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What are readers saying about High Fidelity?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-02 11:59:00.
(Language: English)
  
Liz is right, Rob's is truly the arsehole everyone picks him out to me. We watch Rob, an English record snob, as he makes people feel bad in petty ways and gets his jollies off causing by being "sour" for around 300 pages of *meh*. There are some rather well thought out insights to male psyche, but having to watch them through the eyes of a character I didn't like didn't make the revelation any greater. The biggest props I give this read is Hornby's ability to artfully capture the melancholy mid-life of a boring English guy; he does this very well--but who really needs to here more about that?
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-02-03 06:59:21.
(Language: English)
Good read
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-22 03:47:45.
(Language: English)
Laugh-out-loud funny. A classic tale of a hopeless romantic, who for once just happens to be male. The self deprecating humour ensures that you hang in there through the more tiresome 'relationship' periods. Whilst in general the suburban cum cosmopolitan story and characters are so immediately familiar you can’t help following after ever turn in the road. On a more personal note; this is the perfect read for anyone recently heartbroken. Its relatively contemporary and inherently unpretentious account, of love won and lost and the people left to come to terms with it, serves as a comforting mirror for the readers own experience. At least that’s how it works for me. This book is my perfect remedy, to each and every one of my least satisfying break-ups.
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-01-03 03:08:46.
(Language: English)
What an amazing, charming, insightful book. He captures romance, and life itself, at the awkward point where it turns from sport to serious business. He pinpoints the ambivalence of being with even the right person. Better than the movie, for sure, and that's saying a lot. If I'd read more books like this I'd probably be easier on my fellow humans, and easier on myself.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-14 02:42:25.
(Language: English)
Fans of English romantic comedies and Hugh Grant will enjoy this book (think 'Notting Hill' but set in a record store). The whole book was too sugary for my liking, and not at all moving as the back-cover promises, and the characters too flat. Hornby successfully conveyed the boredom and 'what-to-do-with-myself-now' feeling on the part of the main character, but the opportunity to evoke other emotions associated with breaking up, such as immeasurable loneliness, was forgone. The story: protagonist splits from his girlfriend, causing a great deal of moping and reflecting. The extent of the relationship analysis that follows spans over 35 chapters which is a little bit much, and may raise the (sexist) female reader?s eyebrow; whilst it?s to be expected from a romantic comedy, you wonder if Hornby just had women on the brain and didn?t have anything better to write about. The commentary of the man?s love life is accompanied by a musical soundtrack that suggests it?s a book for thirtysomethings (the Clash, Simply Red, Bruce Springsteen, the list goes on). I liked the analogy that is drawn between the clutter of the record store and the character?s own messy life?that?s as deep as it goes I?m afraid. For a light read it?s not bad.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-02-21 11:52:12.
(Language: English)
Incredibly better than the movie. And I love the movie.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-16 05:32:17.
(Language: English)
Hornby does a good - no great - job getting into the mind of the main character, but my main problem with this book is that I didn't find the protagonist particularly interesting. He is perfectly plausible, his friends are plausible, his situations are realistic, and most of all, his thoughts and personal inner tribulations really made sense. But I just could not be drawn into even caring about what happens to him. If you can get involved in the book, it is a quick read. Otherwise, you end up like myself, plodding through it, laughing at the many inside jokes, but not really enjoying yourself along the way.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-03-30 08:58:06.
(Language: English)
Dumb unless you are an audiophile.
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sterlin posted a review at 2011-12-05 09:37:20.
(Language: English)
My favorite book of all time.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-03-26 12:11:32.
(Language: English)
adorrable <3
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-23 04:22:11.
(Language: English)
This book is a must read for all music enthusiasts.It had a storyline which kept my attention, along with insight into our own personal relationships. Rob is a very imaginable character - someone I could see myself being friends with. I might even say that I would place him in my top five favorite characters list. :)The only thing that hindered my liking of this book a little was the fact that I saw the movie before I read it. So instead of making up my own mental images of the characters and story, I immediately pictured all the scenes from the movie, which followed the book to a T. I recommend that anyone who reads this book should do so before they watch the movie. It's a real spoiler.
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Maja posted a review at 2012-04-05 04:48:50.
