Rating: 
Summary: Soccer -- an amazing medium to tell a story
Review: What's so fascinating about this novel is Mr. Hornby's amazing ability to remember. I don't know if he kept a detailed journal or what, but somehow he has relayed his life story using the Arsenal soccer team as the backdrop. I recommend this book if not for the simply amazing (while somewhat sickly obsessive) way he has tied his life to that of the soccer team, then for the very reason that he achieves what all humans seek to do: he has found meaning in the randomness and chaos of everyday life. To some it may seem impossible that the rhythym of our lives is echoed in other events around us, but Nick Hornby shows that this is, in fact, possible. Not only possible, but maybe even plausible and after reading the book you will see the proof, which it is nearly irrefutable. Also, after reading the book you will crave the excitement and action of a soccer game. Be warned, however, that if you prefer a lot of dialogue as opposed to narration, this isn't the book for you. If you can overlook that and enjoy instead, the wry, sardonic voice of Mr. Hornby, then you'll love it. If this is your first time reading one of Nick Hornby's books, I suggest that you read instead "High Fidelity," or "About a Boy."
Rating: 
Summary: If you love Nick Hornby & league football
Review: Maybe I should stick to the British vernacular for this book. Fever Pitch is what you might call a bit of a wankfest. Starts ok, gets us into the obsession, but then, I mean, hell, I like football, I think football is cool, I play football, but 250 pages is too much football. How would you like it if sportswriters spent their whole time telling you about their inner-selves? If you haven't read anything by the old boy, read High Fidelity. Caveat: A fair amount of friends have read and enjoyed this book. So there.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fantastic Fanatic
Review: Nick Hornby is not embarrassed to be identified as a fanatic, as he proves in this semi-fictional autobiography about his obsession with the football club Arsenal. Throughout the novel, Hornby examines how the significant events and relationships in his life relate directly to Arsenal games he has attended. He attends his first game with his father shortly after his parents divorced, he knew he was in love the first time when he was able to share his team with a woman, and he buys season tickets at the same time his life starts settling down in his twenties. It is a very funny book and I learned a lot about soccer and obsession, but it also made me feel okay about my own personal obsessive tendencies, which pale in comparison to those of the main character. It isn't a difficult or long read so I would suggest it to anyone who just wants to read an enjoyable book, even if they don't care a bit about soccer.
Rating:
Summary: Obsessive
Review: Most people have one or more hobbies, quite a few people spend a lot (or even too much) time on their hobby, and some people are obsessed. Nick Hornby belongs to the last group. His obsession is Arsenal: ever since his father took him to see the Gunners to fill in those long Saturday afternoons that a divorced father has to fill in, Nick Hornby has supported The Gunners heart and soul.His knowledge of football facts in general and Arsenal facts in particular is astonishing. The nice aspect is that he knows that he behaves like a fool in the eyes of the rest of us and that he describes his obsession with a healthy amount of humour, relativism and self-derision.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Book For All Soccer Fans
Review: Football/soccer - the most popular sport in the world, and for many people the most important thing in the world - is a subject of this witty, entertaining book by popular British author Nick Hornby. Until reading this book, I encountered Hornby's work only through rather disappointing film adaptation of his novel "High Fidelity", but my expectations were nevertheless high and, in the end, mostly justified. Less concerned by the game itself, and more with a way it influenced his life, same as the lives of plenty of people on this side of Big Pond (sometimes with fatal results, like in the case of Haysell and Hillsborrough disasters), Hornby described this phenomenon through his own personal experience. Although based on the relationship between one man and his favourite soccer club (Arsenal), many other soccer fans in various parts of the world could recognise familiar situations from their own (often frustrating) experiences. The only major flaw of "Fever Pitch" is the fact that those who lack familiarity with the game (like majority of Americans) might not enjoy finer points of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a great sports book; a great book, period.
Review: Don't kid yourself; a lot of the specifics are going to be lost on you if you're not au courant with English football and its peculiar traditions and history. But this book is well worth the effort even if you don't know what it is to win the Double or even if you don't know the significance of the words "Heysel" and "Hillsborough." And if you do, this is the Holy Grail. Funny, yes--and it's the kind of funny that emerges when smart people are unafraid to show how ridiculous they can act sometimes. But just as importantly, it's poignant and wise and filled with occasional moments that ring so true you just shake your head and wonder why no one's written a book like this before.
Rating:
Summary: hornby's the best
Review: this is my least favorite of all of mr. hornby's books, but even this one shows his incredible insight and thoughfulness. certainly worth reading once you've read (in this order) 'high fidelity,' 'about a boy' and 'how to be good.'
Rating:
Summary: High Fever.....even for non Gunners
Review: A great book not just for Football fans. Its also about life in general, how Nick Hornby used Arsenal FC to escape from the grind of daily life, only to go to Arsenal to see them grind out boring results. It has some passages of comedy but also some where you dispair along with him. If you are indeed a commited Football fan this is a must-read as it surely only reflects on what goes on in the mind of a fanatic. Whats great about it is that the whole book is just his thoughts and has no particular story line. Thus it is a relief from most other books which seek to put a structure into the storyline. Here it is simply his thoughts, his joy, his grievances, his success, his failures. It is also useful to women seeking what really goes on in a mans brain! A quality read.
Rating:
Summary: It's okay
Review: This isn't the best footy book, it's just an average one. I've read better, but it was good to read and I enjoyed it a bit, but wouldn't read it again
Rating:
Summary: About Obsessions, Not Sports
Review: I am a Nick Hornby fan, not a sports fan -- and I don't know a thing about football ("soccer," to my fellow Yanks). As such, many of the details in Hornby's memoir of a lifelong obsession with Arsenal seemed arcane to me. But, surprisingly, I found Fever Pitch to be one of Hornby's stronger efforts. It helped me see how an intelligent person could become preoccupied with sports, and come to see a team as a family -- even more important than one's actual family. In addition, the book is both funny and reflective, especially when the author's ambivalent empathy with football rioters can be seen through his disgust at their actions. A worthy read for any memoir fan, football enthusiast or not.
|
