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11 Local Warehouse Literature- A to Z

Juliet, Naked

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Juliet, Naked Cover

 

Review-A-Day

"If High Fidelity was 'Meet the Beatles,' fresh and catchy, then Juliet, Naked is 'Abbey Road,' less fresh, more complex, but still rock 'n' roll to the ears of music fans." Mark Lindquist, The Oregonian (read the entire Oregonian review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Now in paperback — the New York Times-bestselling novel of rock 'n roll, super fandom, and love, by the beloved author of About a Boy and High Fidelity.

Nick Hornby returns to his roots — music and messy relationships — in this funny and touching new novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption. Annie lives in a dull town on England's bleak east coast and is in a relationship with Duncan which mirrors the place; Tucker was once a brilliant songwriter and performer, who's gone into seclusion in rural America — or at least, that's what his fans think. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker's work, to the point of derangement, and when Annie dares to go public on her dislike of his latest album, there are quite unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three.

Nick Hornby uses this intriguing canvas to explore why it is we so often let the early promise of relationships, ambition and indeed life evaporate. And he comes to some surprisingly optimistic conclusions about the struggle to live up to one's promise.

Review:

"Hornby's books are almost shamefully readable....[H]is characters are always richly, sympathetically drawn....[Juliet, Naked is] tinged with despair, and though the ending offers little by way of hope, its bittersweet ambiguity lends it maturity." The New Yorker

Review:

"[M]arvelous characters and comic, charming moments — exactly why many readers will continue to love Hornby." Bookmarks Magazine

Review:

"Juliet, Naked has all of the strengths readers expect from Hornby. It is funny. Despite the humorlessness of some of the characters, there are fine comic episodes, many of them courtesy of the sad losers who spend their time fantasizing about Tucker Crowe." The Denver Post

Review:

"By the end of...Nick Hornby's engaging and entertaining novel about a reclusive singer/songwriter, I wished I could download Tucker Crowe's albums. But for now, readers will just have to imagine the soundtrack." USA Today

Review:

"In between the delightful writing, spot-on comedy and incisive characterizations that mark Juliet, Naked, Hornby once again zeroes in on the age-old question: What do boy-men want?" Cleveland Plain Dealer

Synopsis:

The New York Times-bestselling author of About a Boy and High Fidelity returns to his roots — music and messy relationships — in this funny and touching novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption.
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About the Author

Nick Hornby is the author of the novels A Long Way Down, Slam, How to Be Good, High Fidelity, and About a Boy, and the memoir Fever Pitch. He has also written Songbook, a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award, and The Polysyllabic Spree, as well as edited the short-story collection Speaking with the Angel. He is the recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters' E. M. Forster Award and the 2003 Orange Word International Writers' London Award.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 7 comments:
Thomas Chandler, November 11, 2011 (view all comments by Thomas Chandler)
Hornby has a knack for writing characters which are flawed, likable and immensely recognizable.

In fact, Juliet, Naked is jammed with interestingly drawn characters, most of whom edge toward growth and redemption, though this isn't Hollywood and there are no Hollywood endings here.

Instead, Hornby writes deftly of a disparate group of people living at the intersection of pop culture, the Internet, sometimes-creepy fandom and everyday (boring) life, most of whom are drifting.

Tucker Crowe is an aging rock star who walked away from the business two decades ago after releasing a critically acclaimed "breakup" album. Pursued by a small coterie of fans who have endlessly analyzed his music, Crowe discovers he can no longer ignore his former wives or estranged children, and runs headlong into Annie, the former girlfriend of one of Crowe's biggest -- and borderline creepiest -- fans.

No coincidence is too great for Hornby to tackle, yet the overall effect of the book is wholly believable.

Neat trick, that.

Hornby remains a favorite writer and Juliet, Naked doesn't disappoint. The dialog snaps and crackles and you simply can't ignore the universal traits he infuses into his characters. More than once I found myself glancing at the page count, wishing it wasn't all going to end soon, and I give it five stars.
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Thomas Chandler, November 2, 2011 (view all comments by Thomas Chandler)
Hornby has a knack for writing characters which are flawed, likable and immensely recognizable.

In fact, Juliet, Naked is jammed with interestingly drawn characters, most of whom edge toward growth and redemption, though this isn't Hollywood and there are no Hollywood endings here.

Instead, Hornby writes deftly of a disparate group of people living at the intersection of pop culture, the Internet, sometimes-creepy fandom and everyday (boring) life, most of whom are drifting.

Tucker Crowe is an aging rock star who walked away from the business two decades ago after releasing a critically acclaimed "breakup" album. Pursued by a small coterie of fans who have endlessly analyzed his music, Crowe discovers he can no longer ignore his former wives or estranged children, and runs headlong into Annie, the former girlfriend of one of Crowe's biggest -- and borderline creepiest -- fans.

No coincidence is too great for Hornby to tackle, yet the overall effect of the book is wholly believable.

Neat trick, that.

Hornby remains a favorite writer and Juliet, Naked doesn't disappoint. The dialog snaps and crackles and you simply can't ignore the universal traits he infuses into his characters. More than once I found myself glancing at the page count, wishing it wasn't all going to end soon, and I give it five stars.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
LukinTimer, January 1, 2011 (view all comments by LukinTimer)
Music. It makes my world go around... I think that's why I've always related so well to Nick Hornby's music infused work. In Juliet, Naked he introduces us to the insular world of extreme super fans, people who spend all of their free time obsessing over a retired rock star, building a world around him which may, or may not have anything to do with reality. They just focus on him, so they don't have to consider their own lives. I love the female protagonist, Hornby's quirky perspective and wit... and the fact that I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Reminded me of college when I would just read for days on end. But mostly this made me laugh because I know some of these people, and have, for very limited periods of time (thankfully!), been one myself. I so get this book.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781594484773
Author:
Hornby, Nick
Publisher:
Riverhead Books
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Edition Description:
Mass Market
Publication Date:
20100931
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
from 12
Language:
English
Pages:
416
Dimensions:
7.99x5.32x.89 in. .72 lbs.
Age Level:
from 18
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Related Subjects


Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z

Juliet, Naked Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.50 In Stock
Product details 416 pages Riverhead Books - English 9781594484773 Reviews:
"Review A Day" by , "If High Fidelity was 'Meet the Beatles,' fresh and catchy, then Juliet, Naked is 'Abbey Road,' less fresh, more complex, but still rock 'n' roll to the ears of music fans." (read the entire Oregonian review)
"Review" by , "Hornby's books are almost shamefully readable....[H]is characters are always richly, sympathetically drawn....[Juliet, Naked is] tinged with despair, and though the ending offers little by way of hope, its bittersweet ambiguity lends it maturity."
"Review" by , "[M]arvelous characters and comic, charming moments — exactly why many readers will continue to love Hornby."
"Review" by , "Juliet, Naked has all of the strengths readers expect from Hornby. It is funny. Despite the humorlessness of some of the characters, there are fine comic episodes, many of them courtesy of the sad losers who spend their time fantasizing about Tucker Crowe."
"Review" by , "By the end of...Nick Hornby's engaging and entertaining novel about a reclusive singer/songwriter, I wished I could download Tucker Crowe's albums. But for now, readers will just have to imagine the soundtrack."
"Review" by , "In between the delightful writing, spot-on comedy and incisive characterizations that mark Juliet, Naked, Hornby once again zeroes in on the age-old question: What do boy-men want?"
"Synopsis" by , The New York Times-bestselling author of About a Boy and High Fidelity returns to his roots — music and messy relationships — in this funny and touching novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption.
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