(Language: English)
Timeless, universally true, hilarious.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-23 09:55:53.
(Language: English)
I read this after several people recommended it to me ("You're a musician, you'll like it.") Truth be told, I saw the Americanized movie and didn't like it; and I was expecting more of a more trite "men's magazine"-type thing from the novel itself. I regret putting this one off for so many years and should have known that only a Brit could have written such a literary story "about a boy."I was also repeatedly told how funny the book was, and while I certainly snickered along with the anti-hero's bumblings and dark observations, conventional opinions didn't prepare me for how frequently and disarmingly sad, honest and poignant Rob’s account of his pre-mid-life-crisis would be. High Fidelity is no trivial celebration of men, relationships and pop music--it’s about fear and lonliness, yearning and coming up short. This is the stuff of pop records themselves, as Horby’s narrator observes, and he draws those parallels in a way that’s both catchy and real.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-24 04:26:39.
(Language: English)
Fantastic insight into ordinary men's thinking and behaviour patterns! Not having a brother and very little contact with male cousins, I found this book to be a real eye opener! The mysterious ways in men behave, how they just don't make sense or how they say strange things - well completely laid bare for all women to understand. The meaning of life is also laid to rest, which is a good thing for those of us who are constantly asking what the point is. The point is born, raised, study, job, children, born, raised, study, job etc get the pattern? Our main character Rob is dysfunctional and caught in the mundane rhythmn of life, he is distracted and settles for what he thought was second best, he is rootless and utterly selfish, self absorbed and lead astray by his basic carnal needs. A brilliant read again by Hornby, slow to start but interestingly laid out. Not as good as About the Boy but a fair second best. I like the way Hornby links characters from High Fidelity into About the Boy in such a quick and casual way, blink and you could miss it. How often have we passed people by everyday and only random chance causes interaction and familiarity?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-09 03:17:48.
(Language: English)
Nick Hornby's writings (About a boy, High fidelity, How to be good, A long way down etc) are classic takes on modern-day relationships that we often label as love, thereby casting useful insights into the minds of characters that any reader can instantly relate to. Well, not any reader. But if you -1. Are living a life that's chaotic, boring and confusing all at once2. Are facing dilemmas about love, sex, compatibility, fidelity etc.3. Love your parents but can't live with them4. Love your partner but can't live with him/her5. Are tired of being single, but afraid to let go of the supposed joys of singledom- then, High Fidelity is a tale that'll have you go, "Hey, I've been there!"Why am I making a list, you might ask. I'm making a list, a top five list actually, because High Fidelity is a novel that's full of lists, albeit more interesting than this one - top five most memorable split-ups, top five Cheers episodes, top five Elvis Costello songs, etc), so I figured, why not set the mood?This witty and emotionally story is narrated by Rob, an early-thirty-something English guy who runs a record store in a far-out London suburb. He sells albums recorded the old-fashioned way - on vinyl - and is having a tough time making other transitions as well, specifically to adulthood. After his live-in girlfriend, Laura, leaves him for another man, he realizes that he pines not for sexual ecstasy but for the monogamy he's cynically has come to think of as a crime. He takes comfort in the company of the clerks at his store and of a touring singer, Marie La Salle, who is "unpretentious and pretty in that nearly cross-eyed American way." But Rob's life becomes more complicated when he encounters Laura again, and hence unfolds a tale of the trials of fidelity, both mental and actual.Music is a continuous sub-plot in the narrative, like an Air record playing in a background - serene but impossible to ignore. Is it a love story? It can be; if Rob ever realizes what "love" actually embodies. But at the very least, it is a story about the clash between seeking companionship and fearing the loss of individual identity.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-31 09:03:31.
(Language: English)
I saw the film based on this book in 2000 but now I can only remember two things. The first one is that I went out the cinema with a good feeling and the second one is the obsession with music albums of the main character. The most I liked was the vinyl records and music store atmosphere that was very familiar to me some years ago, when you only found music to buy at small record stores after long time searching it. I have just finished reading the book in English and I have found it easy to read despite the fact that there are lot of colloquial expressions. Although some reviews say that it is hilarious and funny I didn't laugh a lot while reading it. I found it entertaining and interesting and in the end I liked it. So, I recommend you to see the film or read the book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-01 10:31:39.
