High Fidelity explores the world of break-ups, make-ups and what it is to be in love. This astutely observed and wickedly funny book will be enjoyed by readers of David Nicholls and William Boyd, and by generations of readers to come. 'It will give enormous pleasure at the same time as expanding in a small but worthwhile way, the range of English literature' Independent on Sunday 'Leaves you believing not only in the redemptive power of music but above all the redemptive power of love. Funny and wise, sweet and true' Independent 'A triumphant first novel. True to life, very funny and moving' Financial Times
Eine Liebeserklarung ans LesenNick Hornby schreibt bers Lesen - was kann seinen Lesern Besseres passieren? Bcher, die er gekauft hat, Bcher, die er gelesen hat, Bcher, die er in der Bahn liegen gelassen hat oder die unters Bett gerutscht sind - mit seinem unnachahmlichen Blick fr die komischen Seiten des Lesens beweist Nick Hornby, dass man auch als Vater kleiner Kinder die Zeit finden kann, sich in ein Buch zu vertiefen. Man muss nur das Getse aus dem Zimmer nebenan ignorieren knnen. Von Patti Smith ber Muriel Spark, Dennis Lehane (halb), Michael Ondaatje, John Updike bis hin zu Charles Dickens u.v.a.m. reicht die Liste der gelesenen Bcher, von der Liste der bisher noch nicht gelesenen Bcher ganz zu schweigen. Hornby empfiehlt und macht dabei unbndige Lust aufs Lesen. Und beweist ganz nebenbei, dass ernst zu nehmende Literaturkritik auch unterhaltsam und lustig sein kann.
Stuff I've Been Reading by Nick Hornby - the bestselling novelist's rich, witty and inspiring reading diary 'Read what you enjoy, not what bores you,' Nick Hornby tells us. And in this new collection of his columns from the Believer magazine he shows us how it's done. From historical tomes to comic books, literary novels to children's stories, political thrillers to travel writing, Stuff I've Been Reading details Nick's thoughts and experiences on books by George Orwell, J.M. Barrie, Muriel Spark, Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Jennifer Egan, Ian McEwan, Cormac McCarthy and many, many more. This wonderfully entertaining journey in reading differs from all other reviews or critical appreciations - it takes into account the role that books actually play in our lives. This book, which is classic Hornby, confirms the novelist's status as one of the world's most exciting curators of culture. It will be loved by fans of About a Boy and High Fidelity, as well as readers of Will Self, Zadie Smith, Stewart Lee and Charlie Brooker.
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is Nick Hornby's wickedly funny journey through reading This is not a book of reviews. This not a book that sneers at other books. This is a book about reading - about enjoying books wherever and however you find them. Nick Hornby, author of the bestsellers About a Boy and Fever Pitch - takes us on a hilarious and perceptive tour through the books he bought, the books he read and his thoughts on literature. He is first and foremost a reader and he approaches books like the rest of us: hoping to pick up one he can't put down. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is a diary of sorts, charting his reading life over two years. It is a celebration of why we read - its pleasures, its disappointments and its surprises. And above all, it is for you - the ever hopeful reader. For fans of Bill Bryson and Stephen Fry, and for bookworms eveywhere, this witty, passionate book will make you cherish the world of letters anew. 'An engaged and engaging ramble around one reader's mind' The Times 'Not only does it make you want to read more but, like all great books, it's also terrific company' Metro 'For anyone whose idea of a good time is arguing with friends about their favourite books...amusing and contagiously enthusiastic' Big Issue
Vpervye na russkom - novejshij roman ot proslavlennogo Nika Hornbi, avtora takih bestsellerov, kak "e;Hi-Fi "e;Moj mal'chik "e;Dolgoe padenie i dr., razoshedshihsya po miru tirazhom svyshe pyati millionov ehkzemplyarov i uspeshno ehkranizirovannyh. Kak pisali kritiki, "e;Hornbi s neizmennym uspekhom vystupaet zashchitnikom populyarnoj kul'tury ot intellektual'nogo snobizma - i "e;Smeshnaya devchonka zvuchit kak priznanie v lyubvi k vazhnomu ehlementu ehtoj kul'tury: klassicheskim komedijnym serialam. Itak, Barbara Parker pobezhdaet v konkurse na zvanie "e;Miss Blehkpul no ona ne hochet byt' korolevoj krasoty. Ona hochet smeshit' lyudej, kak ee kumir Lyusil' Boll - zvezda sitkoma "e;YA lyublyu Lyusi. Barbara uezzhaet iz Blehkpula v London, ustraivaetsya rabotat' v otdel kosmetiki modnogo univermaga i pytaetsya probit'sya na televidenie. I vot blagodarya sluchajnoj vstreche s akterskim agentom u nee poyavlyaetsya sperva novoe imya, a zatem - shans ispolnit' glavnuyu zhenskuyu rol' v novom komedijnom seriale, zapuskayushchemsya na Bi-bi-si...
