Rating: 
Summary: More fun than the movie version
Review: I've loved the movies based on his books for so long that it seems completely stupid that I've never picked up the books. The basic story is about Marcus, a 12-year-old newly moved to London with his off-kilter, depressed mother, Fiona, and his strange friendship with childless, aimless Will. To say anymore of their relationship is to reveal too much plot; suffice it to say, the road of this mismatched friendship is lacking in neither hardships nor amusements. This was a fantastic, funny book that tells a better story than the Hugh Grant movie of the same name. Perhaps my favorite part of this whole read was the way that Hornby captured 12-year-old Marcus's voice so completely; he can explain his quirks in such a way that you can't quite laugh with him, but you feel a little bad laughing at him (though that's what the chapters told in Will's voice enable you to do). In the end, you get to laugh a little at everyone - "I can't believe my parents are such crap!" is perhaps my favorite line. Fabulous book for a rainy weekend.
Rating: 
Summary: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!the best book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Okay I fell in love with the movie high fidelity so instantly I wanted to read all of Nick Hornby's books....this is my favorite book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the ultimate male bonding thing....only instead of two adults and a football game it's a 36 year old and a 12 year old bonding over a hearty game of countdown....After suicide and love enters into their life they stand by eachother...the ending is different then in the movie...but just as special and perfect...
Rating: 
Summary: Not really worth reading
Review: Will is a lazy bachelor wanting a carefree life. However, his search for women's love leads him to the depressed single mother Fiona (new to London) and her son, Marcus, 12, who latches onto Will as a substitute father figure. The book then wanders aimlessly, taking us to Ellie, Katrina, Lindsey, Clive, Ali... The book starts out looking like it will be a promising read: offbeat and amusing. But it gets into a rut and soon becomes boring, with just more and more of the same random social content for 306 pages, without the plot or characters being developed to anything more interesting. The book lacks depth, complexity or any real plot. It lacks any climax. It lacks any clear message. It isn't even rounded off pleasingly, but just tails off to nothing at the end. The characters are mainly uninteresting no-hopers, trying to get by in the world, uninteresting in themselves. The numerous attempts at humour become weak and strained.
The book seems mainly just a pointless waste of the reader's time. The characters are simply made to bump into one another arbitrarily and randomly and say things for 300 pages. Then the book ends.
Rating:
Summary: Cute
Review: Will Lightman is a 36-year-old, unemployed, but well-off man living in London. He spends his days finding trivial ways to fill his endless amounts of time. He's always fashionable. He always knows what's in. In other words, Will is always on top of the game. Will is also a womanizer, and soon finds the joy of the single mother. When he joins a single parents support group and befriends one of the mothers, he meets Marcus, a 12-year-old who acts much older than his 12 years -- Will's opposite. A friendship is forged, and this, of course, means that changes are made, even if they're not wanted. This was a really cute book. Will is cheeky and sarcastic. Marcus is solemn and serious. And they teach each other about life and how things are, and they have many misadventures along the way. Even when Will tries to get the reader to believe that he doesn't care about Marcus or his messed-up life, it's obvious that the boy holds a soft spot in his heart. And though they are opposites in many aspects, there are a few things that are shared between Will and his young companion, such as their ability to sort of forget that reality exists until the reality of a situation hits them. I saw the movie first, but the book was definitely better than a movie, as they usually are. A lot of questions I had regarding the movie were answered in the book, as they usually are. This was like the male-version of chick-lit. What would that be called? Guy-lit or something? Great reading, enjoyable, will definitely be on the lookout for more Hornby.
Rating:
Summary: The hilariously well written book "About a Boy"
Review: This book is one of my favorites. Its funny, smart, and heartfelt. Even thought Will is a charater hated in his life by others you still love him. The movie is really good too. I saw the movie before I read the book and the directers Paul and Chis Weitz did a good job being true to the book. Reading Marcus in the book I could just see Nicholas Hoult in my head playing Marcus. He was the perfect acter for Marcus and so was Hugh Grant for Will. I loved the movie and the book and I cant wait for Nick Hornby next great work.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of "About a Boy"
Review: "About a Boy" entertains you very well. It is a witty and nice production after the best seller of "Nick Hornby".
The movie swings between a comedy and a tragedy with dry typical British humour and with dramatically moments.
"Hugh Grant", who plays as the main character the self-centred Will, and "Nicholas Hoult", who plays the peculiarly Marcus, convince in their parts completely. It is fun to watch them. Besides the music is fantastic, then they are always the right musical mood for the respective situation.
The ending is a little bit too funny and "Hugh Grant" chances very rapide from "Saulus to Paulus", too. Proceeding from his character at the beginning, he actives too sensitive at the end.
