Customer Reviews

Juliet, Naked

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

All you really need to know about Juliet, Naked, Nick Hornby's latest, is
that it doesn't disappoint. It's really, really good, and it may even
replace High Fidelity as my favorite.

The main characters are Annie and Duncan, a middle-aged couple, and Tucker
Crowe, an aging musician in retirement. Annie and Duncan have a
relationship-ending fight about the quality of Tucker Crowe's new album,
and Annie begins a correspondence with Tucker Crowe himself.

Juliet, Naked is about Regret. Big, mid-life crisis level Regret -- grief
and anger at the too-quick passage of time, of wasted opportunities. It's
about the realization that one has not Done Enough, or Done the Right
Things.

This may sound unappetizing. But one of the rare and great features of
Nick Hornby's writing is how he takes situations that would normally be
dreary, such as a serious break-up (High Fidelity) or teenage pregnancy
(Slam), and makes these situations hilariously funny. His characters are
self-aware about themselves in some ways, but not at all in other ways.
These gaps in self-knowledge, and Hornby's gentle handling of them, are
exquisite in their subtlety and insight.

This book reminded me: (1) Do the work you love, and (2) Strive to spend
time with the people who (a) love you and (b) who you love in return.
Which of us doesn't need this reminder, always?

I haven't read anything by Nick Hornby before, although I have seen two films that were based on his novels (and both were quite good). I should qualify my review by saying that I was a little skeptical starting the novel, thinking it might be a little too `relationship drama' for my personal tastes. A romantic comedy may be a perfectly good option for a night at home watching a DVD with my lovely wife, but reading is a solitary experience, and generally speaking, I prefer darker nastier fare than what Juliet Naked promises its readers.

But I really enjoyed the first half of the novel. In particular I found Duncan (and Duncan seen through the eyes of Annie, his long suffering girlfriend) to be quite hilarious. Duncan is a fan of a relatively obscure singer/songwriter who disappeared abruptly in the mid-eighties shortly after the release of his most critically acclaimed album, Juliet. A mystic builds around the singer, Tucker Crowe, who has become a recluse in the spirit of JD Salinger. Duncan is the eminent Crowologist, an obsessive fan who maintains a web site devoted to Tucker lore, alleged sightings of the singer, and interpretations of his song lyrics. We meet Annie and Duncan while they are on vacation in the US, making pilgrimage to the bar bathroom where Tucker decided to walk away from his career.

But the novel started to lose me a little when Tucker Crowe enters the fray. After the demo tapes of Juliet are released, as a CD called Juliet Naked, Duncan writes a gushing review and posts it on his website, declaring it a masterwork. Annie posts a contrary review and soon after, she starts receiving (and then exchanging) emails from the reclusive singer. Annie and Tucker develop a romance of sorts but it never really generates much in the way of sparks, humor or warmth and compared to Annie and Duncan, Tucker isn't nearly as entertaining a character.

Neither Duncan nor Tucker change much as a result of anything that happens in the novel. They are both hopelessly incapable of creating any kind of meaningful relationship with women. In Tucker's case, he leaves a trail of abandoned children and former lovers in his wake. So this then, is really Annie's story. Annie comes to realize that she has fallen into a rut and gradually makes small changes to regain control of her life. This is a novel about regret and realizing that you have to make a conscious decision to get what you want out of life, otherwise it'll come and go before you know it. The ending is ambiguous and it isn't clear what the future holds for Annie, but the reader can see that she's on her way to changing the course of her life. I like that Hornby didn't give the novel an artificially happy ending or have Annie have a ridiculous and unrealistic 'epiphany moment'.

All in all I found this to a pretty entertaining novel. I'm something of a music buff and Hornby's insight into music, musicians, and the fans that obsess on them is priceless. The prose is filled with great lines, sharp dialogue and some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Annie is a fully realized and engaging character and Duncan adds plenty of humor to the novel. In the end, my middling review is mostly a result of Tucker, who doesn't bring much to the table.

Bottom line: I found this to be a good light read - funny, insightful - but the final third lacked something, and in the end, it felt a little flat to me. I enjoyed it enough though that I plan to check out some of Hornby's more celebrated novels. 3 ½ stars.

Nick Hornby has a bit of a reputation as a writer whose appeal is largely to young, pop culturally-obsessed men. While it's true that his earlier novels do focus on not-yet-fully-formed young men and their often unsolicited journeys towards adulthood, I always thought he was a writer remarkably sensitive and sympathetic to all his characters, male or female.

Hornby's newest novel, Juliet, Naked, is a wonderful, sweet book. The story focuses on three characters approaching or exiting middle aged, and how they deal with the regret of unfulfilled lives.

Duncan is a teacher who only comes to life when talking, listening to or writing about reclusive singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe. Annie is in a dead-end long-term relationship with Duncan and in a dead-end job as a seaside museum curator. And then there's Tucker Crowe, who has not recorded in over two decades and has been a disinterested observer of his own withdrawal from both his creative life.