Funny Girl - the latest novel from Nick Hornby, the million-copy bestselling author of About a Boy Make them laugh, and they're yours forever . . . Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She only wants to make people laugh. So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself off to London, and lands a life-changing audition for a new BBC comedy series. Overnight she becomes Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation's hearts. Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and the people behind the scenes: the writers, Tony and Bill, friends since national service and comedy obsessives; producer Dennis, Oxbridge educated, clever, mild and not-so-secretly devoted to his star actress Sophie; and dashing male lead Clive, who firmly believes he's destined for better things. The show's success continues rocketing and the cast and crew are having the time of their lives. But when the script begins to get a bit too close to home, and life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. How long can they keep going before it's time to change the channel? Nick Hornby's novel is about popular culture and the swinging sixties. Sophie Straw is learning about youth and old age, fame and hard work, class and collaboration. Funny Girl offers a captivating portrait of youthful exuberance and freedom at a time when Britain itself was experiencing one of its most enduring creative bursts. Hornby fans will love his latest book, as will readers of David Nicholls, Mark Haddon and William Boyd. 'Fans won't be disappointed by this new story... endearing, humorous and touching, full of spot-on period detail, all brought to vivid life by a cast of very human characters. Hugely enjoyable' Sunday Mirror 'Resolutely, winningly light-hearted' Observer 'Nick Hornby's funny, winningly perceptive novel is a pleasure to read' Telegraph 'If you devoured About a Boy and whizzed through High Fidelity you're going to love Nick Hornby's brilliant new novel. Hilarious and captivating, this is a fabulous read' Take a Break 'There is something about Hornby's writing that is so simple, so easy-to-read and yet so sensitive and profound at the same time, that anything he writes turns out very special. The premise of Funny Girl is like a lot of Nick Hornby's irritatingly genius ideas: something so obvious you can't believe no one thought of it before.' Independent 'Everything he writes is addictively readable and clever, but with this one he just surpasses himself' Red 'Effortlessly engaging... Hornby's writing is so fluid, he has a great knack for capturing atmosphere and skewering a character with a killer phrase' - Evening Standard
May 2015 Book of the Month. I would like to say ‘classic’ Hornby but the thing I most like about his writing is that the stories are all different, so one can hardly say ‘classic’. But it is all one would expect. Light but entertaining, a story about people. It’s about an inspiring actress-cum-comedian from Blackpool who wins a beauty contest but really doesn’t want to spend a year opening supermarkets! We are in the early 1960s. She gives back her crown and flees to London. We follow her through early struggles and on into falling on her feet in a ‘ground breaking’ series for the BBC. A Lancashire accent, a working-class character and dealing with man/woman becoming husband/wife and eventually baby issues. Years later, at the 50 year celebration, a young producer gets the idea of putting on a play about “what happened next”. We, of course, have followed the main players all the way through in a clever slice of cultural history. Utterly enthralling and highly recommended. ~ Sarah Broadhurst One of our Books of the Year 2014.
From the bestselling author ofHigh Fidelity,About a Boy, andA Long Way Downcomes a highly anticipated new novel. Set in 1960s London,Funny Girlis a livelyaccount ofthe adventures of the intrepid young Sophie Straw as she navigates her transformation fromprovincial ingenue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. Insightful andhumorous, Nick Hornby's latest does what he does best: endears us to a cast of characters who are funny if flawed, and forces us to examine ourselves in the process.
Sehm - molodoj paren' iz ne slishkom blagopoluchnoj sem'i. Edinstvennaya radost' v zhizni dlya nego - katanie na rolikovoj doske. Kumir Sehma - legendarnyj skejtbordist Toni Houk. V glazah podrostka on bozhestvo, tot, kto navernyaka pomozhet preodolet' vse trudnosti, kakimi by ne preodolimymi oni ni kazalis'. I kogda v zhizni Sehma voznikaet real'naya problema - zaberemenela ego nesovershennoletnyaya podruzhka, - on obrashchaetsya za pomoshch'yu k posteru s portretom kumira v nadezhde, chto sovershitsya chudo...
Nick Hornbys grandioser neuer Roman: ein Ausflug ins Swinging London der SixtiesDie hbsche Barbara entflieht der Provinz und zieht nach London, um berhmt zu werden. Sie bekommt tatschlich die Hauptrolle in einer neuen Fernseh-Sitcom, die zu einer der erfolgreichsten TV-Shows Englands wird. Das Team wird ihre Familie - doch was passiert, wenn Ruhm und Glanz irgendwann verblassen?Anfang der 60er: Barbara nimmt die Wahl zur "e;Miss Blackpool"e; nicht an, als ihr aufgeht, dass sie dann ein weiteres Jahr in diesem verschlafenen Provinzstdtchen verbringen msste. Stattdessen zieht sie nach London, ins Herz der neu entstehenden Popkultur, um Komikerin zu werden. Was zunchst aussichtslos erscheint, wird Wirklichkeit, und die Truppe rund um die beiden Drehbuchschreiber Tony und Bill, den Produzenten Dennis sowie Schauspielkollegen Clive ersetzt Barbara fortan die Familie. Alle sind von der Idee besessen, aus ihrer Sitcom einen Riesenerfolg zu machen, was ihnen trotz privater groer und kleiner Katastrophen auch gelingt. Doch was passiert, wenn Schnheit und Ruhm mit der Zeit verblassen?Nick Hornby nimmt den Leser mit ins brodelnde London der 60er-Jahre, mitten hinein in die Welt der am Hungertuch nagenden Gagschreiber, der berarbeiteten Regisseure, der egozentrischen Schauspieler und der vom groen Durchbruch trumenden Mdchen. Ein Buch ber ganz groe Auftritte, lebenslange Freundschaft und die groe Liebe.
