In most P.G. Wodehouse stories, the innocents and the not-so-innocents attempt to solve tricky family problems with feats of misdirection and partial truths. The result of these complicated ruses is usually a great deal of unexpected consequences that will tickle almost any funny bone. Heavy Weather is an unusually fine example of this type of story.

Monty Bodkin, who's rolling in dough, must hold a job for a year to win the approval of his fiancee's father. Then the wedding bells can chime. Monty isn't the most helpful fellow, and makes a hash out of his writing for Tiny Tots. He soon uses his uncle's influence a second time to get a new job as private secretary to Clarence, ninth Earl of Emsworth, whose pride and joy is his prize-winning pig, the Empress of Blandings.

This new employment creates much consternation for Sue Brown, who is engaged to marry the jealous Ronnie Fish. Monty and Sue had been engaged earlier, and Sue's afraid that Ronnie won't be able to handle having Monty around. Wedding bells for Sue and Ronnie depend on getting Clarence to release trust funds for Ronnie. There are a few other problems, as well. For example, Sue earns her living as a chorus girl. What will Ronnie's mother, Lady Julia, think?

The key theme of the story is that true love will win out, if the lovers follow their hearts and seize opportunity when it arises. In that way, the end will charm almost anyone . . . much like Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream does.

In most stories like this, you can anticipate how the obstacles will be overcome. Well, Heavy Weather will surprise you, if you are like me. The plot complications and resolution are delightfully adept, acrobatic, and subtle. I felt like I was watching the elephants do their ballet dance again in Fantasia. The contradictions between the messy moments and the final neatness are brilliantly handled!

The conflict between the desire to have a good reputation and the willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed (including cutting all possible corners) is shown off to good effect in Heavy Weather. Developing this point creates questions about what real goodness is, versus assumed goodness from social position and family connections. In fact, inherited intelligence is also questioned for its morality. The more powerful minds in the story tend to use those capabilities to plot for self-advantage, rather than to accomplish anything meaningful for all involved. Those of limited intelligence, by contrast, tend to follow their hearts and try to do the right thing.

Good results follow in this story whenever people are loyal and honor goodness.

What can you accomplish by being loyal and honoring goodness today? And tomorrow?

This certain novel has a really complex plot, very many characters, so it is pretty hard to tell if there's a real centre-character in this book because there are so many differnt people that dramatically change the course of happenings. It has a fairly good story but what I was amazed about the most, was the poor ending of the novel and its lack of GREAT humor. To first-time Wodehouse-readers I recommend books like Right Ho Jeeves and The Mating Season.

The Picador Book Of Sports Writing is a well constructed, almost historic look at the art and diversity of sports writing. The stories range from formal structured reports to humerous anecdotes reflecting little nothings in the world of sport. The book is about sport and the sport is used through the book as a vessel for a metaphor to life. In the least a metaphor for a life relevent cuturally, politically and socially to the time and place the piece was written. Some of the stories lack depth but they certaintly make up for it in style. A great complilation, with a couple of exceptions. Very worthwhile for anyone interested in almost any sport or the creative gift of sports journalism/ writing.

Among my favorite reads are "About a Boy" and "High Fidelty." And, truthfully, Hornby writes just as well in "How to Be Good." His characterizations provoke reaction, the depth of Katie's thoughts are very real, and the wry, sarcastic humor is on target.

Even so, I did not enjoy this book. Finishing it was just a hair less than a struggle. I don't necessarily read to feel good all the time (though that is among the reasons), but this book _really_ doesn't make the reader feel good. It's downright depressing and frustrating. I wanted to shake Katie so many times; admonish her for not standing up for herself more.

Then again, I also wanted to shake her for relying so heavily on her profession to make her "good." It is highly annoying. But I suspect that is part of Hornby's point, so I won't go any further down that road.

A talented writer, yes. An interesting, though somewhat dubious storyline. Worth your time? Perhaps. Unfortunately only you can answer that question.

Nick Hornby's third novel is his first foray into a woman's narrative perspective. He does a fine job of making Dr. Katie Carr believable and interesting from the first chapter when she realizes she's the kind of woman who tells her husband she wants a divorce via cell phone while sitting in a parking lot. Her husband David refuses, but unlike many unhappily married folk who promise to change to save the relationship, he really does change. He becomes an annoyingly sincere and gentle person, in fact. Katie notes that he turns into "a sort of happy-clappy right-on Christian version of Barbie's Ken" without Ken's looks and body. Formerly the author of a newspaper column, "The Angriest Man in Holloway," David, with the assistance of a strange guru character (DJ GoodNews) eschews hatred and concocts various plots to make the world a better place.

Katie struggles with liking the new David even less than the old one (especially after he gives 80 pounds of their money to a panhandler and invites GoodNews to move in). David's transforms into a sort of liberal person's worst nightmare: he gives away the children's toys to the less fortunate, calls a neighborhood meeting to discuss the housing of runaways and streetkids--he wants to take ACTION. Hornby's believable depiction of certain unbelievable scenes was certainly enough to make this liberal person squirm. After all, what is it that can safely allow anyone to think that she or he is a "good person?"

