Rating: 
Summary: About two boys.
Review: I haven't seen the movie, and by coincidence I discovered this book shortly after I started dating a single mother. Nick Hornby's 307-page novel is about two boys really, a 36-year-old "trendy bloke" (p. 61), Will Freeman, and a "weird" (p. 98) 12-year-old with a bad haircut, Marcus. Will is single, hip, and shallow. He spends his days record shopping, clothes shopping, watching telly, sinking pints in pubs, and chasing women. "The thing was," Hornby writes, "Will had spent his whole life avoiding real stuff" (p. 117). That is, until he meets Marcus.Will has no interest in improving his "legendarily poor romantic track record" (p. 36) with the opposite sex. In a scheme to get off with more women, Will invents a two-year-old son, Ned, and joins a single parents' group, SPAT (Single Parents--Alone Together). Maybe children "democratized beautiful single women," he figures (p. 22). "If you picked the right woman," he reasons, "someone who'd been messed around and eventually abandoned by the father of her children, and who hadn't met anyone since (because the kids stopped you from going out and anyway a lot of men didn't like kids that didn't belong to them, and they didn't like the kind of mess that frequently coiled around these kids like a whirlwind) . . .if you picked one of these, then she loved you for it. All of a sudden you became better-looking, a better lover, a better person" (pp. 23-4). Funny, insightful, and bittersweet, Hornby's novel is about growing up, and the transformational power of our relationships, even the dysfunctional ones. It also captures the experience of falling in love, "with all the loss of sleep and weight," and the unhappiness when it is unreciprocated, and "the suspect, dippy happiness" when it is working out" (p. 191). In the end, ABOUT A BOY is really a lot about life. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: Delightful, at times dark, look at a life
Review: Looking for a good read for an overseas flight, I came upon the recently released on film book, About a boy. Nick Hornby blends the devlisshly dark side of Martin Amis in portraying a likeable cad. Hugh Grant as Will is on the cover of the paperback and he is clearly in your mind's eye as you read the book. He does a wonderful job of conveying the shallow man who becomes engaged by a struggling boy. Starting out as a self-centered, drifting, almost wasted adult, Will comes around if only by accident, to emerge as a caring, thoughtful adult. I wish the book had not eneded where it did; I wanted to know more. Hornby has a great sense of humor. Some of it is selfish, dark and sexist. But he is funny, very funny, in portraying the rescue of a young boy (Marcus) by an older but also much younger Will. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this Brit now (if you haven't done so already)
Review: This book, from the pen of the same author who wrote "High Fidelity" is a must read "male-bonding" book that, is at once irreverant and endearing. Hornby, once again writes from the perspective of the "jaded" yet eventually lovable central figure. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had self-doubts about relationships, about the opposite sex, about committing yourself to someone else, to a cause greater than yourself. Ultimately, that is what this book is about: the fear that we are so self-centered that we do not need other people to help us thru this life & the realization that we are (thankfully) tied to each other thru our humanity and decency. Hornby shows with razor-sharp humor how ridiculous it is to think we can go through life alone & he makes wonderful, and at times, tearful events which can't help but endear you to his sometimes pathetic central figure. read the book, see the movie afterwards. Either way, drink in this novel of self-searching and personal growth. It spoke to me, I hope it can do the
same to you.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Enjoyable
Review: I truly enjoyed About A Boy. I purchased the book prior to the movie and was glad I did so. Will is a thirty-something in search of some sort of daily activity to use up his daily units of time (1/2 hour = 1 unit). So after bathing, eating and shopping what is Will to do? Date. But who, he does not work, or attend a religous service, he does not have many friends so where is he to meet a women? How about at a Single Parents organization.
But as Will tries to find someone to fill his lonliness the reader is also learning about Marcus, the twelve year old mifit. Marcus has a home with problems, a school with problems and really no one to share them with.
