Review : Juliet, Naked
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
Pages : 406
Genre : Fiction
Stand Alone
My Rating : 
From the author’s website :
In a dreary seaside town in England, Annie loves Duncan—or thinks she does, because she always has. Duncan loves Annie, but then, all of a sudden, he doesn’t anymore. So Annie stops loving Duncan, and starts getting her own life.
She sparks an e-mail correspondence with Tucker Crowe, a reclusive Dylanesque singer-songwriter who stopped making music twenty-two years ago, and who is also Duncan’s greatest obsession. A surprising connection is forged between two lonely people who are looking for more out of what they’ve got. Tucker’s been languishing (and he’s unnervingly aware of it), living in rural Pennsylvania with what he sees as his one hope for redemption amid a life of emotional, familial, and artistic ruin—his young son, Jackson. But then there’s also the material he’s about to release to the world, an acoustic, stripped-down version of his greatest album, Juliet, titled Juliet, Naked. And he’s just been summoned across the Atlantic with Jackson to face his multitude of ex-wives and children (both just discovered and formerly neglected), in the same country where his intriguing new Internet friend resides.
It had been a while since I last read Hornby and I can tell you it was a happy reunion! I just love his sense of humor, and while the book had some intense and sad moments, it also had moments where I actually laughed out loud. I always find those precious, when words surprise me in such a way!
Another surprise was how good Hornby is at portraying a female character. Even though the synopsis is as much about Tyler and Duncan, and even though the chapters follow each character in turn, I found Juliet, Naked to be much more about Annie. On top of that, Tyler and Duncan aren’t portrayed really nicely : Duncan is mostly pathetic, and Tyler has a stellar track record for being an a** to his ex-wives and kids. It’s nice to have an author writing a character of the opposite sex without being strictly in an eye-candy, romantic way. Annie had a lot more going on than romance stories and such, and Hornby’s talent really shined through her story.
Also, how interesting to have characters who are in their forties-fifties! It seems most books focus on younger characters, and if not, mostly on families. It’s not often I have seen middle-age characters like these being the main focus of a novel, and it was so refreshing! Of course, it’s mostly my fault for reading a lot of YA novels, but even when reading “adult fiction” the focus is often more around the young and the beautiful.
I enjoyed the book and read it really fast, but I did think it was a bit slow in parts. It was interesting to be more in the characters’ minds than in action, but in parts I felt the book was a bit long for such a passive story. Hornby’s writing flows nicely though, and those slow moments didn’t matter much in the end. As for the ending, I’m a bit torn about it. I think what happens in the end is realistic and true to the characters, but the way the author wrote it made the conclusion seem a bit sudden.
It the end though, I really enjoyed the story Hornby shared in Juliet, Naked and I am looking forward to what he has to offer next.
This cover is so freakin cool!
I’ve never read any Hornby before but I have a feeling this will be my first. My friend Chris (from Stuff As Dreams Are Made On) said it reminded him of me when I was visiting him last December, and the premise is one I can connect with.
I have yet to read any of Hornby’s work, but he is on my list of authors I want to try.
You know, I haven’t read a Hornby novel in ages… The last one I read was About a Boy, which was good, but it was exactly like reading a novelized form of the movie (and the movie is fantastic). I guess I expect my books to have more depth than films can often achieve, so I was disappointed and sort of lost track of Hornby since then. But he is such a funny, witty writer that I really should try him again!
It’s been a while for me too since I’ve last read a Hornby book and I still have a couple of his books sitting on my shelf that I haven’t read yet. I think this post might just give me the push I need to pick one of those books up.
I started this one a few months ago and got sidetracked, never to finish it. I liked what I’d read so far — more than 100 pages, if I remember correctly! — so I think it’s probably time I returned to Juliet!
Juju : I completely agree! I forgot to mention it in the review, but it’s one of my favorite covers this year!
Amanda : Oh, I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on it if you do read it. Hornby has a sense of humor and description I really enjoy, I hope you will, too.
Kathy : Yes, you should absolutely try him!
Steph : Yes, I remember About a Boy and though I loved it, it really is close to the movie. I think Juliet, Naked had more depth in its writing, especially in the character of Annie. You do have the right word to describe his writing : he really is a witty writer!
Toothy : I am glad to hear that! What books of his do you have on your shelf?
Meg : I’m happy to hear that you liked what you read : there are so many books and so little time, sometimes I get distracted from good reading, too! I’m looking forward to hear your thoughts on it: I know you read a lot of women’s fiction so it will be interesting to hear what you think of Hornby’s take on a subject often written by women.
I’ve read “How to be Good” and “About a Boy” but I still have ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘A Long Way Down’ sitting on my shelf. Have you read either one of those books yet?
I really loved this one. Hornby tends to be hit or miss with me. I loved High Fidelity, but How to Be Good and A Long Way Down weren’t my cup of tea. He’s at his best when he’s writing what he knows and that’s why Juliet, Naked works so well. It’s about middle-aged people and music and it was great!
Well, from your review, I’m definitely in love with the idea of this book. Sometimes, I enjoy books just because of the way they are written, and for whatever reasons, I feel like this might be one of those books.
Toothy : Yes, I have read them except “A Long Way down”. My favorite was “About a Boy”. I heard good things on “A Long Way Down”, but apparently it has a bit of a different feel from his other books.
Melissa : I completely agree! I did feel like the author had a clear knowledge of the situation, and that made the characters extremely well.
Jennifer : Oh, I do too! Great writing can make me love a book even when the story or characters aren’t that great.