Nick Hornby's 'Funny Girl' receives mainly positive reviews
Nick Hornby鈥檚 newest novel 鈥淔unny Girl鈥� is receiving mainly positive reviews for its story about a TV star living in England in the 1960s.聽
The book, which centers on Sophie, star of the sitcom 鈥淏arbara (& Jim),鈥� is being released on Feb. 3. Hornby is also the author of such books as 鈥淗igh Fidelity鈥� and 鈥淎bout a Boy.鈥�
Both the Monitor and Amazon selected 鈥淕irl鈥� as one of the best books of February, with Amazon editorial director Sara Nelson saying of the book, 鈥淚t's really about the '60s.... [The supporting characters are really great.鈥澛�
鈥淕irl鈥� has received praise elsewhere as well. awarded it a starred review, writing of the novel, 鈥淗ornby wonderfully captures the voice and rhythms of broadcast television of the time, and seems to delight in endless inversions of art imitating life imitating art, his characters inspiring and feeding upon the storylines they produce. The result is a delightful collection of characters that care as much as they harm, each struggling to determine who they want to be.鈥� also gave it a starred review, writing, 鈥淗ornby makes the reader care for his characters as much as he does and retains a light touch with the deeper social implications鈥�. funny, and sad.鈥�
Meanwhile, writer Janet Maslin wrote that the book is 鈥渞ambunctious鈥�. [with] witty illustrations鈥�. [S]omething about the chemistry among writers, actors and their producer-director 鈥� really clicks鈥�. As in any Hornby novel, the mood stays breezy.鈥�
And writer Joe Moran wrote that "Hornby nicely recreates a certain version of 1960s London.... Nothing Hornby writes could ever be a chore to read, and 'Funny Girl'聽displays his usual talents for narrative zip and easy human sympathy.... The interior monologues feel undeveloped and the language used to聽convey feeling, gesture and mood doesn鈥檛 work hard enough.... But the book鈥檚 dialogue 鈥� and there are whole sections that consist almost entirely of direct speech 鈥� is fast and funny."
However, critic David L. Ulin found that 鈥淸there is] a flatness in the novel, a lack of full dimensionality. It's not that 鈥楩unny Girl鈥� is unenjoyable; like much of Hornby's writing, it is funny and fast moving, perceptive and sharp. There is, however, no edge of consequence, no real sense of stakes.鈥澛�
was also not won over, with LJ鈥檚 Christine Perkins of Washington鈥檚 Whatcomb City Library System writing, 鈥淲hile the fictionalized historical parts are compelling, the overall tone is flat, and the characters lack dimension. For a novel about comedy, the humor is off camera, implied but not evident. Hornby's 鈥� usual spark is missing. A readable but melancholy and definitely not funny book.鈥�
