Juliet, Naked

By: Nick Hornby

Narrated by: Bill Irwin

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

From the beloved New York Times best-selling author, a quintessential Nick Hornby tale of music, superfandom, and the truths and lies we tell ourselves about life and love.

Annie loves Duncan - or thinks she does. Duncan loves Annie, but then, all of a sudden, he doesn't. Duncan really loves Tucker Crowe, a reclusive Dylanish singer-songwriter who stopped making music 10 years ago. Annie stops loving Duncan, and starts getting her own life. In doing so, she initiates an e-mail correspondence with Tucker, and a connection is forged between two lonely people who are looking for more out of what they've got.

Tucker's been languishing (and he's unnervingly aware of it), living in rural Pennsylvania with what he sees as his one hope for redemption amid a life of emotional and artistic ruin - his young son, Jackson. But then there's also the new material he's about to release to the world: an acoustic, stripped-down version of his greatest album, Juliet - entitled, Juliet, Naked.

What happens when a washed-up musician looks for another chance? And miles away, a restless, childless woman looks for a change? Juliet, Naked is a powerfully engrossing, humblingly humorous novel about music, love, loneliness, and the struggle to live up to one's promise.

©2009 Nick Hornby (P)2009 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Charming... Nobody captures the zealous devotion and bizarre intensity of amateur music snobs better.” (The Washington Post)

“Hornby seems, as ever, fascinated by the power of music to guide the heart, and in this very funny, very charming novel, he makes you see it matters.” (The New York Times Book Review)

"Rich and perceptive." (The Wall Street Journal)

Sweet song of disappointment

Sometimes we get to midlife and we discover the anthem is not a proud, "I did it my way!" But instead more of a what if and how did...nick hornby's characters find themselves facing the mess they have made of their lives.

Such a Pleasure

I have nothing to add to the other 4 and 5 star reviews. This was completely enjoyable.
A note to Audible: there are 3 excellent narrators here and you only list one. I did find the other two eventually through online searching (Ben Miles and Jennifer Wiltsie I think), but you should list them all.

enjoyable listen

I love it when I laugh out loud with "my ears" on. I did during Juliet Naked. This story is a little romance, without being steamy. Instead, it has these endearing characters who you really want to be happy, but they are all sort of mistfitty. The glee I felt when Annie started an e-mail conversation with her boyfriend's idol was so good. The resolution as told through blog postings was delightful. A fun listen with good narration.

Very good listen!

The three narrators did a wonderful job of exposing the listener to the individual minds of the main characters. If you enjoy Nick Hornby's work, I would highly recommend Juliet, Naked.

Great story, compelling themes, excellent readers

Very much in Hornby's style: filled with the misadventures of awkward characters and their bumbling attempts and finding meaning in life which, inexplicably, make the reader feel good, normal. Great story, lighthearted reading with some powerful and interesting ideas to dwell on after. (ie.e Does a work of art have a life of it's own? Is an artist beholden to his/her work? Do fans distort art even as they venerate it?) As each chapter shifts to a new character's point of view, there is a new narrator for that character, which makes for a dynamic and interesting listen. Great listen.

Charming story that made me think

What other book might you compare Juliet, Naked to and why?

I thought more of how it compared to real stories than other books.

Which character ??? as performed by Bill Irwin ??? was your favorite?

I adored all of the characters, especially Tucker Crow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I savored the book at a leisurely pace.

Any additional comments?

This is unlike other books I read but I found it charming and thought provoking. I highly recommend it, especially to followers of the indie music scene.

Great Narration

The book was good but the performances of the actors reading the story brought the book to life. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had just read the book alone.

Great stuff!

What a funny, sly story. Kudos to Bill Irwin for a perfect interpretation of a slightly confused ex-celebrity. I wish he did more narrating but I can't seem to find all that much that he's done. God book.

If you're a fan, this is one of his very best.

I loved it loved it loved it.
It's funny, it's sly, it's deep, it's sweet.
I loved it.

Great Story, Great Readers

Enjoyed it all. I know people like each of the main characters in the book - they felt very real and the writing was insightful.
Readers were fantastic - they really pull you in and make you think you are listening to the real characters.