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A Long Way Down  By  cover art

A Long Way Down

By: Nick Hornby
Narrated by: Scott Brick, Simon Vance, Kate Reading
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Publisher's summary

In his eagerly awaited fourth novel, New York Times best-selling author Nick Hornby mines the hearts and psyches of four lost souls who connect just when they've reached the end of the line.

Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives.

In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, Nick Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own mortality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.

Intense, hilarious, provocative, and moving, A Long Way Down is a novel about suicide that is, surprisingly, full of life.

©2005 Nick Hornby (P)2005 Penguin Audio and Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One New Year’s Eve, four people with very different reasons but a common purpose find their way to the top of a fifteen-story building in London. None of them has calculated that, on a date humans favor for acts of significance, in a place known as a local suicide-jumpers’ favorite, they might encounter company. A Long Way Down is the story of what happens next, and of what doesn’t." (The New York Times Book Review)

“It’s like The Breakfast Club rewritten by Beckett.... What makes the book work is Hornby’s refusal to give an inch to sentimentality or cheap inspirational guff." (Time)

"A dramatic, sad and thoroughly side-splitting novel." (Newsday)

What listeners say about A Long Way Down

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Seems made for audio format

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is told first-person by four separate -- and extremely different -- characters. The narrator voices for each character really added to my enjoyment of the story. If you like language and the differences between American and British English, then you will enjoy this very funny yet poignant book. It got to a point where the words "Sorry Maureen" were enough to make me laugh.

One reviewer commented that s/he kept waiting for an epiphany and never found one. I have to disagree. Each character had several epiphanies throughout the story, but the author didn't hit us over the head with them. The changes and insights they experienced were subtle and very enjoyable to experience with them.

At one point in the book, one of the main characters starts a conversation with someone because he sees her reading Bel Canto (a real book by Ann Patchett). As I thought about it, there are many similarities between that book -- which I loved -- and this one. Both novels start with an unlikely grouping of characters who are confronted with a life-threatening situation and, over the course of the story, grow to understand and appreciate each other and the world they live in. Highly recommended, but it's more appropriate for fans of Jane Austen than Tom Clancy.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Totally enjoyable!

This books was fantastic! All the characters are likeable and funny; the narrators are perfect! I thoughly enjoyed this book!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MJ
  • 01-04-12

Almost Like A "Breakfast Club" For Adults

I cannot give this book enough stars! Both the story and the performance were fan-BLOODY-tastic. I enjoyed the three different readers, playing the parts of the four characters. Kate Reading and Scott Brick are two of my favorite narrators and now I have another favorite - Simon Vance. Each of them brought so much to the reading. I don't feel as if they were actually reading it at all, but more like they were really Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen, speaking for themselves. This is the second novel by Nick Hornby that I have listened to (the first was "Juliet, Naked", another excellent listen) and I will be trying to locate more very soon.
This book though, really resonated with me. I am a parent of two children with special needs, though they are by no means as profoundly disabled as Matty is, and I found Maureen's story to be especially poignant; however, I was also able to relate to the other three characters (even Jess) almost as well. The characters are very human, very real, and more often than not, quite comical. I especially love the interactions between Martin and Jess. Martin is twice Jess's age and way higher on the IQ scale, but can never seem to come out on top of any arguments they have. One of my favorite quotes from this novel is from Jess when she says "everyone knows how to talk, but no one knows how to listen". I feel like that, too. Often. There were parts of this novel where I laughed out loud and then there were other bits that moved me to tears. I used the bookmarks feature on the Audible app (along with the ability to add a note) more on this than any other I've listened to. I know there were whole sections that I've only begun to really "get" so it'll definitely require another listen sometime in the future. I am recommending this book to family and friends, anyone I know who's life isn't what they'd expected and hasn't turned out quite in the way they'd hoped it would.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

wonderful recording

I can't imagine reading this book now that I have listened to it with all of the wonderful narrators- a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The multi-voice recording really brought the story to life, not to mention the fact that the dialogue is great anyway. This is the first Hornby I have listened to or read, although I have seen several movies- I plan to get my hands on everything he's ever written!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly Enjoyable

Nick Hornby has mastered the art of dialogue. You will not be let down by this book, the characters or their ideosyncrasies.

Even though I didnt want to leave the characters, in the end, I know that they will never leave me.

Absolutely Brilliant... cant wait for the movie now.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Flawed but still enjoyable, and well narrated

I am a big fan of Nick Hornby's books and I wish that all of them were available in unabridged audio editions.

I enjoyed this 'exploration' of some fairly unusual characters who want to commit suicide, although I only gave the book three stars.

The narration was good and distinguished well between and among characters. The problem is that the characters are for the most part really unlikeable. Initially one is curious to find out why they want to kill themselves. Then you need the characters to develop enough to maintain your interest when the plot no longer holds much suspense.

Unfortunately the book goes on longer than the curiosity does. The characters are not interesting enough to carry the story along once the characters come down off the ledge. It's hard to feel sympathy for such obnoxious and/or boring people.

One problem is the most difficult life circumstances belong to Maureen, the mother of the autistic/retarded/brain damaged son whose dilemma makes the concerns of the other characters seem petty and self-involved by comparison.

After a while you just want the characters to go away-but I have to admit the concept was an interesting one.

I stayed along for the whole ride because I wanted to know how Hornby keeps himself alive when challenged by some of the things we are all depressed by, reasonably or not. Hornby is a really interesting writer even when his stories don't entirely work. And the questions he poses are relevant to how we live our lives and face pain and loss.

I would rather read a mediocre Hornby effort than many more developed 'efforts' that manage to find their way into print today. His writing is engaging, even when writing about people I would never want to know.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Death Has Never Been so Funny!

What a great book. Four individuals who think they are living the last day of their lives, meet by coincidence at the top of the building where they are planning to jump. Characters are all unique and a little quirky. The youngest of the group is angry, crazy, and hilarious. The narration of this character is outstanding. Excellent ending, with a look at depression vs. the realities of the everyday human life. All three narrators stellar. It's quite a party.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Laugh and cry

A great laugh of a book, 'what a laugh!' as the English love to say... yet really sad at the same time. When listening to it, you do find yourself laughing out loud quite a bit. But being someone with depressive tendencies of my own, I couldn't help feeling that overall this book did bring my mood down a bit.

The different voices/actors used for the different characters really make this a great audio listen. I think I would have preferred this book on audio, as opposed to reading it.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellet - witty and thought provoking

I never imagined that the topic of suicide could be so funny! Extremely well read. Especially recommended to anyone whose life hasn't quite turned out to be everything they'd hoped for.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Simple fun

I enjoyed this book and all of the personalities involved in the story. Nothing heavy, just plain, easy entertainment.

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4 people found this helpful