Klassiker, Bestseller und Kultbuch - jetzt in einer brillanten neuen Ubersetzung erstmals als eBookGleich sein erstes Buch machte Nick Hornby 1992 mit einem Schlag weltweit berhmt: "e;Fever Pitch"e; hat beim Publikum und bei den Journalisten wahre Begeisterungsstrme entfacht. Hornbys Buch war bahnbrechend, weil es als erstes auf den Punkt brachte, was Fuballbesessenheit in all ihren ernsten und komischen Facetten ausmacht."e;Fever Pitch"e; erzhlt die Geschichte eines Fuballfans, dessen Leben von den seltenen Siegen und zahlreichen Niederlagen seines Clubs bestimmt wird. Der Fan heit Nick Hornby, sein Verein Arsenal London. Mit wunderbarer Leichtigkeit und sprhendem Witz schildert Hornby die Spiele und sein Leben.
Stellen Sie sich vor, alle Ihre Vergehen stehen in der ZeitungAls Charlie und Elaine sich scheiden lassen, leben sie schon seit Lngerem getrennt. Die Scheidung ist also einvernehmlich, so lautet jedenfalls Charlies Aui assung. Dass Elaine das ganz anders sieht und Charlie an allem die Schuld gibt, erfhrt er aus der Zeitung, fr die Elaine schreibt: In einer wchentlichen Kolumne zerrt sie jegliches Fehlverhalten ihres Exmannes gensslich in die ffentlichkeit. Wie soll Charlie jemals wieder eine Frau kennenlernen, wer will mit einem solchen Fiesling schon zusammen sein? Doch da meldet sich eine Frau, der mit ihrem Exmann hnliches widerfhrt, und die beiden Geschmhten kommen zusammen Mit seinem unnachahmlichen Humor, dem Blick fr die Absurditten des Alltags und der liebevollen Beschreibung naiver Loser erzhlt Nick Hornby, warum eine Trennung ganz schn gefhrlich sein kann.
Ot proslavlennogo Nika Hornbi, avtora takih ehkranizirovannyh bestsellerov, kak "e;Hi-Fi"e;, "e;Moj mal'chik"e;, "e;Futbol'naya goryachka"e;, - kniga o chelovecheskoj vzaimopomoshchi i cepnoj reakcii. Kazhdyj chelovek hot' raz v zhizni zadumyvalsya o samoubijstve. I kazhdyj iz nas hotel, chtoby nas ostanovili i pozhaleli. V novogodnyuyu noch' gruppe lyudej vzbrelo v golovu sprygnut' s kryshi, ne sgovarivayas'. U kazhdogo iz nih est' svoi na to prichiny, i kazhdyj schitaet, chto ehto konec. Paren' s razbitoj mechtoj stat' muzykantom, devushka s neschastnoj lyubov'yu, mat'-odinochka s synom invalidom, televedushchij, izgnannyj so skandalom No suicid ne zadaetsya, i oni reshayut ponyat', chto zhe s kazhdym proiskhodit. A ponyat' - ehto uzhe pochti vse ravno, chto pomoch' V 2014 godu na ehkrany vyhodit odnoimennaya kinoversiya - angloyazychnyj debyut francuzskogo rezhissera Paskalya SHomelya, izvestnogo rossijskomu zritelyu romanticheskoj komediej "e;Serdceed"e; s Vanessoj Paradi. Glavnye roli v "e;Dolgom padenii"e; ispolnili Pirs Brosnan, Aaron Pol (zvezda seriala "e;Vo vse tyazhkie"e;), Rozamund Pajk, Imodzhen Puts.
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby's hilarious bestseller now a major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan. ' Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all ...but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living? Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. If you like Jonathan Coe, David Sedaris and David Nicholls, you will love this book. A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page...Hornby's best yet . (Literary Review). Hornby's best novel to date, impossible to put down...how can an examination of four people's anguish be so enthralling? (Ruth Rendell, Guardian). Masterful...some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading . (Johnny Depp). Nick Hornby has captivated readers and achieved widespread critical acclaim for his comic, well-observed novels About a Boy, How to be Good, Juliet, Naked, Slam and High Fidelity. His three works of non-fiction, 31 Songs (shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award), Fever Pitch (winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award) and The Complete Polysyllabic Spree are also available from Penguin.
Featured on The TV Book Club on More4 on 7 February 2010. As you would expect in a book about relationships revolving around a music obsession Nick Hornby manages to get in his musical references and loves in to the pages throughout this book. The story is about a relationship where the characters are facing middle age and wondering if they have wasted years not really achieving anything in their lives. If it sounds a little bit depressing don’t worry, as always, Hornby injects his humour throughout the story and creates interesting and memorable characters.
