Monday 4 May 2015

Read - Funny Girl (#7/52)

I read 'Funny Girl' by Nick Hornby for book group this week.  I wasn't looking forward to it for a couple of reasons - I'd inadvertently read some reviews on Amazon before downloading it which were pretty unfavourable, and I've been preferring to read 'real' books rather than ebooks recently.



But do you know what? I really enjoyed it.  I haven't read anything by Nick Hornby for a while, probably not since 'About A Boy', and I'd forgotten how engaging his writing style is.  This is a charming novel with a heroine holding her own in sixties London.  There are obvious parallels with several stars of the era (Cilla Black, Barbara Windsor) but Barbara / Sophie is original enough to be a believable character.  Real people and events are cleverly woven into the story (reminiscent of William Boyd's 'Any Human Heart', although that's on a much grander scale) and it was an easy, pleasant read.  Probably not a prizewinning piece of literature, but I'd definitely recommend it if you want something light and enjoyable.

4 comments:

  1. sometimes a light read is exactly what is called for x

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    1. You're absolutely right! I'm wading through something much bigger and more complicated now (The Goldfinch) - enjoyable but very different.

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  2. I liked Fever Pitch, but I haven't read any Nick Hornby since, I don't think!

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    1. I hadn't read any for ages either, but really pleased I made the effort to read this (although no effort was required to be honest - it's a lovely easy read).

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