Synopsis Nick Hornby's breakthrough novel HIGH FIDELITY riffed on pop culture and masculinity with compassion and humor, as his deeply personal characters juggle real-life responsibilities with all-consuming musical geekiness. He returns to the similar terrain with JULIET, NAKED. Annie has given her best to her relationship with Duncan, but finally she's had enough. There is not enough room in Duncan's life for her--all his focus is on his all-consuming obsession with Tucker Crowe, a has-been singer-songwriter. As Juliet moves on with her life, she develops her own relationship with Tucker. Through these three characters, Hornby explores with his particular attention to detail what it means to be a real music fan, as well as offering a unique portrait of a struggling musician. But with an autobiographical edge that can only come from his own life experiences, he also looks at the areas of life that his Peter Pan-like male characters seem so afraid of--parenthood, responsibility, and the joys and fulfillment that growing up can offer.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2009-09-29 | | Narrated by: | Jennifer Wiltsie | | Edition Description: | Unabridged |
| Size | | Height: | 5.8 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 9.6 oz |
Publisher's Note Ending her relationship with a man who turns out to be in love with a reclusive singer, Annie initiates an e-mail friendship with the musician that reveals their mutual loneliness, his concerns about his young son, and his plans to release an acoustic version of his most successful album. By the E. M. Forster-winning author of About a Boy. Simultaneous.
Industry Reviews "Obviously, this is a must-read for Hornby's fans, but it also works as a surprisingly thoughtful complement to the piles of musician bios and memoirs." (starred review) (07/13/2009)
"Few can match the muted humor, lingering poignancy and depth with which Hornby...limns his forgivably human characters." (08/01/2009)
"[Hornby] brings together a compelling, original cast in this sweet and sorrowful tale of rock 'n' roll and love on the rocks....A wise, witty, and bittersweet novel." (starred review) (08/01/2009)
"In Hornby's fiction, music is never just about the music; among contemporary writers, only Jonathan Lethem has his sure sense for the way pop-cultural artefacts [sic] become entwined, for good or ill, with ordinary relationships; and in particular, how pop songs minister to deep needs while exposing all to many fresh ones." (09/04/2009)
"Nobody captures the zealous devotion and bizarre intensity of amateur music snobs better. Yet Hornby's own writing on the subject...is marked by modesty and insight. He gently satirizes rockaphiles in a way that only endears him to them, and though this new novel will appeal to a broad audience for romantic comedy, anyone with a fading poster of Van Morrison will hum along, too." (09/23/2009)
"[I]n its diffident way JULIET, NAKED is as candid as the unplugged music on "Naked" It knows its characters too well to lie about them." (09/23/2009)
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