About a Boy is Nick Hornby's comic and heart-warming million-copy bestseller 'How cool was Will Freeman?' Too cool! At thirty-six, he's as hip as a teenager. He's single, child-free, goes to the right clubs and knows which trainers to wear. He's also found a great way to score with women: attend single parents' groups full of available (and grateful) mothers, all hoping to meet a Nice Guy. Which is how Will meets Marcus, the oldest twelve-year-old on the planet. Marcus is a bit strange: he listens to Joni Mitchell and Mozart, looks after his mum and has never owned a pair of trainers. But Marcus latches on to Will - and won't let go. Can Will teach Marcus how to grow up cool? And can Marcus help Will just to grow up? This astonishing novel, now a modern classic, was adapted for the acclaimed 2002 film About A Boy, starring Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult. Fans of One Day by David Nicholls and Any Human Heart by William Boyd will devour this book, as will lovers of fiction everywhere. 'A stunner of a novel. Utterly read-in-one-day, forget-where-you-are-on-the-tube-gripping' Marie Claire 'About the awful, hilarious, embarrassing places where children and adults meet, and Hornby has captured it with delightful precision' Irish Times 'It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby has it - in buckets' Literary Review
Nick Hornby's second bestselling novel is about sex, manliness and fatherhood. Will is thirty-six, comfortable and child-free. And he's discovered a brilliant new way of meeting women - through single-parent groups. Marcus is twelve and a little bitnerdish: he's got the kind of mother who made him listen to Joni Mitchell rather than Nirvana. Perhaps they can help each other out a little bit, and both can start to act their age.
A book that many a football fan can, no doubt, relate too. Hornby tells the story of his fanatical love of football from the age of 11. The amazing recall of every match, every player, every goal, every touch of the ball that some fans manage to have Nick Hornby certainly has. It’s a miracle he manages to find time to write his fiction!
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby's hilarious bestseller about strangers and secrets 'Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all . . . but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living? Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. If you like Jonathan Coe, David Sedaris and David Nicholls, you will love this book. 'A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page. . . Hornby's best yet' Literary Review 'Hornby's best novel to date, impossible to put down. . . how can an examination of four people's anguish be so enthralling?' Ruth Rendell, Guardian 'Masterful. . . some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading' Johnny Depp
How to be Good is Nick Hornby's hilarious bestselling novel on life, love and charity 'I am in a car park in Leeds when I tell my husband I don't want to be married to him any more. . . ' London GP Katie Carr always thought she was a good person. With her husband David making a living as 'The Angriest Man in Holloway', she figured she could put up with anything. Until, that is, David meets DJ Goodnews and becomes a good person too. A far-too-good person who starts committing crimes of charity like taking in the homeless and giving their kids' toys away. Suddenly Katie's feeling very bad about herself, and thinking that if charity begins at home, then maybe its time to move. . . This laugh-out-loud novel, from the bestselling author of About a Boy and High Fidelity, will have you gripped from start to finish and will appeal to fans of David Nicholls and Jonathan Coe, as well as readers in need of a moral compass everywhere. 'Pins you in your armchair ad won't let go . . . How to be Good? How to be bloody marvellous, more like' Mail on Sunday 'It does exactly what it says on the cover. Hornby's prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut' Independent 'The writing is so funny, and the set-pieces so brilliant...Hornby's best book since Fever Pitch' Lynn Truss, The Times
'I decided that I wanted to write a little book of essays about songs I loved ... Songs are what I listen to, almost to the exclusion of everything else.' In his first non-fiction work since Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby writes about 31 songs that either have some great significance in his life - or are just songs that he loves. He discusses, among other things, guitar solos and losing your virginity to a Rod Stewart song and singers whose teeth whistle and the sort of music you hear in Body Shop. 'The soundtrack to his life ... a revealing insight into one of Britain's most popular writers' Evening Standard
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby is a tragicomic tale of strangers and secrets 'Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all . . . but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living? Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. If you like Jonathan Coe, David Sedaris and David Nicholls, you will love this book. 'A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page. . . Hornby's best yet' Literary Review 'Hornby's best novel to date, impossible to put down. . . how can an examination of four people's anguish be so enthralling?' Ruth Rendell, Guardian 'Masterful. . . some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading' Johnny Depp
'There was this time when everything seemed to have come together. And so obviously it was time to go and screw it all up.' Sam is sixteen and a skater. Just so there are no terrible misunderstandings: skating = skateboarding. There's no ice. Life is ticking along nicely for Sam: his mum's got rid of her rubbish boyfriend, he's thinking about college and he's met someone. Alicia. Then a little accident happens. One with big consequences for someone just finding his way in life. Sam can't run (let alone skate) away from this one. He's a boy facing a man's problems and the question is - has he got what it takes to confront them?
High Fidelity is Nick Hornby's hilarious and heart-breaking first novel bestseller Do you know your desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable split-ups? Rob does. He keeps a list, in fact. But Laura isn't on it - even though she's just become his latest ex. He's got his life back, you see. He can just do what he wants when he wants: like listen to whatever music he likes, look up the girls that are on his list, and generally behave as if Laura never mattered. But Rob finds he can't move on. He's stuck in a really deep groove - and it's called Laura. Soon, he's asking himself some big questions: about love, about life - and about why we choose to share ours with the people we do. A million-copy bestseller, and adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack, High Fidelity explores the world of break-ups, make-ups and what it is to be in love. This astutely observed and wickedly funny book will be enjoyed by readers of David Nicholls and William Boyd, and by generations of readers to come. 'It will give enormous pleasure at the same time as expanding in a small but worthwhile way, the range of English literature' Independent on Sunday 'Leaves you believing not only in the redemptive power of music but above all the redemptive power of love. Funny and wise, sweet and true' Independent 'A triumphant first novel. True to life, very funny and moving' Financial Times
Gripping and funny this novel will appeal to all those who have ever picked up a skateboard and even those who haven't. From the author who brought you High Fidelity and Fever Pitch comes a new novel written for the teenage audience.
