2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of his finest!, Nov 24 2009
I have read all of Nick Hornby's novels. His first, High Fidelity, I thought was a masterpiece. But since then, I felt that each book wasn't as good as the one that preceded it. So I was pleasantly surprised to pick up (and read) Juliet, Naked. The book captures much of what made High Fidelity such a good read.
The book focuses on Annie and Duncan. Duncan is obsessed with a musician - Tucker Crowe - who hasn't written or released any new music for 20 years. Yet that hasn't stopped fans from retracing Tucker Crowe's steps and trying to figure out why he suddenly vanished off the face of the earth. Yet when an acoustic version of Tucker Crowe's fan favourite album gets released - called Juliet, Naked - it starts a chain of events that rattles both Duncan and Annie.
Without going in to a whole bunch of detail, that is the gist of the book. So what makes this book so great? Or at least great in my opinion?
1. Hornby's writing style of throwing in musical references
2. The dynamics of Duncan and Annie's relationship. Something that I think any guy (and probably most women) could relate to
3. Strong characters that you can actually believe in
I liked this book. While it may not be as good as High Fidelity or About A Boy, it's definitely up there.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Another story about music and relationships, Feb 14 2010
Another story about music and relationships might seem more of the same however he does it so well and his writing is so enjoyable that I really didn't mind. The story begins with Duncan who's an enthusiastic fan of Tucker Crowe, a recluse musician who disappeared from the music scene on tour after recording his masterpiece, Juliet Naked. That was over ten years. Duncan's unfortunate girlfriend Annie, has done her best to share his passion however they part ways when she refuses to recognize the brilliance of a recently discovered recording of Juliet Naked Unplugged. Duncan refuses to accept the possibility that Annie could be a legitimate critic of Crowe's music. As a result, she posts her frustration in an article written for the small community of Crowe fanatics on the internet. To her shock and surprise, a favourable response comes from the man himself. With the introduction of Tucker Crowe in the story, we have a return to reflections of relationships lost and reconciliation first introduced in Mr. Hornby's book High Fidelity. Nevertheless, he does it so well, it's easy to forgive him doing it again.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nick does it again!, Nov 10 2009
The ability of writing in seemingly effortless prose is certainly underrated. Yet so few can master it as Nick Hornby does. Once again, he delivers great characters, the kind you would probably sweep aside if you didn't know better. Once you pass the first few pages, you're hooked. By the end, you love them. The best thing about Hornby is how he provides irrefutable evidence for the value of simple, straightforward, unpretentious, good storytelling.
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