Reds literary editor viv groskop picks nick hornbys new novel funny girl as her book of the month. His latest novels are slam 2007, juliet, naked 2009 and funny girl 2014. The independent criticized the change of focus in the novel, stating. Miss blackpool 1964 is the star of a fictional sitcom in hornbys new novel, which pays homage to televisions golden years. Funny girl takes place in a swinging 60s where the nation is mesmerized by unlikely comedy star sophie straw, the former blackpool beauty. Nick hornby is the author of seven internationally bestselling novels funny girl, high fidelity, about a boy, how to be good, a long way down, slam and juliet, naked and several works of nonfiction including fever pitch, songbook and ten years in the tub. From the bestselling author of high fidelity, about a boy, and a long way down comes a highly anticipated new novel. Will freeman may have discovered the key to dating success. Funny girl is the sixth fulllength novel by british author, nick hornby. Nov 06, 2014 funny girl is the sixth fulllength novel by british author, nick hornby. Jan 29, 2015 nick hornbys funny girl traces a pivotal time in british comedy through the lens of a beauty queen who abandons her title to make her name on tv in the 1960s.
Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Bookbrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfictionbooks that not only engage and entertain but also deepen. It tells the storyof twentyone year old barbara parker, a beautiful blonde, who wants to become a comedicactress like lucille ball. A brilliant novel from the bestselling author of high fidelity, about a boy, and a long way down. Funny girl is a 2014 novel by the british writer nick hornby.
Within the first few pages of this novel, miss blackpool 1964 turns her back on a provincial life as a dolly bird, renames herself sophie straw and heads to london to launch herself on the tv and radio comedy scene as the uks. Nick hornby books list of books by author nick hornby. His latest novel the story of a 1960s beauty queen who makes the leap from. Nov 05, 2014 funny girl by nick hornby 352pp, viking, telegraph offer price.
Journalist and bestselling novelist nick hornby is best known for his portraits of dysfunctional peter pans clueless postmodern males in various stages of arrested development who discover, often to their chagrin, that growing up is a process involving far more than the passage of time. Nick hornbys funny girl traces a pivotal time in british comedy through the lens of a beauty queen who abandons her title to make her name on tv in the 1960s. Funny girl by nick hornby 352pp, viking, telegraph offer price. His book the complete polysyllabic spree 2006 is an account of his reading and a collection of columns from believer magazine. Barbara parker is miss blackpool of 1964, but she doesnt want to be a beauty queen.
Shes just become the reigning pageant winner of blackpool england. In his november 2005 column, hornby recommended housekeeping, which he calls an extraordinary, yearning mystical work about the dead and how they haunt the living. Our funny girl is an almostmissblackpool who escapes the privations of a corriekitchensink life and wangles a contract with a galton and simpson style tv show in the heady years of hancock, goons, steptoe et al. Funny girl, by nick hornby, chronicles the fictional tale of a young, rags to riches, girl, who longs to become the next lucille ball during the 1960s in london. He has written screenplay adaptions of lynn barbers an education, nominated for an academy award, cheryl strayeds wild and colm. As befits a novel about a popular sitcom, this novel packs in lots of laughs, but its also got.
Nick hornbys charming, light yet thoughtful tale of the creative team behind a fictional bbc sitcom in the 1960s takes the. Hornby high fidelity, fever pitch, about a boy is known for wit, warmth, and british charm. Nick hornby s charming, light yet thoughtful tale of the creative team behind a fictional bbc sitcom in the 1960s takes the. Hornby has had significant success as a screenwriter he adapted an education and there are several points in funny girl where it feels like it is. Five minutes after being crowned miss blackpool 1964, barbara parker has ditched the tiara and is off to london to make her fortune. Published february 3rd 2015 by riverhead books first published november 6th. Beginning the book, as it followed a young woman in the 1960s named barbara who wants to follow in the footsteps of lucille ball, i was expecting a story that followed her as the protagonist as she dealt. His big literary break came in 1992 with the publication of fever pitch, his wry. Art and life are intertwined in a novel about tv sitcoms set during the cultural sea change of the 1960s.
One of the most popular british authors of the last twentyfive years, nick hornby is the writer responsible for the iconic bestsellers fever pitch and high fidelity. Nov 21, 2014 the funny girl in question is lancashire lass barbara parker, who in the opening pages of nick hornby s latest comic offering finds herself about to be crowned miss blackpool, 1964. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Nov 06, 2014 funny girl the muchanticipated new novel by nick hornby, the millioncopy bestselling author of about a boy. Funny girl is a novel by writer nick hornby set in blackpool, england in 1964. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Funny girl the latest novel from nick hornby, the millioncopy bestselling author of about a boy make them laugh, and theyre yours forever. Set in 1960s london, funny girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young sophie straw as she navigates her transformation from provincial ingenue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. Nick hornbys new novel, funny girl, mocks and dismantles two retrograde beliefs common in 1960s london. Set in 1960s london, funny girl is a livelyaccount ofthe adventures of the intrepid young sophie straw as she navigates her transformation fromprovincial ingenue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. A wise, hilarious novel from the beloved, awardwinning author of funny girl, high fidelity and a long way down. Funny girl by nick hornby meet your next favorite book. The unassuming title of nick hornbys regular column about books for the.