Books, Movies, Rhythm, Blues is the companion volume to Fan Mail, Nick Hornby's collection of writings on football. This second collection brings together the best of his other non-fiction pieces, on film and tv, writers and painters and music, and including one exceptional fragment of autobiography. With subject matter ranging from the Sundance Festival to Abbey Road Studios, from P.G. Wodehouse to The West Wing, these are pieces that 'were written for fun, or because I felt I had things to say and time to say them, or because the commissions were unusual and imaginative, or because ... I was being asked to go somewhere I had never been before.'
A new collection of nonfiction writing on culturefrom the bestselling author of High Fidelity.Books, Movies, Rhythm, Blues brings together the best of Nick Hornby's non-fiction pieces on film and tv, writers and painters and music, and including one exceptional fragment of autobiography. With subject matter ranging from the Sundance Festival to Abbey Road Studios, from P.G. Wodehouse to The West Wing, these are pieces that were written for fun, or because I felt I had things to say and time to say them, or because the commissions were unusual and imaginative, or because I was being asked to go somewhere I had never been before.
Fan Mail: Twenty Years of Writing about Football by Nick Hornby, the bestselling author of Fever PitchAfter the phenomenal success of Fever Pitch, Nick Hornby tried to avoid writing about football, for fear that he'd be writing about it forever. But occasionally over the years he's found it impossible to turn down a particularly enticing assignment or, in the case of the 2012-13 Premier League, just unable to resist writing about that most spectacular of seasons.Fortunately for those who love great writing about football, all these fugitive pieces are collected in Fan Mail. You can follow the fortunes, as Hornby did, of a hopelessly out-of-their-depth Cambridge United in the old Second Division, discover why Perry Groves was an unlikely hero among Arsenal fans, enjoy Hornby trying to explain the World Cup to Americans, and share with him the pain of watching our national team.This Penguin Special, available exclusively as an ebook, can be read in two hours or less. It will be loved by readers of The Secret Footballer and Inverting the Pyramid, as well as fans of Hornby everywhere.'Fever Pitch is the best football book ever written' Nick Lezard, GQ
A new collection of soccer writing bythe bestselling author of Fever Pitch.After the phenomenal success ofFever Pitch, Nick Hornby tried to avoid writing about soccer, for fear that he'd be writing about it forever. But occasionally over the years hes found it impossible to turn down a particularly enticing assignment or, in the case of the 2012-13 Premier League, just unable to resist writing about that most spectacular of seasons.Fortunately for those who love great writing about soccer, all these fugitive pieces are collected inFan Mail. You can follow the fortunes, as Hornby did, of a hopelessly out-of-their-depth Cambridge United in the old Second Division, discover why Perry Groves was an unlikely hero among Arsenal fans, enjoy Hornby trying to explain the World Cup to Americans, and share with him the pain of watching his national team.
The Twentieth Anniversary Edition As a young boy, growing up in London and watching his parents' marriage fall apart, Nick Hornby - author of High Fidelity, About a Boy and The Complete Polysyllabic Spree - had little sense of home. Then his dad took him to Highbury. Arsenal's football ground would become the source of many of the strongest feelings he'd ever have: joy, humiliation, heartbreak, frustration and hope. In this hilarious, moving and now-classic book, he vividly depicts his childhood life, his time as a teacher, and his first loves (after football), all through the prism of the game, as he insightfully and brilliantly explores obsession, and the way it can shape a life.
"e;Ruhrend und durch und durch uberzeugend."e; The GuardianSam, 15, kann kaum glauben, dass Alicia, die eigentlich eine Nummer zu gro fur ihn ist, sich tatsachlich fur ihn interessiert. Doch nach einer kurzen Zeit des Glucks kommt es knuppeldick: Konnte es sein, dass sie schwanger ist?"e;Eigentlich lief alles gerade ziemlich gut. Ich wrde sogar sagen, dass die Entwicklungen der letzten sechs Monate durchgngig positiv gewesen waren. Zum Beispiel hatte Mum sich von Steve getrennt, ihrem bescheuerten Freund. Zum Beispiel konnte ich pltzlich zwei neue Skatingtricks, nachdem ich mich wochenlang ffentlich blamiert hatte. Das alles, und auerdem hatte ich noch Alicia kennengelernt."e;Sam, selbst Sohn einer 32-jhrigen Mutter, ist ein besessener Skateboardfahrer. Seine Bibel ist die Autobiographie des berhmten Skateboarders Tony Hawk, die fr alle Lebensfragen das richtige Zitat bietet. Selbst als sich Sam in Alicia verliebt, luft alles wie am Schnrchen und die beiden kommen tatschlich zusammen. Doch dann droht die Glcksstrhne zu reien, denn Sam muss Angst haben, dass Alicia schwanger ist: Da mit der Angst zu leben immer noch besser ist, als zu wissen, dass die schlimmsten Befrchtungen Wirklichkeit geworden sind, nimmt Sam erstmal Reiaus. Mit wunderbarer Ironie schildert Nick Hornby in seinem neuen Roman Sams Sprung ins Erwachsensein. Das ist erbarmungslos ehrlich, rhrend und saukomisch.