In all a fantastic movie, who looks at the loneliness from different points of view. Besides a very funny comedy, who knows to entertain you. Kathleen
Rating:
Summary: "About a boy" by: Nick Hornby
Review: "About a boy" is written by Nick Hornby and published for the first time in 1998 in England. It's not a children's book nor is it for adults. It can be read by or read to anybody. It is written in a simple language so it won't be difficult to understand, not even for children.
The book is about Marcus, who is a grown up 12 years old and Will, who is a childish 36 years old. Marcus just moved to London with his mother and Will lives in London. They have one thing in common; they both feel lost in life.
The story takes place in London, some of it in Cambridge and Royston but mostly in London. It is the beginning of the 1990's. Like I said earlier, they both feel lost and it is easier to get lost in London than it is in some of the other cities in England. Maybe that affects our understanding of their looseness.
The book is about a lot of things, but most important of all it is about relationships and friendship. Like Will who ends up having strange relatationships to the "strange" people. Marcus has a friend who is 36 years old. I must admit, it is a bit strange.
There are two main characters in this story, Will and Marcus. They are totally opposite of each other. Marcus is 12 years old but behaves like a grown up man. He looks after his mother and is concerned. He is a thinker, unlike Will who takes things as it comes. Will is more childish and doesn't really care for anybody else but himself. Will haven't in life lifted a finger to do something, he don't work because he get money from the song his father once wrote. Will is more like how Marcus should be.
We see the story from both, Marcus' and Will's side. We get to know how they experienced certain things and what they think. Since they are a part of the story it's exciting to know the opinion of both of them.
The message, in my opinion, is that sometimes we can meet people in strange situations. At the moment we may not think that this person will hav anything to say in my life, however that person could be the most important person in your life from then on. Even strange relationships can develop to become good friendships, like they do in "About a boy".
The book is hilarious, I can't remember the last time I laughed so much while reading a book. It is recommended on the strongest to everybody who likes a good book about life, because that's what it is. A book about life, and two boys who changes each others lives.
Rating:
Summary: Review of About a Boy
Review: The film based on the novel, deals with the change of the personalities of the two protagonists Will (Hugh Grant) and Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). At the beginning Will is a children hating man who plays with the women and lives on his own. Marcus, a 12 year old boy, is an outsider and lives together with his mum. He is influenced by his mum.
Usually people know Hugh Grant as a great actor, for example the acting in Notting Hill, but in his role in "About a Boy" he plays horribely. And that is the same as far as the other actors are concerned.
On the one hand the costums agree with the character traits. But on the other hand the music is too exaggerated for the scenes. Moreover, the production is not right for the 21th century, e.g. Stanley Kubrick was able to produce great films in the 60' s like "Shining", "Clockwork Orange" or " Space Odysse". The sense of the film is a comedian film, but there' s only one funny scene in it. For example the film "Life of Brian" by Monty Pythons is much more funny. It' s a film of the 70' s.
The film got some awards, e.g. for directors (Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz) and actors, but I don' t understand why.
Finally, I can say "About a Boy" is one of the most terrible films I' ve ever seen, but the novel is okay.
Stephanie Gronau
Rating:
Summary: Lovely balance
Review: Centred around a deadpan twelve year old and a dilettante thirty-eight year old who somehow gets involved. Well written, often funny, Hornby manages to get away with the (only) occasionally impossibly mature and articulate child's dialogue by perceptively recounting alternate perspectives. There's a skilled balance between realistic characters without all the answers, and some sense of hope, growth and satisfactory conclusion (without the standard brutal moralising). I read it in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining.
Review: I have only become recently familiar with Mr. Hornby through the movie versions of "High Fidelity," and "About a Boy." Based on all the reviews posted here, I realized that the book was probably a fuller version of the charecters in the Hugh Grant movie. I won't bother to go into great detail about the book itself, as many others have done that already. Let me suggest that for someone who doesn't often read fiction, I find Hornby a really relevant and contemporary author, who actually is entertaining and has something to say. In this book we meet two teenagers, Will Freeman a 35 year old man, who lives off the royalities of a song his father wrote, and Marcus, a misfit teenager who is misunderstood at school, and is mothered by a suicidal hippie - Fiona. Will lives the kind of life all teenagers wish they could have, but at Will's actual age realize that his life is empty and devoid of meaning.
Marcus is just clueless and his move to a new school has brought many unhappy things to his life, except for Will. Basically the story is about how the two 'boys' interact and mutually force each other to grow up. Will becomes a human being, and Marcus becomes a teenager. The story is hilarious, touching and worth reading even if you watch the movie. Further, after reading the book,I was able to appreciate the adaptation of the novel to the screen. Hornby is very good at putting together chrarecters who are real people - perhaps people we may not want to meet ot actually get to know, but nonetheless, Hornby makes them breath. I could see that all the charecters in the book could actually exist. In short, the book is very worth reading, even if you have seen the movie (the book does takes some surprising turns apart from the movie version), and these are people worth getting to know.
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