Hornby fans will love this book, as will readers of david nicholls, mark haddon and william boyd. Set in 1960s london, funny girlis a livelyaccount ofthe adventures of the intrepid young sophie straw as she navigates her transformation fromprovincial ingenue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. Nick hornby is an english writer, essayist, screenwriter and lyricist born on 17th april 1957 in surrey, england. From the bestselling author of high fidelity, about a boy, and a long way down comes a highly anticipated new novel set in 1960s london, funny girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young sophie straw as she navigates her transformation from provincial ingenue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters.
As the story opens, barbara parker is a small town beauty queen. Its a promising trajectory but hornby abandons his funny girl for more of his hapless men. Further suggestions might be found on the articles talk page. The boston globe hornbys fluency in scriptlike breeziness and crisp banter makes funny girl a pleasurable read. The funny girl in question is lancashire lass barbara parker, who in the opening pages of nick hornbys latest comic offering finds herself about to be crowned miss blackpool, 1964. A wise, affecting novel from the beloved, awardwinning author of funny girl, high fidelity, and about a boy. No, nick hornbys latest is not a retelling of the story made famous by the old barbara streisand movie called funny girl but the allusion to pop culture of the 1960s in this delightful novel is not coincidental. There is something about hornbys writing that is so simple, so easyto.
From her girlhood days in workingclass blackpool, barbara parker idolizes lucille ball and dreams of emulating her. An extremely talented novelist, screenwriter, and lyricist, nick hornby has enjoyed a number of notable achievements since he started his career in 1992. Funny girl the muchanticipated new novel by nick hornby, the millioncopy bestselling author of about a boy. On the surface, this funny girl is about a working class english girl who. Many of his novels have made their way onto the screen, often translating to as much critical acclaim as his insightful books. Nick hornby recreates a rich, believable swinging sixties in his new novel, funny girlphthe inspiration for nick hornbys first novel in five years came after he spotted a. Funny girl by nick hornby yes, you read that right.
Funny girl in libraries worldcat catalog this article about a european novel is a stub. Set, for the most part, in the midtolate 1960s, hornbys latest novel gives the reader an intimate look at the making of a tv comedy series. Buy funny girl by hornby, nick from amazons fiction books store. His book the complete polysyllabic spree 2006 is an account of his reading and a. Download audiobooks by nick hornby stream or download. From the bestselling author ofhigh fidelity, about a boy, anda long way downcomes a highly anticipated new novel. Forster award by the american academy of arts and letters. Funny girl offers a captivating portrait of youthful exuberance and freedom at a time when britain itself was experiencing one of its most enduring creative bursts.
On the surface, this funny girl is about a working class english girl who comes of age as a tv star in the. He has been given the name the maestro of the male confessional for the brilliant. Beginning the book, as it followed a young woman in the 1960s named barbara who wants to follow in the footsteps of lucille ball, i was expecting a story. I never read the backs of books prior to reading them, but based on the title funny girl by nick hornby was not really what i was expecting. It differs from his previous books its set several decades in the past, for one thing while retaining their eagerness to please. Nick hornbys funny girl, about a 1960s bbc sitcom star. His new novel, funny girl, is about the telly, and about the larger. Nick hornby is the author of seven internationally bestselling novels funny girl, high fidelity, about a boy, how to be good, a long way down, slam and juliet.
Hornby s most recent novel, funny girl, about a sixties beauty queen determined to make her mark upon television comedy, was released in late 2014. Insightful and humorous, nick hornbys latest does what he does. Hornby s fluency in scriptlike breeziness and crisp banter makes funny girl a pleasurable read. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. Best of nick hornby score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Insightful and humorous, nick hornbys funny girl does what he does best.
Insightful and humorous, nick hornbys latest does what he does best. An amazon best book of the month for february 2015. Nick hornby mines the hearts and psyches of four lost souls who connect just when theyve reached the end of the line. Nick hornby, signed abebooks abebooks shop for books. Set, for the most part, in the midtolate 1960s, hornbys latest novel gives. Hornby makes us smell the amateurism and sheer fun of those pioneering days while signposting the privations as well as the. So does page after page of perfectly timed and delivered humor, the subtle and understated kind, that starts with the first line. As befits a novel about a popular sitcom, this novel packs in lots of laughs, but its also got more heft than mr. He went to maidenhead grammar school in maidenhead, where he grew up.
Its the swinging 60s and the nation is mesmerized by unlikely comedy star sophie straw, the former blackpool beauty queen who just wants to make people laugh, like her heroine lucille ball. Nov 02, 2014 nick hornby recreates a rich, believable swinging sixties in his new novel, funny girlphthe inspiration for nick hornbys first novel in five years came after he spotted a gap in the market. Genuine hand signed first edition1st print by the amazing nick hornby. In funny girl, nick hornby uses the story of a reluctant beauty queen from blackpool as the hook for a rambunctious cultural history of british television comedy 50 years ago. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
If the simple fact that they were single mothers meant that gorgeous women women who would not ordinarily look twice a will might not only be willing, but enthusiastic about dating him, then he was really onto. Nov 03, 2014 hornby has had significant success as a screenwriter he adapted an education and there are several points in funny girl where it feels like it is a film in waiting, eager to shrug off the formal. Hornby cut his teeth as a journalist, penning features for the sunday times, gq, vogue and many other leading magazines. Buy funny girl by nick hornby 9780241965221 2015 from. Screenwriting edit hornby has also developed a career as a screenwriter, and has said that he enjoys the challenge of working in film as opposed to writing novels. Yet another genius idea from the hornby hit machine. Be the first to read nicks new novel funny girl nick hornby.
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