Der Kultroman von Nick HornbyDer 35-jahrige Robert Fleming ist Besitzer eines mehr schlecht als recht laufenden Plattenladens und soeben von seiner beruflich erfolgreichen Freundin Laura wegen seiner Antriebs- und Orientierungslosigkeit verlassen worden - weil er sich weigert, erwachsen zu werden. Rob hat grundsatzlich Probleme mit Veranderungen, in seinem Geschaft werden ausschlielich Schallplatten aus Vinyl verkauft, neumodische CDs kommen nicht infrage. In seinem Leben dreht sich alles um Popmusik. Wer nicht mindestens 500 Schallplatten besitzt, dem verweigert er jeglichen Respekt. Nach Lauras Auszug sucht er erst einmal Trost darin, seine Plattensammlung neu zu sortieren, und zwar nicht chronologisch, nicht alphabetisch, sondern autobiografisch. Rob unternimmt den Versuch, sein Leben zu bilanzieren, und geht der Frage nach, warum seine Beziehungen immer scheitern. Um die Frage zu beantworten, versucht er die funf Frauen, die ihm am meisten Liebeskummer zugefugt haben, ausfindig zu machen und zu treffen. Immer wieder versucht er sich einzureden, dass Liebeskummer in seinem Alter nicht mehr wirklich bedeutend sei, sondern nur lastig wie ein Schnupfen oder Geldmangel, und dass das Singleleben durchaus viele Vorzuge biete. Doch auch das Herumhangen mit seinen Angestellten Dick und Barry im Plattenladen, zwei Geschmacksfundamentalisten, die er allerdings mehr als tragische Gestalten und weniger als wirkliche Freunde begreift, und eine Affare mit einer Sangerin fullen ihn nicht aus. Als er reflektiert, dass seine Exfreundin Laura mit ihrer Kritik nicht immer ganz falsch lag und sich Schallplatten und Frauen nicht ausschlieen, hat er nur noch eins im Sinn: sie wieder zuruckzugewinnen. Nick Hornbys literarische Bearbeitung der eigenartigen Beziehung von Mnnern zu Schallplatten wurde rasch zum Erfolgsroman und war monatelang auf den Bestsellerlisten. Die Verfilmung des Romans im Jahre 1999 durch Stephen Frears trug darber hinaus zur Popularitt von High Fidelity bei.
Nick Hornbys Fuballjahr - exklusiv als eBook extra!Nick Hornby erweist sich einmal mehr als ein profunder Kenner und leidenschaftlicher Fan des Fuballs. Mit einem genauen Blick fr die Absurditten auf dem Platz und im Leben der Fuballstars erinnert er sich fr uns in gewohnt ironischer Weise an die besten Situationen, die vermeidbarsten Niederlagen, die rgerlichsten Momente, die berauschendsten Siege und die peinlichsten Skandale whrend der Fuballsaison 2011/12.
'That is why there is NOTHING better than sport' Kevin PietersenThe 2011-12 Premier League season finished on an afternoon so extraordinary that it prompted Kevin Pietersen's tweet. Yet this was just the climax of an incredible season. By May fans of most clubs had been enthralled, appalled, depressed, elated, shocked and enraged. Along the way football had somehow managed to encompass politics, high finance, the law and matters of life and death. In Pray Nick Hornby, author of the classic Fever Pitch, offers an entertaining and typically insightful account of this most extraordinary of seasons. Beginning with the weekend of 28 August when the Man Utd demolition of Arsenal 8-2 and the Man City demolition of Spurs 5-1 showed what was to come, he concentrates on a number of games whose significance went beyond the immediate result: the October games with alleged rascist incidents, the fairy-tale return of Thierry Henry, the collapse of Fabrice Muamba, the Carling Cup Final where Liverpool's victory only served to point up the club's problems, the unusual (but increasingly more common) 4-4 draw between Man Utd and Everton...It was a season of tumultuous incident and enormous entertainment, a season more glorious than most. Read all about it, and relive it, here.
Komisch, rasant, mit schwarzem Humor - der neue Nick HornbyVier Menschen auf dem Dach eines Londoner Hochhauses, die sich an Silvester das Leben nehmen wollen, schlieen einen Pakt: neuer gemeinsamer Selbstmord-Termin ist der Valentinstag. Es bleiben sechs Wochen, die gemeinsam uberlebt werden mussen... Silvester, auf dem Dach eines Hochhauses: Pech, dass gleich vier Menschen auf die Idee gekommen sind, sich dort das Leben zu nehmen. Da man sich schlecht umbringen kann, wenn einem andere dabei zusehen, steigt die seltsame Gruppe erst mal vom Dach, um das Problem der jngsten Kandidatin, die nicht wei warum ihr Freund sie verlassen hat, zu lsen. Nach und nach erzhlen sie sich ihre Geschichten.Da ist die altjngferliche Maureen, deren Sohn Matty schwerstbehindert ist und die diese Belastung allein tragen muss, da ist Martin, der berhmte Talkmaster, den nach einem Gefngnisaufenthalt niemand mehr auf dem Bildschirm sehen will, Jess, die aufmpfige Tochter eines Politikers, ist so direkt, dass sie alle vor den Kopf stt, und JJ, der von seinem besten Freund, dem Snger seiner Band, im Stich gelassen wurde. Die vier verabreden, mit dem finalen Sprung bis zum Valentinstag zu warten - und so findet eine Gruppe von Menschen zueinander, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein knnten und die einander doch auf wundersame Weise zu helfen wissen. Hornby at his best - in diesem urkomischen, rasanten und mit schwarzem Humor gespickten Roman beweist Hornby wieder einmal seine ganze Meisterschaft. Leser, freut Euch!
