Nick Hornby: Juliet, Naked (2009, Penguin Group UK)
eBook
English language
Published Jan. 5, 2009 by Penguin Group UK.
Annie and Duncan are a mid-thirties couple who have reached a fork in the road, realising their shared interest in the reclusive musician Tucker Crowe (in Duncan's case, an obsession rather than an interest) is not enough to hold them together any more. When Annie hates Tucker's 'new release', a terrible demo of his most famous album, it's the last straw - Duncan cheats on her and she promptly throws him out. Via an internet discussion forum, Annie's harsh opinion reaches Tucker himself, who couldn't agree more. He and Annie start an unlikely correspondence which teaches them both something about moving on from years of wasted time.Nick Hornby's compelling new novel, four years after A Long Way Down, is about the nature of creativity and obsession, and how two lonely people can gradually find each other.
I had enjoyed "A Long Way Down" so I was really disappointed in this book. When I finished reading it, I was thinking I would have enjoyed it more if it focused solely on Tucker and Duncan and how music impacts our lives in different ways.
I went into this book thinking "Who would Hugh Grant play in the movie adaptation" and who would play all the other characters. I’ve settled on Emily Blunt for Annie, Hugh Grant as Duncan and Tucker Crowe to be played by Jeff Bridges. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun reading this book; it just fitted so well as an English Rom-Com and I enjoyed every minute of this book. There is no great depth to this book but it was a pleasure to read.
Cute.
Classic Hornby, middle aged, music obsessed character inclusive
Not Hornby's best but a still a lovely sad tale about misspent time. Touches lightly on questions of fraut relationship between artists and their fans, enough to both generate discussion but feel modest. Read in about 3 days and makes me want to complete his bibliography ("A Long Way Down" and "How to Be Good" to go).
