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. Set in 1960s london, funny girl is a lively account of the adventure. Set in 1960s london, funny girl is a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young sophie straw as. Nick hornby has a knack for creating appealingly irresolute characters and is a genial guy with excellent taste and a smart, irreverent sense of humor. On the surface, this funny girl is about a working class english girl who.
Filled with the authors trademark wit and warmth, the novel evokes a 60s britain that feels familiar even to those who didnt experience the eras cult tv comedies and sexual permissiveness firsthand. The unassuming title of nick hornby s regular column about books for the believer magazine perfectly matches its authors conversational style. Videoriflessione sullultimo libro di nick hornby funny girl, pubblicato da guanda. Hugely enjoyable sunday mirror nick hornby is pretty much always poignant and hilarious huffington post hornbys sunniest novel metro everything hornby writes is addictively readable and clever, but with funny girl he has surpassed himself red like all hornbys best work, it is both hugely enjoyable and deceptively artful spectator so simple, so easy to read and yet so. Hornbys novel might have sparkling dialogue, but it also has a more bittersweet, reflective tone overall. 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. 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. Discussion will be held on december 16 at at the miller branch. Funny girl is the sixth fulllength novel by british author, nick hornby. Insightful and humorous, nick hornby s latest does what he does. Nick hornby funny girl contents audition chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 comedy playhouse chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6 the first series chapter 7 chapter 8 chapter 9. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books.
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. Art and life are intertwined in a novel about tv sitcoms set during the cultural sea change of the 1960s. From her girlhood days in workingclass blackpool, barbara parker idolizes lucille ball and dreams of emulating her. The bas bleu book club is reading funny girl by nick hornby. An amazon best book of the month for february 2015. The funny girl s biography is earnestly, smoothly researched, constructed, and documented, but the. Why mary tyler moore show fans should read nick hornby s funny girl nick hornby author of high fidelity and about a boy has returned with funny girl, a novel about a young woman in the who deviates. Funny girl in libraries worldcat catalog this article about a european novel is a stub. Nick hornby s new novel, funny girl, mocks and dismantles two retrograde beliefs common in 1960s london. 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. 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.
From the bestselling author ofhigh fidelity, about a boy, anda long way downcomes a highly anticipated new novel. 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. 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. The unassuming title of nick hornbys regular column about books for the believer magazine perfectly matches its authors conversational. 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. Despite the differences between the book funny girl doesnt seem to reach for the deep insights about the gritty reality of fame that laura lamont strives for the criticism could also be applied easily to hornby s latest 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. Whether writing about male obsessions or insecurity. Hornby fans will love this book, as will readers of david nicholls, mark haddon and william boyd. Nick hornbys seventh novel and th book opens in blackpool in 1964, the year after philip larkins annus mirabilis between the end of the. Nick hornby s funny girl tells the story of a young woman who leaves for london to find her destiny in a bbc sitcom. There is something about hornby s writing that is so simple, so easyto.
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. 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 ing. Nick hornbys charming, light yet thoughtful tale of the creative team behind. As befits a novel about a popular sitcom, this novel packs in lots of laughs, but its also got more heft than mr. Nick hornby is an expert storyteller who reveals the nuances of his characters lives, and in the process, allows readers to understand a world unlike their own. 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.
No, nick hornby s 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. Combining a light comic style that closely matches the television comedy writing of the era with hornby s signature obsession with pop culture, the novel traces the professional and personal trajectory of barbara parker, calling herself sophie straw, who dreams of being a. On the surface, this funny girl is about a working class english girl who comes of age as a tv star in the days of carnaby street, the. As befits a novel about a popular sitcom, this novel packs in lots of laughs, but its also got. With wit, optimism and gentle compassion, nick hornby summons up the zeitgeist of britain in the 1960s and 70s through the medium of tv comedy on the bbc. Set in 1960s london, funny girlis 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. Funny girl the muchanticipated new novel by nick hornby, the millioncopy bestselling author of about a boy make them laugh, and theyre yours forever. He is also the author of songbook, a finalist for a national book critics circle award, and the editor of the short story collection speaking with the angel. Insightful and humorous, nick hornbys latest does what he does best. Barbara parker walks off the job within moments of being crowned miss blackpool.
Miss blackpool 1964 is the star of a fictional sitcom in hornbys new novel, which pays homage to televisions golden years. 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. Funny girl the latest novel from nick hornby, the millioncopy bestselling author of about a boy make them laugh, and theyre yours forever. Funny girl is a 2014 novel by the british writer nick hornby. Funny girl by nick hornby yes, you read that right. Nick hornby s new novel, funny girl, draws its inspiration from a golden era of television in britain, featuring a workingclass beauty who becomes one of britains reigning tv queens. Further suggestions might be found on the articles talk page. Funny girl is nick hornbys first new novel in five years beginning in 1964 and taking us through to presentday 2014 the lifespan of one british situation comedy called barbara and jim, and the lives of its stars and creators.
Nick hornby s new novel, funny girl, is purely lovely sweet, poignant and, yes, funny. Barbara parker is miss blackpool of 1964, but she doesnt want to be a beauty queen. Nick hornby is the author of the novels how to be good, high fidelity, about a boy, a long way down and funny girl, as well as the memoir fever pitch. Book corner funny girl by nick hornby sophie helyn. Funny girl by nick hornby penguin random house audio.
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 ingnue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. The boston globe praise for nick hornby hornby is a writer who dares to be witty, intelligent, and emotionally generous all at once. Yet another genius idea from the hornby hit machine. A novel nick hornby from the bestselling author of high fidelity, about a boy, and a long way down comes a highly anticipated new novel. Nick hornby books list of books by author nick hornby. Funny girl leave it to nick hornby to produce a smart comic novel that pits light entertainment against serious art and comes through as winning. The books title is not to be taken literally this is one of hornbys less humorous novels but is borrowed from the broadway play and subsequent 1968 movie, funny girl, which was based on the life of reallife movie star and comedienne, fanny brice. Set in 1960s london, a lively account of the adventures of the intrepid young sophie straw as she navigates her transformation. 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. Nick hornbys charming, light yet thoughtful tale of the creative team behind a fictional bbc sitcom in the 1960s takes the pejorative sting out of the word heartwarming. We couldnt wait to get our hands on the latest novel from nick hornby and funny girl doesnt disappoint. Funny girl is a 2014 novel by nick hornby, set in 1960s england. Twenty years of writing about film, music and books. Gentle, funny, compassionate book reading funny girl was like meeting an old friend and being reminded all over again why you liked them so much in the first place.
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