Nick Hornbys erfolgreichster RomanKinder sind so ungefhr das letzte, was sich Will Freeman, 36 Jahre alt und berzeugter Single, wnscht. Er lebt gut und faul von den Tantiemen eines Weihnachtslieds, das sein Vater 1938 komponiert hat. Seine Tage verbringt er mit Nichtstun, und an den Abenden bemht er sich zur Zerstreuung um junge, alleinerziehende, gutaussehende Mtter.Marcus hat mit seinen zwlf Jahren ganz andere Probleme. Seine Eltern sind getrennt, und seine Mutter hat die bengstigende Neigung, stndig in Trnen auszubrechen. In der Schule ist Marcus nicht zuletzt wegen seiner Kleidung, seines Haarschnitts und seines Musikgeschmacks ein Auenseiter. Zum Glck bringt ihn das Schicksal mit Will zusammen. Und was das Schicksal einem schenkt, das lsst man so schnell nicht wieder losNick Hornbys erfolgreichster Roman wurde verfilmt mit Hugh Grant, Toni Colette und Rachel Weisz. Der Film wurde - wie das Buch - ein riesiger Erfolg.
Katies Seitensprung ist eigentlich nicht das Problem, auch wenn sie ihrem Mann spontan einen Scheidungsantrag macht, der nicht angenommen wird. David, ein frustrierter unveroffentlichter Schriftsteller, halt das Banner der Familie hoch, zu deren Unterhalt er nur bescheiden mit giftigen Zeitungskolumnen beitragt. Aber immerhin ist er ein recht ordentlicher Hausmann und ein eingespielter Ehepartner. Katies groes Problem ist DJ GoodNews. Der moraltriefende Heiler mit dem exotischen Augenbrauenpiercing und unbestreitbaren Heilerfolgen zieht zu Katie und David und krempelt die Familie um.
Nick Hornbys neue Erzahlungen - einfach brillantVier Erzhlungen von Nick Hornby, in denen umwerfend sympathische und leicht naive Menschen in ziemlich blde Situationen kommen und versuchen, das Beste daraus zu machen. Eine Mutter erfhrt, dass ihr Sohn Pornostar ist, weil eine gemeine Nachbarin ihr die Videokassette in den Briefkasten schmeit. In Champina, dem kleinsten Land der Welt, wird Stefan gezwungen, in der Nationalelf mitzuspielen, weil es halt nur elf Mnner in Champina gibt. Ein unheimlicher Videorekorder sagt die Zukunft voraus, und ein Wachmann in einer Galerie muss auf ein Bild aufpassen, das auf den zweiten Blick provozierende Details preisgibt. Mit einem unbestechlichen Blick fr die Schrullen seiner Figuren erzhlt Nick Hornby ironische, wahre, aberwitzige Geschichten, die dem Leser auf vergngliche Weise zeigen, wie unberechenbar das Leben sein kann. Der fr den deutschen Buchmarkt zusammengestellte Band enthlt die Storys "e;Not a Star"e;, "e;Small Country"e;, "e;Otherwise Pandemonium"e; und "e;NippleJesus"e;, von denen nur die letzte Geschichte bereits auf Deutsch erschienen ist.
Eine exklusive Nick Hornby Erzahlung aus dem Band "e;Small Country"e;: Es ist schlimm genug, wenn eine Mutter erfahren muss, dass ihr Sohn ein Pornostar ist. Noch schlimmer ist es jedoch, wenn diese Nachricht ausgerechnet von der neugierigen Nachbarin uberbracht wird. Als Lynn ihren Sohn Mark als Hauptdarsteller in einem Pornofilm betrachtet, muss sie sich schwierigen Fragen stellen. Woher stammen seine besonderen Qualitaten? Und wie soll sie das ihrem Mann beibringen? Es gibt Dinge, die wollen Eltern von ihren Kindern gar nicht wissen...