I'll leave for you to discover how a small, uncharacteristically assertive action of Annie's - a dissenting post on Duncan's all-things-Tucker-Crowe website - sets into motion a series of events that forces all of these characters out of their respective ruts.

What's wonderful about Hornby's writing is that he understands and is compassionate towards all of his characters. You can think that Duncan is a sad, small man whose obsessive expertise regarding Crowe's small catalogue is a poor excuse for an actual life, but Hornby lets you understand how he got that way, and respects Duncan's intelligence and passion, however misapplied.

(I understand Duncan - his core belief that you can judge the value of people by the value of their cultural taste - and while I'd like to think (please, please) that I've never taken his road, I understand all too well how someone might make the mistakes he's made.)

I also love the way Hornby presents what seems to be a very British worldview - pessimism combined with unfailing politeness. His characters manage to give pointed, incisive criticism to each other, yet retain a social propriety that you may find charming or frustrating, depending I suspect on whether you are or are not British. Either way, though, the characters are human and alive and just like people you know.

Finally, although Juliet, Naked is not a music book, Hornby writes about music with the expertise of someone who, like Duncan, has given a lot of thought about art, and artists. Here, he writes with command about the mindset of the cult fan, the "more-obscure-the-better" value model the cult fan embraces, and where, exactly, the cult artist himself fits in this ecosystem (hint: artists generate great work but may not be the best judges of their worth).

Hornby is a rare writer who crafts literary novels for mass audiences. He is proof of an argument he has made about many great recording artists in his music writing - that you can create art of great, lasting value while remaining a crowd-pleaser. In that respect, he doesn't aspire to be Tucker Crowe, prototypical cult artist - he wants to be the Beatles.

Nick Hornby's newest novel, Juliet, Naked, is about has-been musician Tucker, Duncan, the man who's obsessed with him, and Annie, Duncan's long-term girlfriend, who finds herself in the middle.

Hornbyesque:
- As always, Hornby puts a great deal of care and effort into constructing realistic, dynamic characters. I recently saw him at a reading, and I could tell how much he thought about each of them, even the most minor, like Annie's friend Ros. He knows them, and has created them, as actual people.
- Also character related, is the fact that everyone can connect to someone in the novel. Perhaps you've been been a crazed fan, someone who failed to reach their potential, or stuck in a dead-end relationship. Above all, everyone knows what it feels like to have made mistakes and want to fix them before it's too late.
- The sly wit reminiscent of High Fidelity and How to Be Good is once again present (I felt it took a bit of a hiatus in the last novel, A Long Way Down). Smart, British, biting humor.
- Hornby writes with an intelligent simplicity- he respects his readers enough to realize that they don't need three pages describing the dreary sea or the seaside museum Annie works in. He realizes they have brains and allows them the freedom to create their own pictures.

But...
- I feel Juliet, Naked slightly misses the bar raised so very high by High Fidelity, About a Boy, and How to Be Good.
- I don't want to give anything away, but I had a few issues with the ending. I realize the point (so don't start lambasting me under the comments for "not getting it"), but I just didn't appreciate it.

Great read for those who love Hornby and those who are reading him for the first time. Also, if you ever get a chance to attend a reading I recommend you go.

I love this book. I love this book. I love this book.

There, have I said it enough?

This isn't a spoiler review. If you want a plot synopis, by all means, move on.

The story opens in a dreary British seaside town, in the current day. Our main characters are a late thirty-something couple. He's a college professor and aficionado of a reclusive ex-eighties musician who reminds one of, well, Jandek, before Jandek actually started doing concerts. She is a museum curator, who is longing for a better life, and a child, somewhere a lot less boring.

The book is full of lines like, "Where in the North of England could one find an unattached arts graduate? We went to North Bumblebee; supposedly there had been one there four or five years ago." Much of this is howlingly, bitterly funny.

If I tell you what happens, it will ruin the plot, so I'll tell you what it's not: this isn't a continuation of, "High Fidelity"; it's not a story about stoically finding happiness in what you have; it's slightly anti-British--America looks like the place to be; its main thesis seems to be that leaving adolescence, and more importantly, having children, is the secret to long-term happiness.

This is a lot about looking back, and ending what doesn't work. For many Gen-X'ers in their late thirties, this may hit a little too close too home.

So, if you were rooting for the commitment-phobic, rock musician obsessed guy in this story, um, well, not the book for you. If however, you are hopeful, family friendly (gack, did I just say that?), rooting for the woman looking for the baby, and possibly the aging very ex-rock star, then this is just grand.

P.S. Some of the jokes may rely on familiarity with Northern England stereotypes. (If you've seen, "Hot Fuzz", and "Kids in the Hall", you should be fine.)