Hornby fans will already have read this book, and rightly so. If you are just now coming to Hornby, however, you should start with the superb HIGH FIDELITY and then move on to the excellent ABOUT A BOY. There's something smooth and understated and invariably insightful about Hornby's prose that no contemporary reader of "good" fiction should miss. Cheers!

This is the first Hornby book I've read - it won't be the last.

Written from the view point of a thirty-something working woman, wife and mother, dissatisfied with her life, blaming this largely on her grouchy husband's attitude, this very funny (but not in a Laughing Out Loud way) book really puts a twist on what happens when you do your best to "be good."

Interestingly, you can read it as a light summer read (but you'll certainly be disappointed in the ending). You can read it alone (but it yearns to be the Topic of Conversation.) And you'll be wasting your time if you expect it to supply answers for you.

In the beginning, Kate Carr tells her husband David she wants a divorce. She doesn't quite mean it, but it slipped out. Anyway, she can't get much support from her brother and her best friend, or even from a minister she sort of holds hostage.

David doesn't beat her. In fact, he is the home maker in the relationship, staying home with their two small children and writing his column, while she (how good can you get?) carries on her medical practice. In fact, she's the one having an affair, however meaningless it might be to her. She just isn't satisfied with her life.

Somewhere along the line, David has a new age style ephiphany, when he's healed by a Cult of One hippie leader, GoodNews, who soon moves in with the Carrs. David has a complete turnaround in character -- he acquires all of the behaviors Kate's been wanting him to have. He is thoughtful, helpful, and honest. He loses the sarcasm and therefore his column, which was based on sarcasm. He tries to do good -- not just for the family, but beyond the family -- he wants everyone in the neighborhood to add a homeless kid to their family. He urges his own kids to give up old and new toys. He tries to mend old family relationships. Still, this isn't quite what Kate wants -- she finds herself turning snarly, with her liberal values challenged face to face (well, yes she has always wanted to help those who are less fortunate, but not on such a personal level!)

The middle part of the book is the funniest. If you read it, expecting the ending to give you the answer, you'll have missed the point of the book. There is a bit of dark humor here as the liberal in the family becomes the conservative, and the happy ending that should come when one is Doing Good proves to be difficult to find.

The very ending -- the very last sentence -- was a shock to me. I'd expected an ending with definition, and just as in real life, there isn't one.

A book that might be well read and discussed in a group, certainly a book to make you think!

Book review - "About a Boy"

Well. That back-cover blurb is complete twaddle and, had I not read Nick Hornby's previous work, I doubt I would particularly want to give this book a shot! One day, perhaps, book covers will simply tell us what the book is about and leave us to make our own minds up. Perhaps...
However, yes - I HAVE read Hornby's previous novel 'High Fidelity' and rate it amongst my top ten of all time. I suspect many other people will purchase About A Boy for the same reason. They will be in for a small shock, though, because the two are quite different.
About A Boy follows Will, a single thirty-six year old man who is financially comfortable with little or no effort thanks to the recording royalties of a relative. Deciding that single mothers are the easiest way for this quite shallow man to flit from one relationship to the next, he joins up with SPAT (Single Parents - Alone Together) and here is where the fun begins. Will creates a fictional child for himself and meets dysfunctional 'family' Fiona and her twelve year old son Marcus. The deep but insecure Marcus and the shallow but secure Will do not immediately hit it off but become good friends and somewhat reliant on each other for quite different reasons.
Yes, very different to Hornby's previous work but equally impressive. Many side-splitting moments - watch out for the baguette at duck feeding time! About A Boy has the right balance of humour, reflection on life and has something of a serious side when the time is right. Another cracker for the author.

The novel "About a Boy" is written by Nick Hornby. The story takes place in London and there are two main characters who do not know each other at the beginning.
Their names are Marcus Brewer and Will Freeman. Marcus is a twelve-year-old boy, but he behaves like an adult. Will is thirty-six old and behaves like a teenager.
These two different characters meet in the course of the story. At first they do not like each other, but after a while they become friends.

In my opinion the book is entertaining. It delivers inside of the lives of two characters who have to change their behaviour! I thing it is realistic, because Will reminds me of a person in real life.
Most the time it is interesting to read, but sometimes it is boring, because you know what will happen...
Furthermore I think that it is no wonder that this book became a film, because for me it is a typical Hollywood-story. I do not like that very much as I said above you get to know most at the beginning and everything else is predictable.
People who like comedy / love stuff has to read this book, the others: do not, you will find it quite dreary!
At the beginning I wanted to lay it aside, but in the end it was good. It started to get interesting when Marcus starts to change...
But I do not want to reveal too much.
It is a book you will not read again, but you do want to watch the movie, because it is arouses interest of more.