Rating: 
Summary: Mirror of the modern society
Review: Will Freeman , a 36 - year - old single , is in all a cool guy : he earns money without having to work hard for it , his sexual life is fine , he goes clubbing as often as he wants , . .etc. But Will controls his life so much that it becomes monotonous . But then he gets to know Marcus , a 12- year -old parent child who disturbs his whole boring life ! Because of the strange kid Will discovers new aspects in life which he never knew before and which make him feel more useful and above all more content with himself .In my point of view "About a Boy" is a mirror of the modern society . The plot is very realistic and the connection between many different characters is very well done . I recommand you to read this book because I think that Nick Hornby has managed it to write about an extraordinary friendship between a kid and an adult in a very ironic and realistic way that made me often laugh but it also made me reflect on my own life .
Rating: 
Summary: How we get normal
Review: The novelle is about a twelve-year old boy and a 36-year old man, who have both problems. They cannot act their age. By getting friends they start to help each other. The novel is written in omniscient third-person point of view. In each chapter it is written weather from the boy's view or the man's view. The character's view constanly changes. This way of a plot is easy to read and increases the suspense. The charaters are well chosen and act realistic. The reader could simply identify with one of them. I recommend this book, because it encourage you to think about the sence of life and how happy you are in your position.
Rating: 
Summary: ABOUT A BOY
Review: "About A Boy" by Nick Hornby deals with a teenager named Marcus and a man called Will who meet and influence each other.Marcus, who is rather shy, learns to become more self-confident and Will, who often behaves like a child, learns to face his problems and to act more sensibly. In my opinion, "About A Boy" is a very good reading,because it is exciting, interesting and very approach to life,which means it is rather realistically written.Especially the development of the two main characters is an important aspect of the book and very interesting. Finally, I have to say that "About A Boy" is a REALLY GOOD book!
Rating:
Summary: A Top 5 book for me
Review: How many of us have felt like Marcus - alone, a misfit, being laughed at? And how many of us have been Will - seemingly having it all but on the inside, just as confused as everyone else. This book takes two seemingly disparate characters and weaves them into a single story - both learning from one another and realizing that they are not so different after all. The story is about being yourself and how you can learn from yourself as well as your friends how to make it in a confusing world that seems devoid of common sense. Marcus is a decendent of Holden Caulfield, Studs Lonigan, Benjamin Braddock and Rob Gordon - all young men confused with life and how to deal with it and not necesarily understanding it. Most of us can see an autobiography in here. The point the book made to me is that sometimes you need to find your own happiness inside you. It's great to have friends and those you love but ulitmately, the responsiblity is on you for your happiness. And sometimes the answers are not as clear as they should be. About a Boy is in the class with Catcher in the Rye and The Graduate. As always, Nick Hornby's work is always heartfelt and sincere. I would put this book into my top 5 favorite books of all time.
Rating:
Summary: It's About My Life
Review: Marcus and I are comrades. I know how he felt growing up - being different and awkward - being made fun of and not quite fitting in. Coming from a home life that was less than ideal. There is a path from Marcus to Holden Caulfield to William Miller to Benjamin Braddock to Rob Gordon that defines my life. That being said, About a Boy is a touching funny sentimental story about the changes we all must go through in order to grow up. For those of us that thought we would have all the answers when we grew up, About a Boy shows us that we may never have all the answers. But having friends, colleagues and those that care about us is more important than anything. Without a support network, it is very hard to get through life. Anyone reading this book will find himself (or herself) or friends and family to relate to. That is what makes the book so wonderful - its honesty. Nothing sugar coated here - no magic answers no pat formulaic happy endings - just people trying to find themselves in a very confusing world. I thought that High Fidelity was the best book I have ever read. Then I picked up About a Boy. You should do the same.