This is my first Nick Hornby book (although I liked the movie High Fidelity, which I hear is pretty close in flavor to the book), but I only picked JULIET, NAKED up because it was recommended by an author I follow. I wont go into the plot, you can get the basic idea from the the blurb on the back of the book. What I will say is that JULIET, NAKED was a bit of a slow start for me, albeit I was intrigued enough by the bizarre obsession of Duncan's, to continue on with the book.. kinda like being unable to turn away from a crazy person on the street corner shouting out randomness that you really should make your way past them as quickly as possible, but are just unable to stop staring. This particular situation in real life can end disastrously and even dangerously, but fortunately in a book there are two outcomes.. a waste of a few ours or a pleasant surprise. I'm happy to report, for me anyway, it was the latter... by page 174 of 406, I was still reading.. and smiling.

Now having completed JULIET, NAKED through blurry tear filled eyes (laughing tears) I found Hornby's writing to be truly artful, giving the reader sympathy and even respect and understanding for a character (Duncan) that in another book might only be seen as egotistical, pathetic and sad. Annie was enduring, likable and relatable. I enjoyed the cultural differences, stereotypes and point of views between American and British, but ageing raw ex-rockstar Tucker Crowe was my cherry on top. This novel is warm, hysterically funny and thought provoking; as Hornby draws you into the lives, relationships, self-evaluation and regrets of three very different people, all at a kind of cross roads in their lives. Very well done, the music references are excellent.. I highly recommend JULIET, NAKED and plan to check out more of Hornby's work.

Hmm.. a wittier, more modern and much more exposed and entertaining Sleepless in Seattle with a rock'n roll edge?.. yes?.. no?.. well maybe, maybe not, but very entertaining nun the less; with enough similarities in the general plot to bring the movie to mind anyhow.

If you've had the pleasure of reading Nick Hornby once, it's hard to imagine not wanting to read all of his subsequent works. Certainly that is true of me, and I've finally had the chance to read his latest, Juliet, Naked. I don't know that this surpasses his very strongest work, but in no way does that imply that it is anything less than delightful.

Juliet, Naked is the story of three people. At the very center is Annie. Annie has been in a 15-year-relationship with Duncan. Duncan's not a bad guy, but perhaps the most notable thing about him is his obsessive fandom for a long-retired, minor musician named Tucker Crowe. Tucker is the third character in this triangle. We get one picture of Tucker's life and art through Duncan's smitten (and ignorant) eyes, but we are also privy to the reality, which is quite a bit different.

That is the set-up. Once we've met all the players, there is a catalyst that results in two major plot developments. The catalyst is the release of Tucker Crowe's album Juliet, Naked, a new, stripped-down version of his classic album, Juliet. It's the first anyone's heard from Crowe in 20 years, and the reception is polarizing. So much so, that it's the straw that breaks the back of Annie and Duncan's relationship. The other major, if improbably, development is that Annie and Tucker strike up a friendship. The novel is a warm, funny, affectionate look at three flawed individuals. Despite their flaws, it's hard not to fall in love with them. I can think of any number of less pleasant things to do than while away a few hours in their company.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it's a bit (or a lot) more subtle than previoius Hornby books like "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy." Some middle aged angst and sorting through life's meaning and so forth. And I totally loved it. It was great the way he brought in modern on-line / connected culture stuff. His writing is still deceptively simple but he definitely makes you think. Anyways, get the book and enjoy it. Lots of fun and laughter. Five stars for pure pleasure but with depth from one our time's best authors.

This book was hard to put down. It has so much going for it: laugh-out-loud funny parts, poignant soul searching on the nature of parenthood and loneliness, pop culture musings about fame and internet cult sites, a museum exhibit featuring a shark's eye, and Northern soul dancing (who knew???). Hornby has created a charming community, peopled with fully developed main characters and many interesting minor ones. When I wasn't laughing, I was smiling. It's right up there with "High Frdelity" as the best of Hornby. I would love to see this made into a movie starring John Cusack as Duncan.

I remember plowing through Long Way Down in one evening while on a trip to San Diego. I actually had the audio version on my iPod, which included a single male narrator doing all the voices, even the women, of a book written in the first person. But that didn't stop me from loving that book and having a great memory of sitting out watching the ocean while listening to the incredible story with characters I truly missed when the book ended.

It's been a few years since, and I never got around to reading Slam. But I downloaded Juliet Naked on my Kindle for a quick trip to New York. I can't say I finished it in one day, but pretty damn close. It took a little longer for the characters to grab me. In my laymen opinion, the fact that we move into the story so subtlety may be a sign of even better writing. The story just unfolds at nice pace.

I think what amazes me most if how much Hornby makes me care about his characters, and this is very much the case n Juliet, Naked. Even the annoying Duncan is exonerated with his "you asked us to listen" line, which is one my favorites.

I am going to say that Long Way Down is still my favorite Hornby book, but Juliet, Naked is #2. I'm anxious to download Slam and see what I missed there, and of course I look forward to Hornby's next masterpiece.