(Language: English)
for all the melancholic boys that has ever fallen in love with someone... heartbreaked... and still think of her sometimes when like hell you don't want to OR in love with bands and singers they look up to and umm likes to geek out with their music collection until their lives depend on it OR both, this is the perfect book for you =) "Some of my favourite songs: 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' by Neil Young; 'Last Night I Dreamed That Somebody Loved Me' by the Smiths; 'Call Me' by Aretha Fanklin; 'I Don't Want to Talk About It' by anybody. And then there's 'Love Hurts' and 'When Love Breaks Down' and 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' and 'The Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness' and 'She's Gone' and 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' and ... some of these songs I have listened to around once a week, on average (three hundred times in the first month, every now and again thereafter), since I was sixteen or nineteen or twenty-one. How can that not leave you bruised somewhere? How can that not turn you into the sort of person liable to break into little bits when your first love goes all wrong? What came first, the music or the misery? Did I listen to music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to music? Do all those records turn you into a melancholy person?" - Rob Fleming
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-06 05:44:55.
(Language: English)
If you're a guy, you'll like this book. Note that I said "guy" and not "man." It's not really a book for "men" who hunt and watch football and run their own corporations. It's for "guys" who listen to a lot of music, watch a lot of movies, go out drinking with their buddies, and either work dead-end jobs or work in jobs they hate. Why will guys love the book? Well, it's a nice summary of the way we think. The pop-culture congestion of Rob's (the main character) thought processes will seem familiar to most guys. So will the rationalizations and childishness. Hornby captures it all perfectly. It's also a really funny book, especially if you're a music fan or have ever worked in a specialty store like Rob's store Championship Vinyl. I doubt women will enjoy this book on the same level. I'm sure some of the workings of Rob's mind exist on common ground, but some of it may be a little alien, or even misogynist. However, I think they will enjoy it. For one thing, it's a love story. For another, the book ultimately does sort of imply that men are basically pathetic, childish creatures who would be lost without women. Hornby is obviously a music fan, and his appreciation shows in the book. The writing style is witty and easy to read. It's about a 300 page book, but it doesn't feel like a 300 page book. In fact, I found myself wishing it would last a bit longer. At the very least, reading this book will give you important information about how to make a mix tape. It will also remind you of a few albums you need to pick up next time you visit the local record store.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-30 05:57:26.
(Language: English)
This book had an odd effect on me (although I suspect not a *unique* effect on me: not an effect others won't have, and not an effect I wouldn't expect from other books). I found myself finding in tunes I used to like having new meaning. Tunes I somehow and for some reason either memorized all the words, or just somehow picked up on the lyrics over time (or in some cases, remembered a girl I used to like, and recalled the said girl singing the said lyrics). That's really odd, I think. Not recalling what the girl ever said to me, or recalling how said girl made me feel or think about her, but recalling said girl looking at me, in my eyes even, and singing the lyrics ... and yet, not singing the lyrics to me, but rather singing the lyrics to a brick wall cleverly disguised as me. And why didn't I kiss her, or talk to her, or strike up a conversation or even a prelude to a relationship with this girl? Because I didn't care for the song, that's why. And that's odd. Really odd. This book explains all these oddities and others, as well, I think. It's because some tunes are best kept for relationships gone bad, or gone incomplete, gone with hopes or expectations out the window, or just plain gone. But we have those tunes, be they on records or mix tapes, or now, buried on an iPod. It's why some tunes are best kept under three minutes long.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-22 06:44:00.
(Language: English)
Rob has a problem with commitment. He’s in his thirties and owns a London record store but isn’t sure what he wants to do with the rest of his life. His girlfriend Laura has broken up with him and he needs to learn what he’s doing wrong. When he isn’t sitting around with his opinionated employees composing top five lists about music, sports and pop culture, Rob is sitting around self-obsessing about his life. This is HIGH FIDELITY. Rob is something of a neurotic yet funny cross between Holden Caulfield and Tom Hansen from 500 DAYS OF SUMMER, which I understand can be annoying to people, but the combination worked for me. Made into a movie in 2000 set in Chicago rather than London and starring John Cusack and Jack Black.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-29 06:18:04.
