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Average Customer Rating:

I'm so relieved to see the other bad reviews!

Customer Rating:

Usually a Nick Hornby fan, but not this time. Besides being meandering, plotless, bizarre and implausible the characters are all quite dislikable, most notably the narrator. While the other characters seem to have a character arc, no matter how unrealistic it may be, the narrator remains hateful, unhappy and stuck, with little kindness for anyone nor any self reflection. That she has an epiphany about the pleasure of reading is just further torture to this reader since this book seems to bring little joy to anyone.

It's okay--good for vacations or reading breaks

Customer Rating:

This was the first Hornby book I've read. I understand now why his books are so easy to put to film. His writing style is very simple--I feel a very bright young person could write with as much authority. They're accessible, but in a way that isn't flattering to the author, in my opinion. Loving the film High Fidelity, I found it disconcerting that his main character's voice in this book (a female doctor) was very similar, near identical at moments, to the voice of Rob. It's an all right book. I read it in less than 24 hours and its a good break from the Faulkner novels I've been reading. The ending is a bit of a disappointment atop everything else. It sounds like I hate it, but I don't. It, for me, is reminiscent to fluff reading, which has its merits from time to time! The concept reminded me of Catherine Ryan Hyde's book, Pay it Forward. Although I like her book better. I'm going to give reading High Fidelity a go as it seems this book seems to get many 3-star reviews, whereas HF does not.

Funny in places, but not terrific

Customer Rating:

This story has a slow start, a poor ending, and a pretty good mid section. The main character, who speaks in the first person, starts by recounting the many disappointments of her sad existence. She has arrives at the midpoint of her life, enters a dark wood, and things go completely off the tracks. She has an affair, fights with her husband and children, and despairs about her job. She confronts her meaningless existence. Hornby makes all of this pretty funny. We get to know her through her interior monologues, where she unflinchingly examines her soul, even though she is not sure that she has one. Her life is turned upside down by the intrusion of a Mr. Goodnews, a miracle working guru, who brings about a radical change in her husband's personality. This leads to some fascinating and truly hilarious scenes. I found myself laughing out loud. I recommended this book to my family several times, and I read it every chance I got. The author gently pokes fun at the main character, a basically kind, upper middle class white person, who her husband calls "a typical joyless liberal." Life punctures her hypocrisies one by one. She admits that she really does little to help others, although she knows that she should. When her husband lays out a plan to actually help the homeless, she is dragged along kicking and screaming. Her husband changes from an angry, insensitive misanthrope into a sensitive, caring, generous man, and she is completely creeped out by this. She ends up in the middle of her kitchen, shouting "F--- the homeless!" in front of her parents and children. That is what charity can do to you. The humor arises from the personalities and the plot, which are artfully constructed. Hornby is a skillful writer. Nevertheless, the book is too long. The action begins to wind down before the final page. In the end, the protagonist stares out into the void and believes that "there's nothing out there at all." I found the ending so disappointing that I retracted my recommendation. In spite of all of its artfulness, the story goes from nothing to nothing, albeit with some good laughs in between.

Makes me want to be good... or at least better

Customer Rating:

Nick Hornby is quickly becoming my favorite author. I loved "A Long Way Down" and "About a Boy." I don't know which is my favorite, but "How to Be Good" is every bit as good as the others. It's painful in its accuracy of the internal conflict every person faces when debating living comfortably vs. helping those in need. One can't help but identify with the seriously flawed narrator, while seeing all those flaws up close, personal, and in glowing neon lights. I'm not being in any way facetious when I say that this novel does make me want to be a better person while still arguing all the reasons why maybe I shouldn't be. Or should be. Or shouldn't... It's a poignant and thought-provoking novel that leaves its reader with a bittersweet aftertaste. Fantastic!

not very good, ... really!

Customer Rating:

'How To Be Good' by Nick Hornby is a disappointing read. Actually, the book is a mess. The plot, such as it is, involves a dysfunctional London family who brings aboard a vagrant, Mr GoodNews, who has mysterious powers to make things ... good. Yes, total rubbish. Mercifully the author does have a sense of humor. But unfortunately midway through 'How To Be Good' most of the humor fades and it becomes burdensome to read. Bottom line: it reads like the author made it up as he went along. Bad.