Nick Hornbys neue Erzahlungen - einfach brillantVier Erzhlungen von Nick Hornby, in denen umwerfend sympathische und leicht naive Menschen in ziemlich blde Situationen kommen und versuchen, das Beste daraus zu machen. Eine Mutter erfhrt, dass ihr Sohn Pornostar ist, weil eine gemeine Nachbarin ihr die Videokassette in den Briefkasten schmeit. In Champina, dem kleinsten Land der Welt, wird Stefan gezwungen, in der Nationalelf mitzuspielen, weil es halt nur elf Mnner in Champina gibt. Ein unheimlicher Videorekorder sagt die Zukunft voraus, und ein Wachmann in einer Galerie muss auf ein Bild aufpassen, das auf den zweiten Blick provozierende Details preisgibt. Mit einem unbestechlichen Blick fr die Schrullen seiner Figuren erzhlt Nick Hornby ironische, wahre, aberwitzige Geschichten, die dem Leser auf vergngliche Weise zeigen, wie unberechenbar das Leben sein kann. Der fr den deutschen Buchmarkt zusammengestellte Band enthlt die Storys "e;Not a Star"e;, "e;Small Country"e;, "e;Otherwise Pandemonium"e; und "e;NippleJesus"e;, von denen nur die letzte Geschichte bereits auf Deutsch erschienen ist.
A dozen of the most successful and popular writers today including: Helen Fielding, Robert Harris, Patrick Marber, Zadie Smith, John O'Farrell, Roddy Doyle, Melissa Bank and Irvine Welsh have written 6000-word fictional monologues along the lines of Alan Bennet's Talking Heads. And Colin Firth makes his debut as a fiction writer. The result is a book of completely original stories that have heart, soul and wit. All the writers have given their work free, and Penguin is giving GBP1 per copy sold to the TreeHouse Trust, a charity which is setting up a unique school for autistic children
The script for major new film An Education, the story of the bizarre relationship between 1960s teenager Jenny (played by Carey Mulligan) and older man David (Peter Sarsgaard), after she accepts a lift on her way home from music practice one day. Based on Observer journalist Lynn Barber's real-life experience as recounted in her book An Education, the film won the Audience Award for best film at the Sundance Film Festival and tremendous acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival too. It will be released in the UK in October 2009 and promises to be the season's Slumdog Millionaire. Hornby's charming script is included in An Education: The Screenplay, along with stills from the film and a long introduction in which he wittily describes the process of converting someone's very personal memoir into a hit film.
"e;Juliet, Naked ist so gut, so lustig und so schrag wie seine Vorganger High Fidelity oder About a Boy."e; BrigitteNick Hornby tut das, was er am besten kann: Er schreibt ber Musik und die Liebe und die berraschungen, die das Leben fr alle bereithlt. Tucker Crowe, ehemaliger Rockstar und Ikone einer kleinen Schar glhender Anhnger, lebt zurckgezogen in einer amerikanischen Kleinstadt. Seinetwegen stellt Annie im weit entfernten England ihre Beziehung zu Duncan in Frage Tucker Crowe, der 1986 kurz vor einem Gig spurlos verschwand, kann kaum glauben, was er im Internet alles ber sich lesen muss. Dort tauschen seine glhendsten Fans Informationen aus, nachdem sie alle Sttten seines Schaffens besucht haben, sie lesen seine Songtexte rckwrts und tun noch manch andere merkwrdige Dinge, um Hinweise auf seine Person und seinen Aufenthaltsort zu erhalten. Zu dieser leicht verblendeten Community gehrt auch Duncan, der mit seiner Freundin Annie an der englischen Ostkste lebt. Annie hat sich nach 15 Jahren einigermaen an seinen Spleen gewhnt und lsst ihn gewhren, doch als dann pltzlich, welch eine Sensation!, ein neues Album von Crowe auf den Markt kommt, stellt sie eigenstndig eine Kritik des neuen Albums ins Netz. Duncan ist entsetzt. Fr ihn ist das der Beweis, wie ignorant Annie ist. Tucker Crowe himself wiederum fhlt sich zum ersten Mal verstanden, und er nimmt Kontakt zu Annie auf ... Von der englischen Ostkste nach Amerika und wieder zurck fhrt diese Geschichte, in der zwei einsame Menschen ihr altes Leben satthaben und vor einem Neuanfang stehen.
New York Times-bestselling author Nick Hornby mines the hearts and psyches of four lost souls who connect just when they've reached the end of the line. A Long Way Down is now a major motion picture from Magnolia Pictures starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul, and Imogen Poots.Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives.In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, Nick Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.Intense, hilarious, provocative, and moving, A Long Way Down is a novel about suicide that is, surprisingly, full of life.
About a Boy is Nick Hornby's comic and heart-warming million-copy bestseller 'How cool was Will Freeman?' Too cool! At thirty-six, he's as hip as a teenager. He's single, child-free, goes to the right clubs and knows which trainers to wear. He's also found a great way to score with women: attend single parents' groups full of available (and grateful) mothers, all hoping to meet a Nice Guy. Which is how Will meets Marcus, the oldest twelve-year-old on the planet. Marcus is a bit strange: he listens to Joni Mitchell and Mozart, looks after his mum and has never owned a pair of trainers. But Marcus latches on to Will - and won't let go. Can Will teach Marcus how to grow up cool? And can Marcus help Will just to grow up? This astonishing novel, now a modern classic, was adapted for the acclaimed 2002 film About A Boy, starring Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult. Fans of One Day by David Nicholls and Any Human Heart by William Boyd will devour this book, as will lovers of fiction everywhere. 'A stunner of a novel. Utterly read-in-one-day, forget-where-you-are-on-the-tube-gripping' Marie Claire 'About the awful, hilarious, embarrassing places where children and adults meet, and Hornby has captured it with delightful precision' Irish Times 'It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby has it - in buckets' Literary Review