An unlikely attachment through a step of strange circumstances allows Marcus and Will to meet. Their adventures in learning about life together is what makes the book so enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: About a Boy
Review: Very enjoyable book. Written very well. Dark at times, but overall a great story with a lot of heart. Very likeable main characters. Fun dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: A sharp, slightly skewed look at finally growing up...maybe
Review: If I had a Will Freeman in my close cirlce of friends I do not know that I would look upon him with the fond bemusement I bestowed upon Will throughout this very readable book. I suspect I would wonder if he was ever going to grow up and become substantial enough to throw a shadow...even worse, I would be suspicious of Will's absolute enjoyment of his feckless ways, and have to mutter with friends (sensibly ensconsed in jobs, relationships and debt) about the certain ruin it was bound to bring. Will Freeman, and all the various people in "About a Boy" are deftly drawn and manage not to become cartoon characters. Once I picked it up, I had a hard time putting it down......I wanted to see how Marcus, the boy, would manage with all the adults in his life, the newest being Will. Will, did not ever ask for Marcus. Marcus just kept showing up and Will just got used to him until an unlikely friendship takes hold. This friendship, no matter how strange will get them through some pretty bizzare and some pretty tough times. What remains is what remains with the reader when the book is over, a sense of community, no matter how odd that we all can piece together. And there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. Especially when my daughter mentioned that SPAT (Single Parents Alone Together) sounded better and more descriptive if it were SPLAT ...(add Loser). A weak laugh from newly divorced mom!
Rating:
Summary: More than just laughs
Review: Though it never quite lives up to the publisher's ludicrously overblown declarations - which will have you thinking you're about to read the next 'Catcher In The Rye' - that's hardly Hornby's fault. What you will read is a sharp, compelling, laugh-out-loud story which, despite its casual tone, has plenty serious to say about men, growing up, growing older, and how we cope with the potential meaninglessness of our lives. Rhythmic prose, well-observed characters, and a plot mercifully free of neat predictability or a closed ending, ensure that 'About A Boy' is a fast, rewarding and memorable read.
Rating:
Summary: Hornby looks into the male psyche again
Review: As a late twenty something male and as an outsider during Junior High, I found it impossible not to laugh at nearly everything in this book. Hornby has an unbelievable way of creating situations that allow his characters to fully shape themselves. He gives them a name and rough personality, but then the situation shapes them (like real life,) unlike many writers who have a character in mind and have to create a story around them, therefore making a choppy, unrealistic read. The book also ends different than I thought it would when I was half way through. It is refreshing to be tricked or surprised by a book these days. Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Hornby's best becomes a great movie
Review: I'm writing this review two days after seeing the screen adaptation of "About a Boy" on its opening night. As a huge Nick Hornby fan, I was enthralled with the final product of the filmmakers. No "let's move the script to Chicago" debasing of the script, a la the Cusack-centric version of "High Fidelity." As good as the book is, "About a Boy" the movie is even better. It didn't seem possible. But even if you've seen the movie, and are thinking about the book, I suggest you give it a try. Especially if you've never read Hornby before. In fact, if you're 'new to Nick,' here's one man's take on a course of action... 1. [Assumes you've just seen 'About a Boy.'] 2. Read the book. 3. Rent 'Fever Pitch' from Blockbuster. [The book is rather a tough read - unless you're a European football (aka 'soccer') fanatic. It deals with Hornby's lifelong obsession with Arsenal & his struggles to become a writer. But the movie is a sweet little vignette drawn from the book. It makes for a nice viewing by a couple looking for a good Staurday night rental. Just ignore the odd cover box, which has nothing to do with the movie.] 4. Read 'High Fidelity.' [Only see the movie if you've read the book first. Don't let the movie ruin the book for you.] 5. Read 'How to Be Good.'
--------- Here are two neat little differences between 'About a Boy,' the movie and book, that I don't think will ruin the book for you: 'Social Suicide' Song ---------------------
Movie: 'Killing Me Softly'
Book: 'Both Sides Now' An inspired choice by the moviemakers. The only downside being that you'll feel like an idiot when you get caught by your co-workers singing 'Killing Me Softly' later in the week. Marcus' Musical Awakening
-------------------------
Movie: Mystikal
Book: Nirvana The scriptwriter really demonstrated a good pop-culture relevancy touch here with this change.
Rating:
Summary: Clever, Charming
Review: Another hysterical, fresh perspective from one of my favorite authors. I definitely suggest reading this before you see the movie...and I definitely suggest reading it.
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