Rating:
Summary: Laughing on the Bus
Review: This is by third Hornby read. I picked up Fever Pitch several years ago in London and was entralled with his life defining relationship with a football team. Arsenal none-the-less and I have been a fan ever since. . .of both. About a Boy is simply a marvelous book. There is a heartwarming and joyous nature that will cause everyone to find a way to relate to this book. It is simply a fascinating development of characters and Marcus and Will are nothing short of hilarious as they wander through their lives, both understanding the other's life more than there own. I spent many a day on the bus or eating lunch in downtown Cincinnati laughing outloud and only then briefly looking around to see if anyone had noticed. In the end it made no difference because Marcus is well worth any sort of public scene. Regardless of wether you have read Hornby, read this book. He is a master of his characters and brillantly (and simultaneously) describes the trials and tribulations of being the youth that everyone picks on and the 30-something man that still has yet to figure out how to be anything but a kid.
Rating:
Summary: High Paternity
Review: As several reviews have commented, "About A Boy" is not another "High Fidelity," which is a good thing in my opinion since I don't subscribe to the school of thought that says a writer should reproduce the same book as many times as he can get away with it. This novel does have much in common with "High Fidelity," however, beyond Hornby's hilarious command of voice and his brilliance at constructing scenes that are both awkward for the characters and riveting for the reader. His new main character, Will Lightman, suffers from an unusual problem: living off royalties from his father's Christmas song, he has nothing to do with his time but enjoy himself. Now in his mid-thirties, he is concerned that he has not slept with enough women or listened to enough cool music. He stumbled upon the absurd but wonderful idea of passing himself off as a single father to single mothers so that he can win their sympathies and gain access to their panties. This scheme intersects with an unfortunate boy named Marcus, who is such a loser at his new school that even the other losers won't have anything to do with him. He gets enlisted by Will to pass himself off as his son, and much misadventure ensues. "About A Boy" is partly a coming-of-age story and partly a never-growing-up story, and the two tales intertwine wonderfully. I couldn't quite sign on with Hornby's desire to make the death of Kurt Cobain as a major cultural landmark, on the order of the Kennedy assassination perhaps; nor did I ever buy for a second that hapless Marcus would find himself befriended by the coolest and most belligerent Nirvana fan at their school, but those are a few minor points. No one slings out more entertaining prose than Nick Hornby. I just wish the guy would write more books.
Rating:
Summary: I'm not sure what I was expecting
Review: After High Fidelity, I imagined this might be an ultimate male-bonding/growing up novel. An antidote to selfish 30-something serial dating creature of habit lifestyles, learning to become a human being? Not really. Actually the characterizations are slightly too thin early on for me to take Hornby's motives seriously, and it eventually makes it impossible for him to make his point because he's too interested in appearing funny and setting up the farce side of the equation to completely nail the bonding/growing up side of things. A shame, because he had all the trappings available, and certainly has the talent.
Rating:
Summary: Guys, Unmasked
Review: About a Boy By Nick Hornby If you've ever wondered what it's like to just be a guy, Hornby is the man you need to read. Light enough to read on the beach, but brilliant enough that your brain won't atrophy. Hornby's hero starts out as nothing but an aging slacker on the make, and inadvertently becomes a good guy. A great gift for guys of all kinds, single mothers, and anyone who wants a romping good read.
Rating:
Summary: A book full of changing emotions
Review: The novel "About a boy" is about Marcus and Will. Marcus is a weird and intelligent boy and Will is a cool man. Both come together in the novel and they get a close relationship. The story is very funny and realistic but Will's behavior is not satisfactory. He could be more emotional and enthusiastic. I do not think that most people will be able to identify with Will and Marcus. Both characters are rare but on the other hand that makes the book interesting. So in my opinion everyone could enjoy the book. There is not a certain target group for the book. The narrator in the book tells us the story from to different point of views. So you know the thoughts of both main characters in the book. The book is very easy to read because the language is not very demanding. The language is mostly colloquial. The development of the story is slow but it is exciting. The book has a happy ending where all the problems are solved. But in the end I was a little bit disappointed because I had expected more from the book. The atmosphere in the book changes from funny to dramatic and sad. One chapter is very dramatic but the atmosphere is mostly sad and there are many problems. The special thing about this book is that you can laugh out very laud in one part of the book and in the other part you get very sad because of some problems of the characters. That makes the story very realistic and good. I would recommend the book. You should have read this book. The book is not perfect but it is worth reading. You will laugh a lot.
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