(Language: English)
Rob Fleming, a record store owner in his 30s, is comfortably nestled in his element and generally likes what he does. He goes on through the day in his store with his employees/best friends and spends idle time discussing the proper way of creating mix-tapes and doing "top 5" lists of songs best suited for practically any situation in life. Rob, in a way, is quite the happy puppy in his state in life. But, then, is he? Laura, his long-time girlfriend, suddenly decides to leave him. Distraught, Rob begins a journey into rediscovering and re-examining, quite fantastically, his past relationships. The journey ends in finding a new fulfilling purpose, altogether - an honest-to-goodness epiphany of sorts. Speaking of epiphanies: You need as much ballast as possible to stop you from floating away; you need people around you, things going on, otherwise life is like some film where the money ran out, and there are not sets, or locations, or supporting actors, and it's just one bloke on his own staring into the camera with nothing to do and nobody to speak to, and who'd believe in this character then? -Nick Hornby, High Fidelity Even on the three millionth rereading of this novel, this particular quote never fails to make me reflect on as to where I am and as to whom I've become for the reason that it reminds me that I won't be in my present state without the people I care for the most; we all really are nowhere without the people we love and who love us.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-06-20 10:24:35.
(Language: English)
If there is one author that is in tune with the human condition, that author is Nick Hornby. His characters are real people. Moreover, his characters reflect a part of the reader. The emotions resonate to the soul of your being, explaining how you feel better than you could have ever described it yourself. High Fidelity ventures into the inner workings of the human relationship. This isn't the relationship your grandparents had. You meet, you fall in love, you get married, end of story. Love is complicated, and nothing in your life is ever easy. Through the main character Rob Fleming, Hornby reminds us of this with the simplicity and inherent complexity of a Desert Island Top 5 Breakup List. Nick Hornby's genius is only surpassed by his knowledge and love of the human soul.
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Kelsey posted a review at 2009-04-03 10:00:50.
(Language: English)
Entertaining and a quick read, but the atmosphere of the novel doesn't seem like it would be that way. The narrator, Rob, is a confused, thirty-something year old who runs a record shop and just lost his girlfriend. He is bitter, let-down, feels like his life has got him nowhere, and, in his own words, he's "a bit of an arsehole." And that's where the reader's conflict sets in. He tells us how much he missed his girlfriend, but then admits to cheating on her. Girls are constantly telling him how good he is, how other guys aren't like that, but bizarrely enough, we never glean these traits from him at all. He is a man sunk in self-pity and second-guesses. It's a cynical, sad view of life, and even the ending seems falsely constructed and done for all the wrong reasons. Maybe I'm an idealist. But Hornby shows the dark side of modern life, even through all the hilarious one-liners and distinctly British dialogue (one of the high points of the book, in my opinion.) There's not a lot of plot, though you will be turning those pages quickly. It's a funny, witty novel with this melancholy, lonely undercurrent running throughout. And even though this strange combination made me slightly wary, the style and the feel the book gives off still makes me want to read more Nick Horby.
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Tong posted a review at 2009-06-18 02:25:26.
(Language: English)
I borrowed this book from my sister-in-law and before that, I never heard of Nick Hornby. This is not my Top Five "Must Read" book. However, the book would become an excellent read if you 1) agree with their "Top Five Songs" and try to get back all those songs they mentioned; 2) give sympathy to a man (Rob) who deep inside believes his (ex) girfriend as a lawyer is more superior; 3) crack up with all those funny little secrets and risque jokes on a man's view 4) believe Rob is a good and adorable guy who just confuses what he is gonna do next as a single 36 year old man 5) touch by the lines when Rob finally proposed to Laura. One of the funniest thing is Rob admitted Bond Girls were out of his leagues but those girls also would not give that "look" to him but Sean Connelly. I can't wait to rent the movie.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-11-17 12:38:37.
(Language: English)
I usually dig Hornby but this was so fucking boring. When I finished it I closed the cover in disgust and remorse that I would never have those few hours of my life back I noticed a review blurb on the jacket. it said something like "every man should read this and every woman who wants to understand a man should too" I want to speak for all men out there by saying we are all not pussies looking for a relationship to define who we are. YUCK!
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